Resource Corner SEEA News and Notes: Issue No. 13

In this issue, read about the findings of monetary ecosystem accounts for South Africa, pilot urban ecosystem accounts for the U.S., ecosystem accounts for India, using the SEEA Ecosystem Accounting for SDG indicators and much, much more.  

Assessing the linkages between national indicator initiatives, SEEA Modules and the SDG Targets

This report presents an assessment of the potential to derive or align national indicator sets of  NCAVES project countries (Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa) with the SEEA. The document is a supplement to the document Assessing the linkages between global indicator initaitives, SEEA Modules and the SDG Targets. 


Using the SEEA EA for Calculating Selected SDG Indicators - Project country testing experiences

This report summarizes the experience of NCAVES project countries on using the SEEA EA approach to derive four SDG indicators (6.6.1, 11.7.1, 15.1.1 and 15.3.1) and identifies key issues associated with such implementation.


Dasgupta Review

This eagerly anticipated global review on the economics of biodiversity was led by Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta and commissioned by HM Treasury. The review calls for changes in how we think, act and measure economic success in relation to the natural world. The review covers how natural capital accounting can be used to better understand the economics of biodiversity and includes case studies. The full version can be found here and the abridged version here.


Towards a method for accounting for ecosystem services and asset value: Pilot accounts for KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, 2005-2011

Covering KwaZulu-Natal, a province in the southeastern part of South Africa, this is the final updated report compiled under the NCAVES project. The report provides a first set of monetary ecosystem accounts (supply-use tables and asset accounts) for 11 different ecosystem services following the SEEA Ecosystem Accounting.


Making Peace with Nature

This synthesis report provides a scientific blueprint for how the triple threats of biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution can be tackled within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals. The report includes the recommendation to governments to fully incorporate natural capital accounting into their decision-making and use policies and regulatory frameworks.


Ecosystem Accounts for India: Report of the NCAVES Project

This report provides an overview of the work done in India as part of the NCAVES project and includes ecosystem extent, condition, services and thematic accounts for India. Importantly, the report links the accounts to multiple SDG indicators and provides an assessment of the potential policy uses of the accounts.


Mineral Accounts for the Philippines, 2013 to 2018

Mineral accounts provide a valuable way for the Philippines to monitor their valuable but depletable mineral resources. The recently released accounts indicate an increase in the country’s nickel, chromite and gold reserves over the period between 2013 and 2018.


Adjusted macroeconomic indicators to account for ecosystem degradation: an illustrative example

This article shows how the SEEA Ecosystem Accounting can be used to develop environmentally adjusted macroeconomic indicators through the development of a net value added metric that reflects depreciation and degradation of natural capital assets.


IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology 2.0: descriptive profiles for biomes and ecosystem functional groups

The IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology is the international reference classification for ecosystem type used in the SEEA Ecosystem Accounting. Version 2.0 of the descriptive profiles for biomes and ecosystem functional groups provides updated descriptions.


Piloting urban ecosystem accounting for the United States

This study describes pilot urban ecosystem accounts in the U.S., using the SEEA Ecosystem Accounting framework. The models used estimate energy savings for indoor cooling resulting from heat mitigated by trees and rainfall intercepted by trees.


Measuring the Extent and Condition of European Ecosystems

Protecting ecosystems and biodiversity are key policy targets in the EU’s biodiversity strategy for 2030 and the European Green Deal. This European Environment Agency briefing summarizes current work on developing accounts for ecosystem extent and condition in the European Union.


Fossil Fuel Subsidies 2019, Ireland

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) of Ireland has just released information on their 2019 fossil fuel subsidies through a press statement, statistical publication and infographic. The report analyses the average effective carbon rate per tonne of carbon dioxide emitted for the main fossil fuels. 


European Environment Agency resource on the Biodiveristy Information System for Europe

This webpage provides access to all technical outputs that the European Environment Agency has developed in the context of EU-level ecosystem accounting, in particular to reports on ecosystem extent accounts and pilot ecosystem condition accounts. 


Energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, 2018

This daily release on Statistics Canada's website provides analysis along with data tables for energy use estimates by industry at the national level and greenhouse gas emissions estimates by industry at the provincial/territorial level.