Pyramid by Ray Collins
In the midst of a climate and inequality crisis, is it time to ditch GDP as a measure of economic success" Academics, conservationists and, increasingly, investors are looking to other factors such as natural capital, as Harriet Constable reports
At 5:30am on a cool, cloudy day near the famed Amboseli National Park in southern Kenya, the engine of an open-sided Land Cruiser rumbles into life. In the front seats are Wilson Kasaine and Nicholas Koyieyo. As expert guides at Gamewatchers Safaris, one of the oldest tourism companies in the country, setting out early in search of flora and fauna is normal for them. But there are no tourists with them today. Instead, the pair and their intern, Lankas Noi, are armed with smartphones, clipboards and pens. The sun starts to rise as they reach their first destination, and with it comes the call of the birds. They hear the spotted palm thrush, the slate-coloured boubou. Then comes the black-throated barbet, a red-bellied parrot. The team gets to work. Its mission: to spend 10 minutes at a GPS location, identifying as many birds as possible. Why" So that Gamewatchers Safaris can monetise biodiversity. The morning?s activity is one of a growing number of examples of harnessing ?natural capital?. That is, placing a price on nature. ?The capitalism we have at the moment isn?t working… and that?s because it only focuses on one of the capitals, not all of them,? says Mark Gough, CEO of Capitals Coalitio...