NCA in support of the Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework

The rationale of the strategic plan 2011-2020, adopted by the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, in 2010, is that biodiversity underpins ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services is essential for human well-being.  The five strategic goals address issues of mainstreaming biodiversity across governments and society, reducing pressures on biodiversity, improving the status of biodiversity, enhancing the benefits from biodiversity and ecosystem services.  Monitoring progress towards the targets associated with the strategic goals has been an important part of the implementation of the plan. In this context, the System of Environmental Economic Accounting (SEEA), the agreed international statistical framework for Natural Capital Accounting can inform many of the targets, in addition to Aichi Target 2 that calls to integrate, by 2020, biodiversity values into national and local development and poverty reduction strategies and planning processes, and to incorporate them into national accounting, as appropriate, and reporting systems.

The purpose of this session, hosted by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) and the UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), is to provide an opportunity to discuss how Natural Capital Accounting, in particular the SEEA, can support the Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework and demonstrate how the SEEA has been used to promote effective collaboration in improving policy decisions in countries. The session will start with an overview presentation of the SEEA EEA, followed by presentations of one or two countries’ experiences in the use of the SEEA in policy decision making. The second part of the session consist of a panel discussion on the role of the SEEA in supporting the monitoring of biodiversity and the sustainable use of ecosystems and its opportunity to serve as the measurement framework for the Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework.

The session will be held from 1:15 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, 22 November in the Summit - WG2, Building 1. For more information, please click here.

Documents

Event note 

Presentations:

- Policy applications of ecosystem accounts: Emerging examples from South Africa - Kristal Maze (SANBI)