Assessment & Management of Natural Resource Capital

Exponent helps clients maximize the value of their natural resource capital using our multidisciplinary teams of environmental scientists, environmental engineers, and natural resource economists. The value of natural resource capital at a client’s facility flows from the ecosystem goods and services provided by natural or naturalized landscapes, and includes green infrastructure. Examples of these natural assets (or eco-assets), may include groundwater recharge fields for the management roof drain flows, coastal flood protection from marshes, and aesthetic and recreational benefit to employees and other stakeholders from natural landscapes. Exponent supports organizations in identifying, accounting for, and sustaining value from their eco-assets to simultaneously maintain profitable business operations and minimize environmental footprints. We also work closely with inside and outside counsel and client’s real estate specialists to maximize the value of transactions such as property dispositions by ensuring full valuation of eco-assets.

Conventional practices such as mitigation and restoration can be costly to companies. These costs can be partially or wholly offset by optimizing plans to provide the greatest value in credit markets, where such markets exist. Credit market for these resources work on the basic economic laws of supply and demand where organizations may be able to sell credits to generate revenue, or trade credits to offset compliance costs such as advanced air or water treatment. Credit markets include the carbon market and regional water quality trading banks or auctions; and wetland, habitat, and species banks. Companies that are faced with the decision to develop land or expand operations should ensure that they are considering the market and nonmarket value of eco-assets in their decisions. To the extent a project’s impact to biodiversity and ecosystem services is unavoidable; the Exponent team can assist clients in developing equitable offsets.

Services

Exponent consultants are highly experienced in the areas of ecology, toxicology, chemistry, restoration, GIS, remote sensing, and resource economics, and provide a range of services including:

Assessing land holdings for existing and potential ecological services
Evaluating ecological implications of business operations, expansion, and land development
Conducting ecological assessments to evaluate risks to potential ecological services credit development
Developing cost effective offsets or restoration and mitigation projects that maximize returns in the form of credits
Identifying credit markets and banks where credits can be traded
Providing technical review and support during the development of credits or negotiations with credit-granting entities.