System of environmental-economic accounting—ecosystem accounting
The System of Environmental-Economic Accounting—EcosystemAccounting (SEEA EA) is a spatially-based, integrated statistical framework for organizing biophysical information about ecosystems, measuring ecosystem services, tracking changes in ecosystem extent and condition, valuing ecosystem services and assets and linking this information to measures of economic and human activity. It was developed to respond to a range of policy demands and challenges with a focus on making visible the contributions of nature to the economy and people.
The SEEA EA complements the measurement of the relationship between the environment and the economy described in the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting 2012—Central Framework(SEEA Central Framework) (United Nations et al., 2014a). The SEEA, encompassing the SEEA Central Framework and the SEEA EA, provides a system that complements the System of National Accounts (SNA)using accounting principles to integrate physical and monetary measures concerning the environment in a way that allows for comparison to the data from the national accounts.
Chapter 1 provides an overview of the SEEA EA concerning the context for its development, the connections to other measurement frameworks and initiatives and considerations in implementation. Chapter 2 summarizes the ecosystem accounting framework placing in context information on ecosystem extent, ecosystem condition, ecosystem services and monetary values of ecosystem services and assets.