Indonesia's wealth of natural resources is a priceless blessing. However, misunderstandings often lead to natural resources being valued solely from an economic perspective, ignoring the broader perspective. In fact, natural resources themselves can be considered capital that provides services to many people in the form of ecosystem  services .

However, it is very difficult to measure the value of natural resources in the form of ecosystem services because the market currently doesn't recognize them due to their lack of definition. This issue is considered by many to be a market failure that has led to a decline in environmental carrying capacity. Consequently, it's understandable that the environment is often overlooked, considered unimportant, and even tends to be a backward issue, perceived as something that can be addressed later.

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There are three main ideas in developing these ecosystem services to create  public-private partnerships  in natural resource protection efforts.  First , changing the mindset of natural resources as assets.  Second , paving the way for a market-based system based on solutions for the environment, forests, and nature.  Third ,  optimizing the role  of the private sector  in the sustainable use of natural resources.

By: Diah Putri Utami

Japan International Cooperation Agency

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SECURITISE NATURE: PROTECTING NATURAL RESOURCES (SDA) BY INCREASING VALUE