Evaluating the potential for natural capital investment to reverse soil degradation: A dynamic simulation approach exploring connections between soil health and money in England
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2019-07-09
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en
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Investment in natural capital has been proposed for restoring degraded natural capital stocks such as soils. However, the dynamic interactions between soil health and systems of financial incentives are not clear, meaning that natural capital investments could produce unintended effects. In this thesis, secondary data were used to build a quantitative system dynamics model capable of reproducing historically declining trends in the soil health and natural capital indicator soil organic carbon (SOC) in England. The model was used to clarify the structural mechanisms behind soil degradation and identify leverage points at which natural capital investments could be targeted. Analyses revealed the absence of a feedback mechanism by which land managers could account for the improvements or losses of soil ecosystem services in their business decisions. The model was used to design and test two types of investments that would introduce missing feedback mechanisms. The study found that their effectiveness differed depending on the initial SOC stock level of the land plot to which the investment was targeted. These findings can be generalised to inform the discussion on how natural capital investment could be used to improve other soil health indicators, as well as other types of natural assets.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen