The Natural Capital Asset Index (NCAI) monitors the quality and quantity of terrestrial habitats in Scotland, according to their potential to deliver ecosystem services now and into the future. It is a composite index, based (i.e. equal to 100) in the year 2000. Find out more about this indicator.

The Natural Capital Asset Index (NCAI) was 102.8 in 2020 and generally appears to have remained relatively stable since 2000. The NCAI was 102.6  in 2019 and 102.1 in 2017, showing increases of 0.1 and 0.6 percentage points respectively. The increase since the base year 2006 is 1.5 percentage points. The NCAI in 2020 is the highest since detailed monitoring began in 2000.

It is recognised that at this point in time, the NCAI still requires further development and refinement to produce a fully satisfactory measure. Despite this it is seen as a valuable addition to the indicator set. We will continue to work closely with key stakeholders over time to develop the NCAI and other potential future measures.

This indicator can be broken down by category and habitat. Breakdowns can be viewed on the Equality Evidence Finder.

The trends by ecosystem service type (Provisioning, Regulation and Maintenance. and Cultural) largely mirror the trend shown by the overall Natural Capital Asset Index.