Editorial: Enviro resistance to economic valuation of nature "a dangerous game"
Recent calculations of the economic value of nature and ecosystem services have caused many environmentalists to react negatively. They point to the risk of a progressive "privatisation" and "commodification" of nature, and argue that society should appreciate the intrinsic values of nature – nature for its own sake. Putting a 'price on nature' will create more enclosures whereby the public benefits derived from ecosystems will be seized by corporations and other private interests.
The new discourse about "natural capital" is seen by some as another step towards the degradation of the biosphere.