This report is an outcome of the Natural Assets Project, a collaborative initiative of the Political Economy Research Institute supported by the Ford Foundation. The report draws on papers prepared for the Conference on Natural Assets: Democratizing Environmental Ownership held in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in January 2000. We are grateful to the conference participants for insights, support, and inspiration. The focus of this report, like that of the conference, is on strategies for building natural assets in the United States. We hope that further research and discussion will explore the relevance of these concepts to environmental issues and institutional settings in other countries.
Contents
INTRODUCTION
WHAT ARE NATURAL ASSETS?
Sidebar: Investing in Natural Capital: The Acequia Ecosystems of the Upper Rio Grande
Sidebar: Natural Capital, Social Capital, and Environmental Justice
CAN BUILDING NATURAL ASSETS REDUCE POVERTY?
Sidebar: Is Inequality Bad for the Environment?
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: FOUR ROUTES TO NATURAL ASSET BUILDING
Sidebar: “Take a Stand, Own the Land”: Boston’s Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative
Sidebar: The Forest Stewardship Council: Certifying Responsible Forest Management
Sidebar: The Sky Trust
Sidebar: The Right to a Clean and Safe Environment
THE ROAD AHEAD
RESOURCES
