System of Environmental-Economic Accounting – Experimental Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA EEA)

About this course

The SEEA EEA constitutes an integrated statistical framework for organizing biophysical data, measuring ecosystem services, tracking changes in ecosystem assets and linking this information to economic and other human activity. The SEEA EEA complements the SEEA Central Framework by taking a different perspective. The Central Framework looks at “individual environmental assets”, such as water resources, energy resources, etc. and how those assets move between the environment and the economy. In contrast, the SEEA EEA takes the perspective of ecosystems and considers how individual environmental assets interact as part of natural processes within a given spatial area. Ecosystem accounting takes a spatial approach, often utilizing earth observation and geospatial data. Using this spatial approach, the SEEA EEA accounts for the extent and condition of ecosystems, the flow of services provided by ecosystems and the contributions and benefits of ecosystems to economic and other human activity.

This course provides an overview of the SEEA EEA, including how the SEEA EEA can be used for policy. The course covers ecosystem extent, condition and service accounts as well as accounting for biodiversity, water and carbon.

The course is self-paced without instruction and can be taken at any point in time.