Earth Observations for Ecosystem Accounting

The environment is essential to society and the economy. Natural Capital Accounting, and particularly Ecosystem Accounting, is inherently spatial and necessitates the use of high-quality data. To ensure long-term resilience and sustainable development, it is critical to integrate ecosystem management into traditional economic accounts and decision-making systems, as well as to link the Earth observations and accounting communities.

The Earth Observation for Ecosystem Accounting (EO4EA) Initiative seeks to advance the use of earth observations to support Ecosystem Accounting as part of the System of Environmental Economic Accounts (SEEA). EO4EA mission is to accelerate the adoption of SEEA Ecosystem Accounts by co-creating the EO standards, tools, products, and capacities needed by the accounting community.

EO4EA provides the following services:

• Account-ready data standards.
• Ecosystem Accounting case studies and pilots.
• Data and model interoperability guidelines for accounting.
• Core EO-derived data products for accounting: One of the many specific envisioned outputs is the production of ecosystem service models with SPRING research.
• Various on the ground pilots.

Ecosystem Valuation and Accounting (EVA) in San Martin, Peru: Historically, the San Martín region has been considered an important link between the Andean communities and those of the Amazon basin. Since 2007, the regional government has made strategic decisions to change this situation – from being a deforested region, affected by drug trafficking and violent conflicts, to being a region committed to green economies. EVA seeks to support this strategic choice by proposing and developing instruments to stimulate sustainable development and improve the management of natural resources in the region.

Experimental Ecosystem Accounts for Uganda: This project delivered a set of key ecosystem and biodiversity related accounts using the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting – Experimental Ecosystem Accounting framework for Uganda. The accounts compiled for Uganda concern land cover, ecosystem extent, three non-timber forest products (Gum Arabic, Shea butter tree nuts and Prunus africana) and two flagship mammals (Chimpanzees and Elephants) species. Collectively, these accounts provide significant insights into the state and trends in ecosystems and biodiversity for Uganda.

EO4EA will contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Global Goals for Sustainable Development (SDGs) and to many of the “societal benefit areas” identified by GEO. At the current level, regular reporting on SEEA accounts will support monitoring several SDG Goals: Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), Goal 15 (Life on Land), and Goal 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

Conservation International is the Secretariat for the EO4EA initiative. The initiative has a steering committee comprised of leaders in both the ecosystem accounting and earth observation community. The steering committee provides high level guidance for the initiative and contribute to its strategic direction. EO4EA membership includes national governments, academic institutions, intergovernmental organizations, and NGOs.