2nd World Forum on Ecosystem Governance Addresses Management of Natural Capital

Nearly 300 participants from a cross-section of the government, academic, and NGO communities participated in the 2nd World Forum on Ecosystem Governance held in China last week. The forum, which took place in Hangzhou, addressed key topics related to the sustainable management of natural resources and ecosystem services, including ecosystem accounting and the SEEA-Experimental Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA EEA).

Ecosystem governance is a multidisciplinary approach that integrates social and ecological systems to find effective approaches for protecting biodiversity and improving ecosystem health. Effective ecosystem governance requires the kind of solid and credible information base that the SEEA offers.

The forum was hosted by China’s National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Hangzhou municipal government. According to Zhang Jianlong, the director of NFGA, the forum acted as a platform for experts from around the world to share their experience in ecological management. Furthermore, as he stressed to Xinhua News Service, ecosystem governance is key to the sustainable development of countries, and vital to the well-being of humankind.

The Forum concluded with the launch of the Hangzhou Declaraction, which recognizes the importance of ecosystem governance for sustainable development and calls for a joint effort to move forward and strengthen the valuation of natural capital and ecosystem services, the integration of urban-rural ecosystem management, as well as innovation and public engagement for ecosystem governance. The SEEA EEA was recognized by the Hangzhou Declaration as an important accounting framework to measure and value natural capital and ecosystem services for ecosystem governance under the general framework of ecological civilization and sustainable development.

You can read the full Xinhua news report in English here and Chinese here. You can find out more about ecosystem governance at the IUCN website.