*http://www.naturalcapitalproject.org/* * http://www.naturalcapitalproject.org/joinourteam.html Lead Ecosystem Services Modeler<http://www.naturalcapitalproject.org/joinourteam.html#ESModeler> (Application review begins September 6, 2011) Term: September 15, 2011 through September 14, 2013 and beyond, contingent upon funding. Software : http://invest.ecoinformatics.org/ NY Times article - 9 August 2011 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/09/science/09profile.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all... InVEST: Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs The Need for a New Tool InVEST is a family of tools to map and value the goods and services from nature which are essential for sustaining and fulfilling human life. *UPDATE* Now includes models for COASTAL and MARINE ecosystem services. For further information on tool development, the InVEST user forum, and to register for InVEST updates, go to: http://invest.ecoinformatics.org Who Should Use InVEST Governments, non-profits, and corporations manage natural resources for multiple uses and inevitably must evaluate trade-offs among these uses; InVEST's multi-service, modular design provides an effective tool for evaluating these trade-offs. How it Works [image: How InVEST Works] NY Times article - 9 August 2011 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/09/science/09profile.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all... "Early on, Dr. Daily recognized that new tools were needed to quantify nature’s value. “We began by developing a software program called InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs) to map and value nature’s goods and services that are essential for humans,” she said. The software, which is available as a free download, enables the comparison of various environmental scenarios. What is the real cost of draining a wetland or clearing a coastline of mangroves? InVEST models the trade-offs and helps decision makers better understand the implications of their choices." ... The Costa Rican program helped inspire Dr. Daily to co-found the Natural Capital Project in 2006. NatCap, as the program is known, is a venture led by Stanford University, the University of Minnesota and two of the world’s largest conservation organizations, the Nature Conservancy and the World Wildlife Fund. It aims to transform traditional conservation methods by including the value of “ecosystem services” in business, community and government decisions. These benefits from nature — like flood protection, crop pollination and carbon storage — are not part of the traditional economic equation. *