Natural capital accounting is becoming a vital tool in mobilising business and government investment to protect nature. Yet, while business interest in natural capital is high, understanding of its business risks and opportunities remains patchy, and reservations remain about whether pricing nature is the best way to protect it.

In this catalyst debate we discussed whether better understanding of nature’s economic importance can help to conserve and improve it. We asked what business needs to be able to act more decisively and what the role of policy should be.