Measuring the economic linkages and values associated with biodiversity and ecosystem services is often regarded as a key argument to make the case for conservation investments. In reality, however, economic valuation studies often do not reach decisionmakers or influence real-world conservation and development planning, policy and practice. At the same time, project planners and managers often lack the capacity and knowhow to identify how, and in which ways, ecosystem valuation can best be used to assist them in their work or to further their mandate. This training is driven by the need for ecosystem valuation approaches and tools that are targeted closely and clearly towards influencing decision-making in the real world, with relevance to specific policy purposes. Nonetheless, tools and approaches should be technically credible and based on a sound understanding of underlying economic principles.