--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: While there may be no \"right\" way to…" description: "\"While there may be no \"right\" way to value a forest or a river, there is a wrong way, which is to give it no value at all. How do we decide the value o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a81/paul-hawken-3831_asks_while-there-may-be-no-right-way-to-value_3080425.jpg" --- # While there may be no "right" way to value a forest or a… ![“While there may be no "right" way to value a forest or a river, there is a wrong way, which is to give it no value at all. How do we decide the value of a 700-year-old tree? We need only to ask how much it would cost to make a new one, or a new river, or even a new atmosphere.” quote by Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a81/paul-hawken-3831_asks_while-there-may-be-no-right-way-to-value_3080425.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a81/paul-hawken-3831_asks_while-there-may-be-no-right-way-to-value_3080425.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a81/paul-hawken-3831_asks_while-there-may-be-no-right-way-to-value_3080425.jpg) > “While there may be no "right" way to value a forest or a river, there is a wrong way, which is to give it no value at all. How do we decide the value of a 700-year-old tree? We need only to ask how much it would cost to make a new one, or a new river, or even a new atmosphere.” [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Valuing nature requires assigning worth, not ignoring it; we must consider replacement costs and ecosystem services. **In simple terms:** Nature must be valued, not ignored. Key Takeaway Assign economic value to natural assets. Themes environment economics ethics conservation Mood concerned reflective Type ethical policy When to use this quote - policy making - corporate responsibility - environmental impact assessments Key Concepts ecosystem services replacement cost sustainability Questions to Reflect On - How can we quantify intangible ecosystem benefits? - What policies ensure nature’s value is respected? A Different Perspective Ignoring value can lead to exploitation and loss of ecosystems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) [Atmosphere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atmosphere/) [Cost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cost/) [Decide Value](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decide-value-5251909/) [Forests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forests/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Old trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-trees/) [Right way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-way/) [Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivers/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees/) [Value](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/value/) [Value Decide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/value-decide-5251911/) [Value Forest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/value-forest-5251910/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Way Value](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-value-5251912/) [Wrong way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong-way/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [The vine that has grown old on an old tree falls with the ruin of that tree, and through that bad companionship must perish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/the-vine-that-has-grown-old-on-an-old-tree-falls-with-the-ruin-of/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [This is what I have heard at last the wind in December lashing the old trees with rain unseen rain racing along the tiles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-s-merwin/this-is-what-i-have-heard-at-last-the-wind-in-december-lashing-the/) [W. 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