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Researchers are putting together an online service that will help determine nature's contributions to the economy. The GLRC's Rebecca Williams reports the economic benefits of the natural system aren't always considered when developers start building:

We don't get a bill from wetlands for purifying our water, but scientists say we might pay more in our utility bills if wetlands weren't there to clean up the water.

Bob Costanza directs the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics. He and his colleagues are building computer models that will be turned into an interactive website. He says the website will put a price on the services things such as wetlands and forests provide:

"If you are going to put a new housing development or shopping center, what are you losing in terms of ecosystem services and where could you put those things that would lose as little as possible?"

Costanza says the website will be live in about a year and a half. It will be open to the public so you'll be able to get a better sense of what your local pond and forest are doing for you.

For the GLRC, I'm Rebecca Williams.