Career Conversations | The Art of Natural Capital: Visualizing Ecosystem Services in Public Parks
BIO 179—“The Science & Practice of Valuing Nature for a Better World” is a Stanford course co-taught every Autumn quarter by Stanford Natural Capital Alliance Co-Founder and Faculty Director Gretchen Daily* and NatCap Senior Geographic Information System (GIS) Analyst Stacie Wolny. The course just concluded its seventh year, and has been part of hundreds of students’ Stanford journeys. Across degree programs and backgrounds, both undergraduate and graduate students investigate natural capital ideas and approaches – which quantify nature’s benefits to people so they can be factored into decisions – rounding out the course with a project on any ecosystem service-related topic. Typically about half the students conduct guided and independent InVEST modeling, with others crafting grade school curricula, writing op-eds, or creating artwork inspired by class topics.
Megan Chen and Zoe Rehnborg were part of BIO 179’s most recent iteration in Fall 2025. Despite coming from different intellectual paths—with Chen studying a mix of Urban Studies, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Earth Systems, and Rehnborg pursuing both Art Practice and Biology–the two combined their wide-ranging expertise to collaborate on their final project for BIO 179: a “zine” (i.e., a noncommercial, often handmade booklet) demonstrating the wide range of benefits public parks provide that people may not always be aware of.
How did you find BIO 179, and why did you decide to take it?
ZR: BIO 179 was recommended by friends on the Ecology, Evolution, and Environment track of the Biology major. When they described the thought-provoking frameworks taught in the class and its flexible, project-based structure, I was immediately sold.
MC: BIO 179 was an incredible class! Having taken a few GIS courses beforehand, I was excited to apply those skills to mapping and modeling with InVEST. I especially loved the range of ecosystems and geographic contexts we explored. It pushed me to think more broadly about how the value of nature is spatially distributed.
Was the classroom environment your first exposure to natural capital approaches, accounting, or valuation? If so, what were the most significant takeaways? If not, where else did you encounter these ideas, and how did your understanding evolve due to BIO 179?
ZR: It was my first exposure. I was struck by the perhaps uncomfortable necessity of translating nature into quantifiable terms, and yet how that very act can be a powerful tool for protecting it and advocating for the importance of ecosystem services.
MC: I had encountered ideas of ecosystem accounting before, but BIO 179 really turned those frameworks into tangible research tools. The class helped me understand how rigorous modeling and thoughtful communication can work together to show the real benefits ecosystems provide to people. I also appreciated how the course moved across many regions while still considering the local context behind each application.
What sparked the idea to use a zine, a format often rooted in DIY culture and activism, to communicate the science of natural capital?
MC: Zines make information approachable and shareable. For a topic like natural capital, which can sometimes feel technical or abstract, the format allowed us to tell a story that felt personal and accessible.
ZR: I wanted to create something people could tangibly connect with and disperse widely. I also just wanted to make something fun!
Why did you decide to translate the ecosystem services of public parks specifically into visual art and storytelling?
MC: Our project focused on the relationship between urban green spaces and public health outcomes, especially cardiovascular health and asthma, in Paris, using the InVEST Urban Nature Access model. We wanted to highlight how parks are more than amenities. They are restorative spaces that are deeply connected to wellbeing. Visual art and storytelling helped us convey that human connection to nature in a way data alone could not.
ZR: Art and storytelling tend to land differently than facts and figures alone. If you want people to genuinely care about something, you have to reach them emotionally, not just intellectually. Parks felt like the perfect subject, as they're spaces people already have personal relationships with, so the science becomes immediately relatable.
Did the course, or the production of the zine specifically, advance or change your career ambitions? If so, how?
MC: Definitely. I am deeply interested in how we can quantify nature’s diverse benefits to inform planning and policy decisions. Working on the zine and our broader project on urban green space and health in Paris reinforced my interest in linking spatial data with social outcomes. It pushed me to think more critically about equity in urban nature access and about communicating these connections in ways that resonate with communities.
ZR: Both the course and the zine deepened my commitment to science communication—to making ideas about the natural world accessible, engaging, and genuinely thought-provoking for people outside of academia.
What are you planning to do with your Stanford degree when you graduate?
ZR: I plan to pursue a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) and continue exploring the intersection of art and science through biological sculpture.
MC: I hope to continue working at the intersection of cities, climate, and environmental data, helping translate ecological insights into actionable strategies for more sustainable and resilient urban systems.
What else?
MC: This project reminded me how powerful it can be to merge creativity with science. A central question for me is how we communicate insights from climate research in ways that are tangible and meaningful for broader audiences. Much of my work explores this bridge between science, design, and storytelling. You can see more of my work from sustainable architectural design to immersive climate installations at www.megmchen.com.
ZR: For me, this project was a natural extension of how I already think about art—as a way of inviting people into a relationship with the natural world they might not notice otherwise or appreciate. I'm endlessly fascinated by what happens when the boundary between humanity and nature dissolves. See more of my work at www.protozoe.com
