update on the un system of environmental-economic accounting
TRANSCRIPT
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Update on the UN System of Environmental-Economic Accounting
Beyond GDP in Africa27-28 October 2014
Mandy Driver
South African National Biodiversity Institute
• Government agency
• Falls under Department of Environmental Affairs
• Bridging role between science and policy
• Often work in partnership with other organisations
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Overview
• What is environmental accounting?
• What is ecosystem accounting?
• Ecosystem accounting in SA
• Reflections
National accounting
• Dates back to 1930s & 1940s – Great Depression and Second World War
• United Nations System of National Accounts (SNA) formalised in 1950s
– Most recent version SNA 2008
– 1953, 1968, 1993, 2008
• Many limitations…
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Environmental accounting
• In response to limitations of GDP
• Roots in sustainable development debates from late 80s / early 90s
• development of System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA)
– First published in 1993
• SEEA Central Framework
• Adopted in 2012 as an international statistical standard by UNSC
• “Conceptual framework on relationship between environment and economy”
• Methods for measuring and quantifying natural resources
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Environmental accounting
• SEEA Central Framework deals with “individual environmental assets”
• Main ones:
– Mineral and energy resources
– Land
– Soil
– Timber
– Harvested aquatic resources (e.g. fish)
– Water resources
Environmental accounting
• SEEA Central Framework does not deal with ecosystems…
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• SEEA Experimental Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA EEA) published in 2013 – “important first step in the
development of a statistical framework for ecosystem accounting”
• Ecosystem accounting– Subset of environmental
accounting
– Takes an ecosystem perspective rather than a more general natural resource perspective
Ecosystem accounting
• Focus is on ecosystems – interacting biotic and abiotic components
– Ecosystem assets
– Ecosystem services
• Stocks and flows…
stock of ecosystem
assetsflow of
ecosystem services
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What is “the accounting approach”?
• Standardised concepts and definitions
• Systematic regular measurement and recording
– BUT don’t have to wait for perfect data
• Doesn’t imply monetary valuation
• Provides info that can be used in many contexts
– e.g. research, policy
• Takes time and effort to invest in statistical infrastructure
Key concepts in ecosystem accounting
• For ecosystem asset and ecosystem service accounting:
– Basic spatial units
– Ecosystem functional units
– Ecosystem accounting units (e.g. WMA, province)
• For ecosystem asset accounting:
– Ecosystem condition
– Ecosystem extent
– Expected flow of ecosystem services
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Assessment of ecosystems across terrestrial, freshwater, estuarine, coastal & marine environments
Also includes indigenous species, invasive species, climate change
National Biodiversity Assessment
• Strong focus on ecosystems
• Every 5 to 7 years
• Part of SANBI’s mandate to monitor and report on the state of biodiversity
Essential data inputs
Map of protected areas (land-based & marine)
Classification & mapping of ecosystem types
e.g. vegetation types
e.g. marine & coastal habitat types
Maps of ecological condition
terrestrial
rivers marine
wetlands
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National ecosystem indicators
• How threatened are our ecosystems?
• How well protected are our ecosystems?
Critically endangeredEndangered
Least threatenedVulnerable
Critically endangeredEndangered
Least threatenedVulnerable
Poorly protectedModerately protectedW ell protected
Not protected Not protectedPoorly protectedModerately protectedWell protected
terrestrial rivers marinewetlands
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Offshore
Coastal & inshore
Estuaries
Wetlands
Rivers
Terrestrial
% of ecosystem types
CR
EN
VU
LT
Ecosystem threat status
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Offshore
Coastal & inshore
Estuaries
Wetlands
Rivers
Terrestrial
% of ecosystem types
Not protected
Poorly protected
Moderately protected
Well protected
Ecosystem protection level
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Key partners for ecosystem accounting
• Main agencies currently involved
• Now with additional support: Advancing SEEA Experimental Ecosystem Accounting project – SA one of 6 pilot countries
Ecosystem accounts in SA to date
• Pilot national river ecosystem accounts underway – draft results for 1999 & 2011
– Began work June 2013
• Pilot provincial land cover accounts – draft results for KZN 2005-2011
– Began work August 2014
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National river ecosystem accounts
• Freshwater ecosystems are the most threatened ecosystems in SA – water scarce country
• River ecosystem assets support a range of important services (e.g. water, flood regulation, recreation)
• National data layer on ecological condition of rivers available for 1999 and 2011
2011
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
1999 2011
% r
iver
leng
th
%AB
%C
%DEF
ABCDEF
ABCDEF
1999
2011
Trends in ecological condition categories
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1999
2011
Converted to an index of ecological condition
Reflections
• SEEA Central Framework is well established conceptually
– Regular implementation relatively limited
• Rapidly growing interest in SEEA Experimental Ecosystem Accounting
– Most applications are sub-national
– Some conceptual issues still to be resolved
• SEEA provides a powerful framework but some way to go to mainstream implementation and uptake
