Abstract
Scotland has a significant stock of natural capital which is defined by NatureScot as “the habitats and ecosystems that provide social, environmental and economic benefits to humans”.
Six economic sectors are widely regarded to make up the natural economy: tourism, food and drink, fishing and aquaculture, agriculture, energy (including renewables) and forestry, logging and manufacture of wood. In 2018, the natural economy contributed £29.1 billion Gross Value Added to the Scottish economy and employed 290,000 people.
The natural economy can be considered as consisting of three elements: (i) resources that can be extracted (e.g. through agriculture); (ii) landscapes that can store environmental resources or ecosystem services (e.g. carbon storage); and (iii) activities that benefit from natural resources (e.g. tourism) in order to increase their value.
Six economic sectors are widely regarded to make up the natural economy: tourism, food and drink, fishing and aquaculture, agriculture, energy (including renewables) and forestry, logging and manufacture of wood. In 2018, the natural economy contributed £29.1 billion Gross Value Added to the Scottish economy and employed 290,000 people.
The natural economy can be considered as consisting of three elements: (i) resources that can be extracted (e.g. through agriculture); (ii) landscapes that can store environmental resources or ecosystem services (e.g. carbon storage); and (iii) activities that benefit from natural resources (e.g. tourism) in order to increase their value.
Original language | English |
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Publisher | SRUC's Rural Policy Centre |
Number of pages | 10 |
Volume | Environment and Climate |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Print publication - Jul 2021 |
Publication series
Name | Policy Spotlight |
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No. | 1 |
Rural Policy Centre Themes
- Environment and climate