When Nature Has a Number on the Balance Sheet

How the financial world is starting to recognize the value of ecosystems services

In this episode of the Healthy Seas Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Ralph Chami — financial economist, former Assistant Director at the International Monetary Fund, and Co-Founder of Blue Green Future — to explore one of the most powerful shifts underway: integrating the value of nature’s services into economic and financial systems.

From whales and seagrass to elephants and bison, Ralph’s work centers around measuring the economic contributions of living ecosystems and designing financial tools that recognize their role in climate regulation, biodiversity support, and human wellbeing. The goal? To accelerate funding for restoration and protection by making nature visible on the balance sheet.

A Whale, a Shift, a New Vision

The conversation begins with a deeply personal story: a moment in the Sea of Cortez that transformed Ralph’s life and career. From that encounter with a blue whale came a new path, one that brought together climate science, conservation, and high-level economics. Since then, Ralph has helped governments and organizations understand how to value nature’s services — not to commodify ecosystems, but to make the case for investing in their preservation and restoration.

In the episode, you’ll hear about:

• Why whales can be worth millions over their lifetime through carbon storage
• How forward contracts are being used to fund environmental restoration
• What makes a nature-based project “investable”
• Why markets are slow to respond — and what could unlock faster change
• The role of communities in managing and benefiting from ecosystem services
• The risks of leaving nature outside the financial system, and how to avoid them

When Oceans Meet Economics

For companies, investors, and governments trying to build credible climate and biodiversity strategies, this episode offers a new lens. As Ralph puts it, valuing nature’s services isn’t about replacing conservation with markets — it’s about finally recognizing the systems we depend on, and funding their protection before it’s too late.

It’s a bold reframe of where value lies, and how finance can be part of the solution.

If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe, rate and review it! This helps to boost its visibility.

Healthy Seas is a marine conservation organization whose mission is to tackle the ghost fishing phenomenon and turn this waste into an opportunity for a more circular economy. They do this through clean-ups, prevention, education, and working with partners who recycle and repurpose this material. The podcast is hosted by Crystal DiMiceli.

How sustainability reporting, biodiversity, and NGO partnerships can shape the next wave of corporate responsibility.

In this new episode of the Healthy Seas Podcast, we explore what lies beyond ESG compliance — and how companies can turn sustainability reporting into real environmental impact.

Our guests Elena Cicoria and Giuseppe Cais from Diligea, a Benefit Corporation specializing in ESG consulting, share what they’ve learned working with businesses of all sizes, from banks to small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

They explain why sustainability can no longer be treated as a side project, what’s missing in most corporate strategies, and how new reporting regulations in Europe are reshaping the way companies integrate environmental and social performance into daily operations.

Together, we talk about:

• The hidden opportunities behind ESG reporting
• Why biodiversity — not just carbon — should be part of every business strategy
• The growing role of transparency and accountability in fighting greenwashing
• How oceans connect to every industry, even those far from the coast
• And how NGOs like Healthy Seas can help companies move from reporting to real impact — through tangible restoration, circular economy, and education projects.

Whether you’re a sustainability manager looking to strengthen your company’s ESG strategy or a business curious about meaningful partnerships, this episode offers both clarity and inspiration.

If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe, rate and review it! This helps to boost its visibility.

Healthy Seas is a marine conservation organization whose mission is to tackle the ghost fishing phenomenon and turn this waste into an opportunity for a more circular economy. They do this through clean-ups, prevention, education, and working with partners who recycle and repurpose this material. The podcast is hosted by Crystal DiMiceli.

Two marine scientists, one shipwreck, and a mission to uncover the hidden impacts of ghost nets.

Beyond Cleanups: A New Kind of Mission

In this episode of the Healthy Seas Podcast, we take you inside a groundbreaking project that combines our cleanup work with long-term scientific research. Together with our partner DWS, Healthy Seas is investigating how ghost nets affect biodiversity on shipwrecks—and what happens when they’re removed with the help of Ghost Diving volunteers.

Our guests are Isadora Abuter and Ramona Reichert, two Healthy Seas marine scientists who joined the expedition in Greece. With host Crystal DiMiceli, they share what it was like to dive on the wreck, how they collected data underwater, and why science and storytelling must go hand in hand to protect the ocean.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

Why the Ionian Sea shipwreck was chosen as the study site
First impressions of the wreck—and the surprising life found on the ghost nets themselves
How the team measured biodiversity and microplastic pollution underwater
The importance of illustration and communication in bringing science to life
What comes next in phase two of this long-term project

Why It Matters

For Healthy Seas, every cleanup is more than removing waste—it’s an opportunity to learn, restore, and inspire. This project shows how science strengthens conservation, and how partnerships like the one with DWS open new possibilities for impact.

As Isadora puts it: “Even the most important research has no impact if people cannot understand it. That’s why communication is key.”

Learn more about the "Wrecks of Life: Tracking Biodiversity After the Nets" and our mission with DWS: https://www.healthyseas.org/blog/unseen-damage-how-ghost-nets-disrupt-marine-life-coral-growth-and-ocean-health/

If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe, rate and review it! This helps to boost its visibility.

Healthy Seas is a marine conservation organization whose mission is to tackle the ghost fishing phenomenon and turn this waste into an opportunity for a more circular economy. They do this through clean-ups, prevention, education, and working with partners who recycle and repurpose this material. The podcast is hosted by Crystal DiMiceli.