• Starting in the 1960s, China began clearing vast stretches of land to boost agricultural production
• Devastating floods led policymakers to rethink the value of their natural capital, and the adverse effects of land clearing
• Government officials are now providing financial incentives for farmers to restore 37 million acres to their natural state
• The program uses metrics gathered by The Nature Conservancy and WWF to decide how best to use land to maximize both environmental and social benefits from natural capital