More materials about Sustainable and Responsible Investment & Sustainable Financial Economy
Summary
InVEST is Stanford’s free, open-source software suite for mapping and valuing ecosystem services including carbon sequestration, water purification, and biodiversity conservation. Features spatially-explicit models producing biophysical and economic outputs at local to global scales. Includes terrestrial, freshwater, marine, and coastal ecosystem models plus helper tools for data processing and
Relevant SDGs
How to use
This resource helps students quantify ecosystem services and analyze environmental tradeoffs. Students gain competencies in spatial analysis, ecosystem service valuation, and natural capital assessment. They learn to integrate environmental and economic data for decision-making and policy analysis. The software works well in courses on environmental economics, conservation planning, or GIS applications.
Introduce when covering ecosystem service valuation or environmental impact assessment. Use for hands-on modeling exercises and scenario analysis projects. Particularly valuable before examining payment for ecosystem services or environmental accounting. Faculty should provide GIS background and emphasize practical applications.
Encourage students to explore the model database and connect ecosystem service mapping with real-world conservation and development decisions.
Teaching format tip
Tool
Demonstrate effective usage while encouraging experimentation and adaptation. Students should develop technical competencies and understand appropriate applications for different contexts. Use tools to enhance learning capabilities while building confidence with professional resources and methodologies.
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