ESP Conference 2022
Session 17a: Ecosystem condition accounting: overcoming operational challenges
The recent adoption of the statistical framework for the System of Environmental Economic Accounting - Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EA) by the United Nations (United Nations, 2021) represents a key step forward in recognizing the role of ecosystems as contributors to our economy and well-being. SEEA-EA integrates ecosystem extent, ecosystem condition, ecosystem service flows, monetary ecosystem assets, and thematic ecosystem accounts. Many countries see these accounts as an instrument of extraordinary potential for policy support. This system is currently tested in many pilot exercises and will soon be applied in national ecosystem accounting systems. Hence, to ensure that ecosystem accounts as a policy instrument are up to expectations, any potential operational issue of SEEA-EA needs to be explored and addressed during the testing phase.
This ESP session aims to discuss operational challenges for building ecosystem condition accounts under the SEEA-EA framework. The session is focused on ecosystem condition accounts of any ecosystem type and developed at any spatial level, i.e., local, regional, national, international. Ecosystem condition accounts give a simple, yet realistic overview of the “state” of ecosystem assets using few carefully selected key variables. They are strongly interrelated with ecosystem extent accounts, together both accounts represent the stocks influencing ecosystem service flows accounts. Despite the theoretical robustness of the framework, its implementation still presents challenges.
The session will follow a mixed format: a standard session followed by a world café (i.e., through open discussions in small table groups in which the topics will rotate).
In the standard session, the hosts welcome contributions from speakers working on ecosystem condition accounts (at a conceptual or applied level) and dealing with any type of operational issues. The presentations will be the starting point for the “world café”.
For further details, please check the extended abstract of the ESP Session.
Host of contact in case of doubts: Javier.babi-almenar@ext.ec.europa.eu or Federica.marando@ec.europa.eu