engleski

Reporting the state of natural capital

Natural capital which constitutes the richness of nations in terms of wellbeing since it provides valuable goods and services to people such as clean air, clean water, food and recreation, is under growing cumulative pressure. That is mainly the result of its mismanagement which can also be attributed to the fact that its full value is not reflected in socio- economic policies and choices despite its fundamental importance for society's welfare. Some progress has been made in designating particular areas for conservation, but there are often insufficient tools, funds or political will to enforce genuine protection of wildlife or other services. One of the ecosystem categories are cultural services – physical, intellectual, spiritual and symbolic interventions of humans with ecosystems, lands and seascapes. Measures to conserve natural resources are more likely to succeed if local communities are given ownership of them, share benefits, and are involved in decisions. Therefore greater involvement of indigenous communities in decision-making preserves traditional knowledge about functioning of natural systems, thus designing more effective ways for protecting them. The Republic of Croatia should preserve its natural capital in the interest of its people, its ecosystems and the economy which depends thereon. Like some other nations who introduced regular reporting and appropriate indicators, it should be proactive in devising the tools to measure the performance in preservation of natural capital.

natural capital, reporting, ecology, ecosystems

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