InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-Offs)
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Tool Description
InVESTⓇ (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs) is a suite of open-source geospatial software models for mapping and valuing the ecosystem services provided by land and seascapes. It uses data about the environment to explore how changes in ecosystems are likely to affect the flow of benefits to people. It is designed to inform decisions about natural resource management and investment decisions.
Running the Tool
Tool Inputs
Predominantly GIS / map data (raster geotiffs, vector shapefiles, or geopackages); information tables (usually.csv format)
Resource Requirements
All InVEST models are available as stand-alone software. Models can be run through a graphical user interface or directly in python, for users with coding skills. You will need a mapping software such as QGIS or ArcGIS to prepare certain inputs and to perform any further analysis (e.g., overlays). No specific software is needed to view TIFF outputs. For more info on using InVEST directly in python click here. Applications may also be written using InVEST models via its python API.
time Requirements
<1 day – years | Time requirements vary widely from simple analysis taking a day to detailed stakeholder engagement projects potentially taking several years
skill Requirements
General computer literacy
Key data sources:
How does it work?
InVEST is designed to inform decisions about natural resource management in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. The models use input data (map/GIS data and information in tables) to explore how changes in ecosystems are likely to affect the flow of benefits provided to people.
It consists of 20+ software models (there are currently (as of 3.19.0) 21 models (not including routing, watershed delineation utilities, not including preprocessors) for mapping and valuing ecosystem services, plus a number of supporting tools to help with preparing, processing and visualising data including the Natural Capital Alliance Data Hub. Models can be applied at multiple scales. Most models use a ‘production function’ approach, meaning that the ecosystem service output (map) is derived using information about environmental condition and processes. The final map result is expressed in either biophysical terms (i.e. a quantity) or economic terms. InVEST is suitable for users who wish to look at multiple services or have multiple objectives for their area of interest. Developers can also now share their own InVEST Plugins.
Using Tool Outputs
Tool Outputs
Maps; Quantitative data on ecosystem services; Tables / statistics / reports.
How can the tool be used to inform decisions?
The tool supports land-use planning and policy by comparing scenarios, identifying trade-offs and synergies between ecosystem services, prioritising areas for conservation or development, informing natural capital accounting, and guiding nature-based solutions and investment decisions.
Limitations of Use
Requires spatial data and GIS expertise; results depend heavily on input data quality and assumptions; models can be simplified representations of complex ecological processes; may require calibration for local contexts; some models need significant data preparation and processing time.
Validation
Widely peer-reviewed and used globally; developed by the Natural Capital Alliance (formerly the Natural Capital Project); individual models have been validated in scientific literature and applied in real-world decision-making contexts, though validation varies by model and location.
Case Studies
Explore other uses of InVEST on these project pages: https://naturalcapitalalliance.stanford.edu/projects/featured and in the Publications listing and database: https://naturalcapitalalliance.stanford.edu/research/select-publications.
Specific UK case studies include:
Other information
Limitations and assumptions of each model are clearly explained in the information provided by tool developers.
Clear methodologies provided for each model.
Time required depends on data need and availability to support modelling. Time can be reduced if the literature that can be used to parameterise the models is compiled beforehand.
InVEST developers are working on building models that will use globally available datasets and will better incorporate beneficiaries.
Third Party Reviews
Bagstad et al. (2013) conducted a comparative assessment of decision-support tools for ecosystem service quantification and valuation in the San Pedro river basin, Arizona, USA. The key findings were that InVEST is appropriate in contexts where ecological processes are well-understood, but many models can be data and time-intensive to apply.
Nemec et al. (2013) surveyed users of several GIS models for mapping ecosystem services, including InVEST and ARIES, in 2011. They concluded that the strengths of InVEST, as identified by survey respondents, included ease of use, simplicity, good selection of important ecosystem services, peer-reviewed methodology and multi-functionality, plus the growing community of users that share information within a supported InVEST forum, as well as support offered from the developer team.
InVEST was also reviewed in the 2013 Natural England review of green infrastructure valuation tools carried out by eftec/Cascade (access report here).
Developer Organisations
The Natural Capital Alliance – a global collaboration based at Stanford University that includes the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Stockholm Resilience Centre, the University of Minnesota’s NatCap TEEMs, WWF (World Wildlife Fund), The Nature Conservancy, and Natural Capital Insights.
