ECLAC hosts a SEEA Ecosystem Accounting online course for countries in the Latin American and the Caribbean region.

Interest in ecosystem accounting has increased significantly around the world following the adoption of the SEEA Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA EA) in March 2021, and the Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) region is not the exception. In response to this demand, the Statistics Division of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) with the support of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and in collaboration with the Statistics Division of the United Nations (UNSD), organized the online course Introduction to SEEA Ecosystem Accounting [Introducción a la Contabilidad de los Ecosistemas del Sistema de Contabilidad Ambiental y Económica] which took place online from 9 to 27 May 2022.

More than 155 participants representing national statistical offices, environment ministries and research institutions from 27 different countries joined this three-week long course which kicked-off with the opening webinar on 9 May 2022.

During the opening, Rolando Ocampo, Director of Statistics Division of ECLAC; Alessandra Alfieri, Chief of the Environmental-Economic Accounts Section of UNSD; and Manfred Haegib, Principal Advisor of the Cooperation Program at the ECLAC-BMZ/GIZ highlighted the importance of ecosystem accounting for the sustainable development of the region. The course served as a first step in increasing SEEA EA implementation through capacity building activities and sharing experiences among countries in the region and beyond.

The course focused on the conceptual framework of the SEEA EA and its core accounts as well as basic ecological and geospatial concepts necessary for the implementation of ecosystem accounting. This course was conducted through self-paced e-Learning modules, presentations and expert videos, which were accompanied by weekly webinars featuring experts in ecosystem accounting. Technical documents were shared through the learning platform of ECLAC where participants could participate in tasks, interactive activities, and discussion fora, to promote the exchange of experience. 

During the weekly webinars, experts from national statistical offices and research institutions from Brazil, Costa Rica, Germany, Guatemala, Mexico and Spain, shared their experience in the implementation of ecosystem accounts in their countries followed by questions and answers sessions where participants could interact with the experts.

The course presentations and webinar recordings can be found here, and the SEEA EA e-learning modules can be accessed in the UN Global Platform in English here, and will be available in Spanish shortly.

Photo courtesy of ECLAC