Evidence & insights / Research into practice
Clear evidence.
Better institutions.
The ideas, methods and working questions behind the stewardship mission. Our long-form essays remain on Substack.
Read Axis Mundi on Substack ↗Selected essays / Published on Substack
Follow the thinking.
Dependency & beneficiaries
LEAP in Reverse
Begin with the ecosystem, trace its services and identify the beneficiaries who depend on them.
Read the essay ↗Attribution & finance
From Attribution to Securities
Explore why the ecological and legal relationship must be established before a financial instrument is designed.
Read the essay ↗Accounts & institutions
The Living Ledger
Explore the proposed connection between local natural capital accounts and institutions for the wider commons.
Read the essay ↗The technical programme
Build a method that can be examined.
Working analysis supports partner discussions and pilot design. Contact us for the material relevant to your decision.
Request technical materials →Catchment accounts and maintenance baselines
How should ecosystem extent, condition, service flows and maintenance activities be connected? Our programme examines spatial coherence, valuation purpose, cost boundaries and the treatment of uncertainty.
Beneficiary attribution and payment quantum
How can a credible dependency assessment inform a fair contribution? The research addresses attribution, capacity, existing stewardship and the difference between an economic benefit and an agreed payment.
Stewardship standards, compacts and funds
What would make commitments durable? We are developing proposals for funding standards, beneficiary compacts, partnership funds and appropriate governance.
Legal rights and proposed instruments
What can be attributed, to whom and on what legal basis? The programme explores the pathway from valuation to attribution and potential instruments, subject to specialist legal and regulatory assessment.
Measurement, reporting and assurance
How can ecological condition, financial commitments and delivery be reported together without overstating results? We are developing reporting and assurance requirements for practical implementation.
Reading the numbers
Different measures answer different questions.
| Measure | What it tells us | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| Ecosystem service value | The monetary value of specified service flows under a stated method. | A cash receipt or legally enforceable payment. |
| Maintenance cost | The cost of activities needed to sustain a defined ecological baseline. | The total value of nature or the cost of all restoration. |
| Beneficiary contribution | An agreed allocation of funding responsibility. | An automatic charge equal to dependency value. |
| Funding commitment | A documented commitment under stated terms. | Cash received, work completed or verified ecological improvement. |
Research discipline
Transparent assumptions.
Proportionate claims.
We distinguish physical accounts, monetary valuations, financing proposals and observed outcomes. We disclose scope, method and uncertainty, and identify where review or assurance is still required.
SEEA-aligned accounting is a foundation for organising evidence. Monetary estimates serve particular decisions and cannot express all ecological, cultural or intrinsic values.
Working papers and essays develop proposals. Publication does not by itself constitute peer review, independent assurance, legal advice or formal adoption.
Help improve the evidence.
We welcome constructive challenge, data contributions and technical collaboration.
Discuss a research collaboration →