Dr. Marina AlcoverAcademic director focused on measurable results and operational excellence in maritime education. Integrates IMO/STCW regulations and ISO 21001/9001 f
Masters · 1500 h · 11 modules
Master's in Marine Biodiversity Economics and Nature Credits
Prepares you to measure, value and finance marine nature. You will study the economic valuation of ecosystem services, natural capital accounting, how businesses depend on and affect biodiversity, and the mechanisms that fund…
Duration1500 h
FormatOnline
Starts14 December
Places20 / 20
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Programme overview
What is the Master’s in Marine Biodiversity Economics and Nature Credits?
The Master's in Marine Biodiversity Economics and Nature Credits
Prepares you to measure, value and finance marine nature. You will study the economic valuation of ecosystem services, natural capital accounting, how businesses depend on and affect biodiversity, and the mechanisms that fund conservation. You will take a critical look at blue carbon and biodiversity credits, a market that is still emerging, so you can tell projects with genuine integrity apart from those without it.
Key advantages
- Economics meets ecology: An approach that combines ecosystem science with economic analysis.
- International frameworks: Hands-on work with the most widely used nature accounting and disclosure frameworks.
- A critical lens: Integrity, additionality and greenwashing risks in credit markets.
- Finance focus: Nature-related risk for banks, insurers and investors.
- Your own project: An economic assessment or financing mechanism design for a real case.
Programme type
Master's Degree
Study mode
Online
Duration
1,500 hours
Modules
11
Programme highlights
- Value nature: Apply economic valuation methods to ecosystem services.
- Account for natural capital: Build ecosystem accounts for marine and coastal areas.
- Assess risk: Analyse corporate dependencies and impacts on the ocean.
- Design finance: Structure financial mechanisms for conservation.
- Boost your career: Open doors to consultancies, financial institutions, public bodies and NGOs.
- Train to make marine biodiversity count in economic and financial decisions.
Curriculum
Programme Structure
The programme is structured in 11 modules, listed below in order of study.
01
Marine Biodiversity and the Economy
- Marine biodiversity and its status
- Ocean ecosystem services
- Environmental and ecological economics
- Externalities and public goods
- The tragedy of the commons at sea
- Natural capital as an economic concept
- The blue economy and sustainability
- IPBES and its assessments
- The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework
- Biodiversity on the economic agenda
02
Economic Valuation of Marine Ecosystems
- Total economic value
- Market price methods
- Replacement and avoided costs
- Travel cost
- Hedonic pricing
- Contingent valuation
- Choice experiments
- Benefit transfer
- Ethical limits of valuation
- Valuing fisheries, tourism and coastal protection
03
Natural Capital Accounting
- Foundations of environmental accounting
- The UN SEEA framework
- Ecosystem extent accounts
- Condition accounts
- Ecosystem service accounts
- Monetary accounts
- Data and mapping for accounting
- Ocean accounting
- Corporate natural capital accounting
- Marine accounting case studies
04
Nature-Related Risk for Business and Finance
- Dependencies and impacts on nature
- Physical, transition and systemic risks
- TNFD recommendations
- The LEAP approach
- Ocean-dependent sectors
- Corporate biodiversity metrics
- Nature risk assessment tools
- Integrating nature into risk management
- Sustainability reporting in Europe
- Investment portfolio analysis
05
Biodiversity Metrics and Measurement
- What can be measured in biodiversity
- Species and habitat indicators
- Ecological condition indices
- Biodiversity units
- Baselines and counterfactual scenarios
- Environmental DNA and new technologies
- Remote sensing for measurement
- Measurement uncertainty
- Independent verification
- Limitations of simplified metrics
06
Blue Carbon and Carbon Markets
- Blue carbon ecosystems
- Measuring carbon stocks and fluxes
- The voluntary carbon market
- Blue carbon methodologies
- Additionality and permanence
- Leakage and double counting
- Standards and registries
- Integrity in the voluntary market
- Reputational risks
- Lessons from blue carbon projects
07
Biodiversity and Nature Credits
- The biodiversity credit concept
- Differences from carbon credits
- Emerging international initiatives
- Designing credit units
- Offsetting versus contribution
- The mitigation hierarchy
- Biodiversity net gain
- Governance and local community rights
- Market and integrity risks
- Outlook for a developing market
08
Financing Marine Conservation
- The biodiversity finance gap
- Public funds and international cooperation
- Conservation trust funds
- Debt-for-nature swaps
- Blue bonds
