Inclusive wealth
Inclusive wealth measures the productive asset base of an economy by considering produced, human, and natural capital together. Applying Inclusive wealth requires a stated place, ecological condition, water or land unit, affected stakeholders, and assessment timescale. Those choices determine how Inclusive wealth can be compared or acted upon.
In simple terms
In practical use, Inclusive wealth measures the productive asset base of an economy by considering produced, human, and natural capital together. For Inclusive wealth, the label organizes a condition or relationship but does not by itself demonstrate performance or compliance within a declared place, ecological condition, water or land unit, affected stakeholders, and assessment timescale. Inclusive wealth connects with Natural capital and Biodiversity metric; each can affect its application without sharing its definition. The candidate link between Inclusive wealth and Key biodiversity area remains a separate expansion question supported here by United Nations Environment Programme.
Why it matters
Inclusive wealth matters because decisions about it determine which ecological condition is used as the baseline, whose water or land interests count, and whether an intervention fits its location. A defensible use of Inclusive wealth therefore exposes its boundary, method, evidence, responsible actor, and uncertainty before a conclusion is accepted. That discipline keeps Natural capital and Biodiversity metric from being treated as proof of Inclusive wealth when their criteria, scope, or results differ.
Example
A site and landscape team evaluates Inclusive wealth for a defined decision and records the relevant place, ecological condition, water or land unit, affected stakeholders, and assessment timescale. For Inclusive wealth, the team uses cited material from United Nations Environment Programme to frame the decision and distinguish the idea from adjacent concepts, documenting the period, data, assumptions, and comparison with Natural capital. It treats Biodiversity metric and Key biodiversity area as separate questions rather than proxies for Inclusive wealth.
How it differs
Natural capital
Inclusive wealth is a concept; Natural capital has a different function. Evidence for Natural capital does not establish Inclusive wealth unless both sets of applicable criteria are met.