Natural Resources and Biodiversity Assessment

Biological diversity, or biodiversity, is the variety of biological life in the world or in a specific habitat. This includes the number of species of plants, animals and microorganisms as well as the huge diversity in genes within each of these species. Geographically, particular ecosystems in the world such as deserts, marine ecosystems, and rainforests all contribute to a biologically diverse earth.

The cost of a biologically diverse world, both socially and economically, is a subject that is becoming more important in our age of urbanization. The social benefits include cultural, aesthetic, recreational, and spiritual value for the world’s population. Economically, assessing the value of biodiversity in a business sense can be difficult, whether referring to the tangible, such as agriculture and farming, or the intangible, such as the loss of species that contribute to the creation of pharmaceuticals.

Assessing Biological Diversity and Resources in Nature

Why is it important to assess natural resources and biodiversity?

It is important to assess biological diversity in order to show the levels of human dependence on nature. Resources such as lumber, crops, and water have a biomass that can be directly and numerically assessed in economic value. The monetary significance of biological diversity, however, is more difficult to determine, but with these numbers, you can work out exactly how losing biological diversity in a habitat or environment can have devastating effects for populations and businesses alike.

How can non-material assets like biodiversity be given a monetary value?

Although it is a difficult task to assign a quantifiable monetary value to biological diversity, it is important to do so because the language of money is understood universally. For politicians and businesses, especially in the developing world, the need to attach exact valuation to  biological diversity is key to understanding the true worth of natural resources and various species.

How does the assessment of natural resources change with new technologies?

With the adoption of new technologies, the ability to assess the value of resources and biological diversity will improve. Through environmental technologies such as soil sampling and water quality monitoring, more precise data on the value of intangible biological diversity can be found.

Atheneum and Biodiversity

At Atheneum, we provide a global network of experts whose experience in biological diversity will help our clients navigate the intricacies of this growing industry. With global office locations including New York, Shanghai, and London, our expert platform is positioned in countries leading the market in developing the technologies needed to research resources in nature and how to best protect them.