- Blended finance
- Payments for ecosystem services
- User fees and levies
- Impact investment
- Designing financial instruments
09
Public Policy and Economic Instruments
- Environmental economic instruments
- Harmful fisheries subsidies
- Marine protected areas and the economy
- Marine spatial planning
- Environmental liability
- Mandatory environmental compensation
- Green public procurement
- Cost-benefit analysis of policies
- High seas governance
- Evaluating biodiversity policies
10
Data Analysis and Economic Modelling
- Economic and ecological data
- Bioeconomic fisheries models
- Ecosystem service models
- Scenario analysis
- Multi-criteria analysis
- Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis
- GIS tools for environmental economics
- Visualising results
- Communicating with decision-makers
- Ethics and transparency in modelling
11
Master's Final Project: Economic Assessment of a Marine Ecosystem
- Choosing the case study
- Literature review
- Identifying ecosystem services
- Data collection
- Applying valuation methods
- Analysing risks and dependencies
- Proposing a financing mechanism
- Integrity and risk analysis
- Writing the dissertation
- Defence before a panel
Workload
Study Time and Workload
1500 hours of study, online and at your own pace. Move the slider to the hours a week you can really put in.
Hours a week8
Weeks to finish—
You finish around—
Who it is for
Graduates in economics, business or environmental science: who want to specialise in natural capital Banking, insurance and sustainable investment professionals: who need to assess nature-related risk Corporate sustainability managers: who prepare impact and dependency reports Public sector and agency staff: who design conservation and funding policies NGO and foundation staff: who are see
Faculty
Academic direction and faculty
The teaching team at Navalis: working professionals who deliver and oversee the institute's programmes.
Eng. Diego Cifuentes
Cap. Javier Abaroa (MCA)
Dr. Pau Ferrer
Dr. Nuria Llobregat
Eng. Javier Bañuls
Eng. Sofía Marquina
Eng. Tomás Riera
Verified reviews
Student Reviews
Reviews collected and verified by Opynio, not written by us.
Outcomes
Learning Outcomes
- 01Understand biodiversity economics
- 02Value ecosystem services
- 03Build natural capital accounts
- 04Assess nature-related risk
- 05Analyse credit markets
- 06Design financing mechanisms
Careers
Career Opportunities
01Natural capital analyst: Ecosystem valuation and accounting in consultancies and public bodies.
02Nature risk specialist: Assessing dependencies and impacts for banks, insurers and investors.
03Sustainability consultant: Biodiversity reporting and nature strategies for companies.
04Conservation finance manager: Designing and raising funds for marine projects.
05Environmental policy officer: Designing and evaluating economic instruments.
06Environmental markets analyst: Assessing the integrity of credit projects.
Questions
Entry Requirements
It is not essential. The programme includes the environmental economics fundamentals you need to follow the modules.
No. They are an emerging, evolving market; the programme analyses them rigorously and critically, without presenting them as a guaranteed solution.
No. The programme does not replace the accreditation that standards require to act as an independent verifier.
Yes. You use open ecological and economic data and documented valuation and financing cases.
An economic assessment of a real marine ecosystem and a proposed financing mechanism for its conservation.
100% online, with a virtual campus available 24/7, live sessions that are recorded, and tutorials with the teaching staff.
The programme involves 1500 hours of study. You can work at your own pace within the timetable we give you when you enrol.
Each programme has its own start date, shown on this page and confirmed by our admissions team when you enquire.
On completing the programme you receive the Master's in Marine Biodiversity Economics and Nature Credits qualification awarded by Navalis Magna Institute.
Online admissions
Admissions Process
No waiting for a phone call. If your documents are complete, you can pay in the same session.
Entry requirements
Academic/professional profile: A degree in economics, business, finance, environmental science, biology, marine science or a related field; or proven professional experience in sustainability or finance. Language: A good working level of English to follow classes and materials. Technical requirements: A computer with a stable internet connection, an up-to-date browser and a webcam for live sessions and project presentations. Admissions process: Online application, profile review and a short interview with the academic team. We confirm your start date when you enquire.
Questions?
Frequently Asked Questions
Leave your details and admissions will write back. If you already know this is the one, go straight to the application and pay in the same session.