Redefining our economic systems @TEDx Yerevan…

Just when I thought this day couldn’t get any better, coverage of my talk at TEDx Yerevan, "Redefining Our Economic Systems: Could a Forest Be Worth More Than a Gold Mine?" hit National Geographic Online. The premise was that forests are a form of green infrastructure that have a range of values worth more than firewood or building material and that these could be worth more than a gold mine. The issue is significant because the region is one of the planet’s most endangered “hotspots for biodiversity” and the country’s economy is dependent on mining.

In addition, resources like forests and water are becoming scarce as a result of unsustainable management and climate change while several strategic industries are heavily reliant on the “natural capital” provided by forests. National Geographic’s coverage by Kara Marston of the event at the Tumo Center for Creative Technologies is available here. The video of the talk was posted by TEDx here:



The talk is based on my master's thesis on “How Payments for Environmental Services Can Deliver Co-Benefits for Business and Sustainable Development: A Conservation Finance Strategy to Protect Armenia’s Natural Heritage,” and I cited data from UNEP's program on The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity. The research was presented earlier this year at the 17th International Sustainable Development Research Conference hosted by the Earth Institute at Columbia University and the United Nations Division of Sustainable Development.

The concepts of forest valuation and understanding our dependence on ecosystem services are becoming more mainstream, especially among large corporations and in conversations about creating a Green Economy. The following sites provide further information: Bank of Natural Capital, Corporate Ecosystem Services Review, Guide to Corporate Ecosystem Valuation. Stay tuned...