Introducing Natural Capital Insights
In this Q&A, we talk with the co-founders of Natural Capital Insights (NCI): Peter Hawthorne, Eric Lonsdorf, Chris Nootenboom, and Adrian Vogl. They reflect on how NCI – a new consulting firm that grew out of the Natural Capital Project – bridges the gap between university-based research and practical applications in the field of natural capital, offering unique services for advancing sustainable development worldwide. The team already has three other staff on board, with plans to grow beyond that.
Tell us a little about NatCap Insights.
Chris: The Natural Capital Project’s strengths include conducting research, spreading awareness, and bringing networks together. However, because NatCap operates in a university setting, there’s little incentive to apply the same analysis repeatedly. We wanted more flexibility to take on projects that wouldn’t typically fit within those constraints. Ultimately, our goal is to help mainstream NatCap’s work, increasing its accessibility to decision-makers.
Eric: We see the universities that are part of NatCap as key places for science innovation and for co-developing initial applications of that science with decision-makers. However, if you’re successful, as NatCap has been, there will be repeated demand for the tools coming from that pioneering work. For those who want to focus on the application of these tools, universities don’t often provide the right incentives, and quick-turnaround contracting can be difficult. At NatCap Insights, we’re developing our own approaches to adapt this work for large-scale, repeated applications. We can then share insights with university partners, who refine new tools, while we help scale them for widespread use. Our goal is to be a strong partner to NatCap, look for opportunities together, and push forward the mission of applying these tools in as many places as possible.
“The Stanford NatCap team is thrilled about the launch of Natural Capital Insights. We see it as a fabulous way to help our community surmount some key barriers to scaling our work. We are already collaborating with them on projects and look forward to seeing where things go from here!” – Anne Guerry, Chief Strategy Officer and Lead Scientist, Natural Capital Project, Stanford
Can you talk a little bit about your background and the road you took to get to NatCap Insights?
Adrian: I have been with NatCap at Stanford University since 2012. I’ve always been interested in how people interact with nature and how science can be translated into actions on the ground. Over my years at NatCap, I have seen an incredible momentum growing around nature-positive development approaches. What’s particularly challenging, though, is this growing gap between the innovation happening in scattered pockets around the world, and the people who know how to apply those innovations to real-world challenges. I joined NCI because I believe that filling that gap is a critical limiting step in our efforts to mainstream. And NCI is a great way to bring together some amazing people who otherwise would have been scattered. We’re looking forward to continuing to build up our team and bringing together more talented individuals to bridge this gap.
Peter: Most of my post-PhD career was with the University of Minnesota-based NatCap team, working partly on research and partly on outside applications like the Nature’s Frontiers report with the World Bank. This experience and the core ideas behind NatCap are what inspired me to take the next step and co-found NCI.
Can you describe your experiences collaborating with NatCap and how this partnership is useful to you and your work?
Adrian: Partnerships are a strong part of the NatCap ethos, and are what has made NatCap's work so impactful over the last 20 years. Right now we are planning to leverage an NCI/NatCap collaboration to bring technical capacity to projects in six countries looking to begin, design, and/or implement new policy and finance frameworks that center natural capital. This collaboration will be an important piece of launching NatCap's new Technical Assistance Center initiative (more on that will be coming soon!).
Can you describe two projects that NCI is currently working on?
Peter: One of our main motivations for starting this company was the World Bank Nature’s Frontiers project. It sparked greater demand from World Bank member countries for country-level planning— for example, identifying where crops can thrive under climate change while maximizing economic growth, food security, and climate mitigation. A significant focus of this work involves Climate Change Development Reports (CCDRs), which assess how countries strive to meet UN climate change goals while maintaining ecosystem services. The tools developed during Nature’s Frontiers are now being applied in other countries, underscoring the value in NatCap’s tools and the need for our team’s expertise to meet ongoing demand.
Chris: Another exciting project is with Project Drawdown, a nonprofit based out of Minnesota. We’re working with a team of longtime NatCap collaborators to create a U.S. ‘roadmap’ for climate solutions. This initiative integrates climate change mitigation and ecosystem service co-benefits, asking where various natural climate solutions can have the greatest impact on, for example, both climate mitigation and water quality.
What motivates you to do this work?
Eric: I am motivated by NatCap’s mission to better understand the value of nature, incorporate that value into decision-making, and to make the world more sustainable for both people and nature. I also love working with the people who are part of that mission too.
Chris: It's a really interesting research question, to try to get an intellectual grasp on how people interact with and depend upon nature. There are so many lenses to explore—equity, justice, biodiversity—with all these different ways to slice and dice data. It's also very wonderful to work in a place where we’re actually trying to make impact happen. It’s a bit of a trade-off: less direct connection to nature in the day-to-day because I’m sitting at a computer instead of outside doing fieldwork, but more opportunity to make a lasting difference.
A little more about the NCI co-founders:
Adrian: I am an avid rock climber, which also stems from and feeds my love of wilderness. I also enjoy playing in the ocean, kiteboarding, or just playing in the waves!
Chris: My first child was born this last year and my life has wonderfully centered around her, but in my spare time, I enjoy playing music, going for runs, rock climbing, and volunteering at a local farm.
Eric: My daughter, a rising sophomore at Emory, recently joined the ultimate frisbee team. My son also plays, and I’m now an assistant coach for their team. I love playing with them and being part of the Emory community.
Peter: I spend most of my non-work time with my family playing board games or sports, doing crafts, or spending time outdoors.
NatCap is based out of Stanford University, with core partners at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm Resilience Centre, the University of Minnesota, The Nature Conservancy, and WWF, and now NatCap Insights.
