SEEA Experimental Ecosystem Accounting Overview
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Transcript of SEEA Experimental Ecosystem Accounting Overview
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SEEA Experimental Ecosystem SEEA Experimental Ecosystem Accounting OverviewAccounting Overview
Alessandra AlfieriAlessandra AlfieriUnited Nations Statistics DivisionUnited Nations Statistics Division
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Rationale for Experimental Ecosystem Accounting
• Envisaged as part of SEEA revision process initiated in 2007 under the management of the Committee of Experts on Environmental-Economic Accounting
• Complements SEEA Central Framework • Not intended to be an international statistical
standard but initial conceptual framework for accounting for ecosystem assets and associated services from which testing and research can be undertaken
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Blending underlying concepts
• Conceptual model is ecosystem accounting formed from established concepts in
• Ecology
• Ecological economics
• National accounts
• Statistical measurements
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Why an accounting approach?• Accounting is funded on defined relationships
between stocks and flows• The conceptual relationships and associated
measurement boundaries are present in physical and monetary terms
• Derivation of aggregates is an outcome of defined relationships and use of common measurement units
• Within measurement boundaries the accounts are comprehensive and internally consistent
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• Stocks = Ecosystem Assets• Spatial area• Fixed characteristics (e.g., slope, altitude)• Variable characteristics (e.g., land cover,
biodiversity)• Flows
• Intra-ecosystem (within ecosystem)• Inter-ecosystem (between ecosystems)• Ecosystem services (to people)
Basic Accounting Model
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Basic Accounting Model
Ecosystem asset (spatial area)
Ecosystem asset (spatial area)
Ecosystem processes Ecosystem processes
Economic & other human activity
Economic & other human activity
Exchanges of products & social
interactions
Ecosystem services
Ecosystem services
Inter-ecosystem flows
Ecosystem characteristicsEcosystem characteristics Intra-ecosystem flows Intra-ecosystem flows
Human impacts Human impacts
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Model related to flows of ecosystem services
Individual & societal wellbeing
BenefitsSNA & non-SNA
Ecosystem services
ECOSYSTEM ASSET
Ecosystem characteristics Intra-ecosystem flows Inter-ecosystem flows
Human inputs (e.g. labour, produced assets)
Ecosystem processes
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Ecosystem assetsEcosystem assets
• Two perspectives on environmental assetsTwo perspectives on environmental assets
Individual environmental assets-Timber resources- Aquatic resources- Mineral & energy res- Soil resources- Land- Water resources
Bio-physical environment
Ecosystem assets“Combinations of biotic communities and their abiotic environment functioning together in a spatial area”- excludes mineral & energy resources
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Ecosystem Asset Measures
Expected ecosystem service flows (for a given basket of
ecosystem services)
Capacity of ecosystem asset to generate
ecosystem services
Ecosystem condition (quality of ecosystem characteristics relative to reference condition)
Ecosystem extent (spatial area/size of ecosystem)
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Spatial Area RepresentationEcosystem Accounting Unit
BSU
LCEU type B
LCEU type C
LCEU type A
LCEU type A
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Key Considerations
• Multi-disciplinary nature
• Accounting approach benefits
• Physical and monetary accounting
• Complements SEEA Central Framework
• Continued research and testing needed
• Potential to meet policy demands
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Multi-disciplinary nature• Conceptual model in ecosystem accounting formed from
established concepts in• Ecology
• Economics
• National accounts
• Statistical measurement
• Inputs from many disciplines in drafting• Cooperation among disciplines necessary in testing and research
• Important role for National Statistical Offices
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Accounting Approach Benefits
• Broad coverage related to defined set of components
• Comprehensive (not selective) measurement within boundaries
• Integrated and coherent relationships between stocks and flows
• Basis for organizing information• Potential for aggregation and consistent time
series
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Physical and Monetary Accounting
• Physical accounting relevant and important in assessment of changes in ecosystems
• May be sufficient for many purposes
• Monetary accounting allow the linkages of the physical flows with the monetary flows
• Valuation remains challenging but it is important to clarify valuation principles of SNA and beyond
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Complements SEEA Central Framework
• Compilation of land accounts is a building block for ecosystem accounting
• Measurement of individual assets inform ecosystem conditions and services
• Combined presentations
• Link information on environmental pressures (e.g. flows of natural inputs of water and energy and flows of residuals of air emissions and waste) to environmental impacts
• Link responses (environmental protectionexpenditures, taxes and subsidies) to ecosystem changes
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Continued Research and Testing Needed
• Conceptually sound framework, providing broad platform for research & testing
• Aspects requiring further research• Ecosystem degradation
• Valuation approaches for accounting purposes
• Need for testing across different ecosystems and countries• Delineation of spatial units
• Classifications (spatial areas, ecosystem services)
• Selection of indicators
• Accounting tables and aggregation methods
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Potential to Meet Policy Demands
• Framework for assessing environmental impact of economic activity
• Can assist in answering key policy questions (e.g. trade-off analysis)
• Integrated, multi-disciplinary framework suited to analysis of cross-cutting policy issues
• Potential basis for monitoring international processes
• Potential to scale to local, national and global levels
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• Research agenda implementation
• Testing in countries
• Formation of expert group
• Three areas of research
• Physical ecosystem accounting
• Monetary ecosystem accounting
• Communication and dissemination
Proposed Next Steps