Valuing Nature

Available for over a year

How much is a honey bee worth? Can you put a price tag on a mountain? Monty Don explores the value of nature. Some believe the only way to preserve nature is to show that it can pay its way in a world driven by money, others disagree saying nature is too precious to be left to the whim of markets. Monty Don discusses if we should put a price tag on nature and if so how do we value it? This week there is a report from St. Andrews in North East Scotland where Trai Anfield explores the value of the Eden Estuary to both nature conversation and human activity. Estuaries and mud flats protect our coastlines and filter water entering the sea, as well as provide food for many birds - but here and all over the world coastlines are under threat from development. Jonathan Aylen from the Manchester Business School thinks valuing eco-system services is a good idea in theory but very hard to put into practice. Environmentalist Tony Juniper and Dr Bill Adams from the Department of Geography at University of Cambridge also join Monty in the studio to discuss the pros and cons of valuing nature.