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Imagine waking up on the sterile landscape of the moon. What would you need in order to make life possible and enjoyable? According to Gretchen Cara Daily, Director of the Center for Conservation Biology at Stanford University, this is the kind of question you\u2019d need to answer in order to begin understanding the value\u2014both intrinsic and monetary---of nature. If it weren\u2019t for wasps, we probably wouldn\u2019t have wine; if it weren\u2019t for the bees in tropical rainforests, we probably wouldn\u2019t have coffee; if it weren\u2019t for birds and bats, our crops would be destroyed; if it weren\u2019t for forests and wetlands, we wouldn\u2019t have safe drinking water. Not only is it crucial for people to start appreciating these connections, but it\u2019s crucial that these connections are quantified and factored into the decision-making practices concerning the management of natural resources, the allocation of funds, and the creation of new policies.

On today\u2019s podcast, Dr. Daily discusses all of this and more, including the global initiative called the Natural Capital Project, which is aimed at illuminating these connections, demonstrating the\xa0importance of environmental science, making the\xa0causes of environmental problems\xa0better understood, and emphasizing a path toward harmony between nature and humanity.

On today\u2019s podcast, you will learn:

\xb7\xa0\xa0What efforts are being made to mitigate the deleterious effects of city-dwelling that's void of natural green spaces

\xb7\xa0\xa0What types of changes are occurring in China, where some of the most devastating impacts of environmental degradation are occurring

\xb7\xa0\xa0\xa0How satellite images can indicate the economic status of a geographic region

Learn more by visiting\xa0https://naturalcapitalproject.stanford.edu/.