How can policy decision-making at the national and international levels make better use of our scientific understanding of the services provided to human societies by nature (ecosystem services)? Through a variety of formats, aimed at both theory and practice, our symposium will promote discussions of the advantages and disadvantages of placing monetary value on biodiversity and developing and applying the associated valuation tools. Furthermore, we aim to spark conversation around the topic of what constitutes an ecosystem service. Speakers will review the rationale behind ecosystem services valuation and its recent history, explore the benefits and limitations of the approach using domestic and international case studies, and showcase examples of tools currently used for identifying and valuing ecosystem services. We draw on the practical experiences of people working across sectors: government, NGO, and academia.