Second Mission to Mexico 

Natural Capital Accounting and Valuation of Ecosystem Services

Background

1. The project Natural Capital Accounting and Valuation of Ecosystem Services (NCAVES), has been established to advance the knowledge agenda on environmental-economic accounting, in particular ecosystem accounting, by initiating pilot testing of the System of Environmental Economic Accounting (SEEA) Experimental Ecosystem Accounting in five strategic partner countries to the European Union (EU), namely Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa.

2. The Mexico project was launched during the inception mission that took place on 12-15 June 2017.

3. The objective of the project is threefold: (a) improving the measurement of ecosystems and their services (both in physical and monetary terms) at the (sub)national level; (b) mainstreaming biodiversity and ecosystems in (sub)national level policy-planning and implementation; and (c) contributing to the development of internationally agreed methodology and its use in partner countries.

4. A follow-up mission to Mexico will take place on 12-15 November 2018. The visiting project team will consist of Alessandra Alfieri, Bram Edens, Elsa Begne de Larrea (UNSD), Mónica López Conlon, Jacob Salcone (UN Environment) and Jetse Stoorvogel (Wageningen University).

Objectives

5. The objectives of the mission are to:
   
   1. Attend the meeting of the technical interinstitutional committee to discuss the first results of the project and the draft assessment report; and agree on a work programme (called a roadmap) for the next phases of the project;
   2. Conduct bilateral meetings with key stakeholders of the project in Mexico in order to identify policy priorities and existing initiatives, in support of the scenario analysis and outreach workstreams of the project;
   3. Discuss with stakeholders the development of a (updated) National Plan for Natural Capital Accounting as well as the strengthening of coordination and data sharing mechanisms;
   4. Discuss draft soil accounts developed using the S-World Model with Mexican soil experts.