Trends in Ecosystem Services (TeSE) business initiative was launched in 2013 by the Center for Sustainability Studies of Sao Paulo Business Administration School at Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGVces/EAESP-FGV) with the mission to support the Brazilian business sector in the incorporation of natural capital into business decision-making processes. Since then, TeSE has been developing, jointly with its member companies, tools for quantification, economic and noneconomic valuation and reporting of dependencies, impacts and externalities with regard to ecosystem services.
From 2014 to 2017, 47 business cases were published on valuation and management of ecosystem services, including a case of noneconomic valuation of Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES) and a publication containing three cases that assess the risks posed to companies associated with natural resources and ecosystem services. In 2018, eight more cases were developed, four of which can be found in a specific publication showing the assessment of projects of alternative uses for safety clearances in a power transmission company, and four cases are described here in this publication. This cycle also featured a technical revision of the Corporate Guidelines for the Economic Valuation of Ecosystem Services (DEVESE 3.0).
The reporting of the business cases of economic valuation of ecosystem services, presented in this publication, has been based, since 2015, on a ‘form for reporting environmental dependencies, impacts and externalities’, inspired on the Corporate Guidelines for Environmental Externalities Report (DEREA), and enhanced to comply with the Natural Capital Protocol – a framework designed to help the business sector measure and assess its dependencies and impacts on natural capital. That form guides the companies to elaborate a clear and straightforward report of their economic value estimates for environmental dependencies, impacts and externalities. The form content is self-declared by the companies, and it is worth noting each case shows the name of the person responsible for the information reported.
This publication does not provide details about data and calculations used, given the complexity and the strategic nature of some of the business information; however, it meets its goal of disseminating the theme, exemplifying some of the risks and opportunities derived from ecosystem services related to business. Details on the type of data and methodological procedures required for these analyses can be obtained directly from DEVESE and its corresponding calculation tool.
