Human actions have fundamentally changed the way the world's ecosystems look and function. Our efforts to produce more food, fibre, and fuel, control our water supplies and protect ourselves from the elements (e.g. storms or predators) have resulted in significant improvements in the global aggregate of human wellbeing (e.g. income, life expectancies, food supplied). On the flip side, these efforts to 'domesticate'-Ø ecosystems have resulted in significant declines in the diversity of life on earth, otherwise known as biodiversity. Keywords: South Africa's natural capital.