Ecosystem natural capital accounting: The landscape approach at a territorial watershed scale

Abstract

Most approaches to estimate ecological value use monetary valuation. Here, we propose a different framework accounting ecological value in biophysical terms. More specifically, we are implementing the ecosystem natural capital accounting framework as an operational adaptation and extension of the UN System of Economic and Environmental Accounting/Ecosystem Accounting. The proof-of-concept study was carried out at the Rhône river watershed scale (France). Four core accounts evaluate land use, water and river condition, bio-carbon content of various stocks of biomass and its uses, and the state of ecosystem infrastructure. Integration of the various indicators allows measuring ecosystems overall capability and their degradation. The 12-year results are based on spatial–temporal geographic information and local statistics. Increasing levels of intensity of use are registered over time, that is, the extraction of resources surpasses renewal. We find that agriculture and land artificialisation are the main drivers of natural capital degradation.

Facilitating the Management of Protected Areas through Multi-Level Ecosystem Accounting on an Example in West Africa

“…At country level, the aggregated TEC expressed in ECU can provide a measurement of performance in terms of ecological value in a similar way as the GDP does in terms of economic value. More detailed information on the technical aspects of ENCA-QSP can be found in Weber [11], where Argüello, Weber, and Negrutiu [17] provides a detailed documentation of the applied ENCA methodology.…”

“…Please note, a detailed definition and the summarized calculation formulae of the mentioned account indicators, as well as a glossary, can be found in Argüello, Weber, and Negrutiu [17]. Detailed account calculations and examples can be found in Weber [11].…”

“…This integrated approach is an added value in the context of natural capital accounting for protected area management. Several reports on its applications have been published recently [14][15][16][17][18]. Next to proof-of-concept tests such as on the Rhone watershed in France [17], the Guiana Shield [18], and the islands of Mauritius [18], the ENCA methodology was applied on a continental scale by the Observatory of Sahara and Sahel (OSS) Organization, producing the AfrikENCA accounts [18].…”

To Achieve a Win–Win Situation: Reorganizing and Enhancing Agroforestry Ecosystem Assets and Productivity to Inform Karst Desertification Control

“…It emphasizes the reorganization of ecosystem asset stocks and optimally boosting their productive capacity to achieve sustainable utilization levels and sustain ecological goods and services provision [15][16][17]. Nonetheless, while research in this field is deepening [18][19][20][21][22][23], there remains a gap in understanding the correlation between the extent of asset restructuring and sustainable utilization levels. While a variety of studies have underscored the importance of ecosystem assets from multiple perspectives [19,21,[24][25][26][27], examining both the threats of degradation and the viability of management strategies, the methodologies for reorganizing these assets are still not thoroughly investigated [28][29][30][31][32][33].…”

The 1972 Meadows report: A wake-up call for plant science

“…In 2022, Quantitative Plant Biology has showcased new questions in plant science, such as solid versus liquid signalling (van Schijndel et al, 2022 ) or the new role of threonine in skotomorphogenesis (Tabeta et al, 2022 ). New quantitative tools were introduced, from non-coding long RNAs identification and classification (Nithin et al, 2022 ) up to ecosystem natural capital accounting in local territories (Argüello et al, 2022 ). Several articles took a step back on plant science, with new evolutionary views, for instance, on shoot apical meristems (Wu et al, 2022 ), while others explored its future, notably with the rise of transdisciplinary approaches such as citizen science (Receveur et al, 2022 ) and art & science (Bonneval, 2022 ).…”