What price would you pay for nature’s services?

HOW does one put a value on the services provided by nature, such as the oxygen produced by the photosynthesis of plants or the rain that falls into rivers and becomes our source of water?

Last year, Kedah Mentri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor demanded RM50mil as payment for the raw water supplied to Penang from Sungai Muda. This amount is more than the annual revenue of Kedah from its logging sector. (On its part, Penang refused to pay up, insisting that the water is drawn from the its side of Sungai Muda.)