Ingredients and proposals for defining the contours of a networked observatory of the ecological capital of the Rhone watershed: contributions from the OSAGE (Scientific Observatory in support of land managers) and CECN (Ecosystem Accounting for Natural Capital) approaches.

L’article aborde les enjeux liés au développement de l’observation et de l’évaluation environnementales, qui répondent pour partie à des politiques incitatives mais aussi à des prises de conscience tant institutionnelles que citoyennes. Notre contribution s’appuie sur l’expérimentation d’une approche systémique de comptabilité écologique (Comptabilité Écosystémique du Capital Naturel, CECN) à l’échelle du bassin versant du Rhône, en la confrontant à un modèle théorique, l’observatoire OSAGE. L’objectif, assorti de préconisations scientifiques, techniques et organisationnelles, fruits de cette confrontation, vise à s’interroger sur les capacités de déploiement de l’outil de CECN en un observatoire des ressources territoriales structuré par les dispositifs scientifique, technique et organisationnel d’OSAGE. La mise en œuvre efficace d’un tel outil appelle un besoin urgent de politiques publiques plus cohérentes en matière de données (temps, espaces, protocoles), enrichies par des plateformes participatives multi-acteurs, l’ensemble pouvant permettre de coordonner et de rendre opérants les choix et les protocoles de constitution de données (formats, modalités d’échanges, etc.).

Introducing a global planetary ecosystem accounting in the wake of the Amazon Forest fires

Since the 19th century, rapid urbanisation coupled with a demographic boom has increased pressures on the global exploitation of natural resources leading to an array of issues at planetary scale. Even though there have been significant ecologically driven human policy efforts, with frameworks addressing ecosystem accounting and management, such are principally constricted at sub-global levels; being regionally focussed, and hence lacking both cohesivity and accountability. Resource management viewed through this lens leads to a number of geopolitical factors as demonstrated recently with the Amazon Forest fires. This incident witnessed calls from numerous countries calling for rapid remediation even though their own policies are harbingers of equally damaging the environments through other means. This disparity in resource accounting and management on a planetary scale is apparent from diverse local and regional groups and needs to be addressed in order to sustain a truly sustainable and liveable ecosystem and their failures in realising a viable ecosystem accounting system. This perspective paper explores this theme and proposes a ‘Global Planetary Ecosystem Accounting’ system based on the principle that ecologically sensitive areas benefiting the global ecosystem need to be economically weighted and its preservation equated to a revenue-generating activity.

TEEB-Russia: Towards National Ecosystem Accounting

Russia’s ecosystems and ecosystem services (ES) are critical not only for the country’s economy and well-being of the people but also for maintaining biodiversity and biosphere regulation around the world. Thus, the introduction of ecosystem accounting in Russia is an urgent national and international goal to which the TEEB-Russia project is dedicated. In this publication, we briefly review and discuss the main project results. Based on currently available open statistical and cartographic data, TEEB-Russia project conducted the first national assessment of terrestrial ES in Russia to derive methodological approaches to national ecosystem accounting. A range of indicators were used to assess the ES provided by ecosystems (potential) as well as the level of demand and consumption of ES by Russia’s regions, both for populations and economies. Indicators of ecosystem assets include extent (ecosystem size) and condition (productivity, phytomass, bird and plant species diversity). An analysis of the correlations between indicators of ES and ecosystem assets showed that a system of national ecosystem accounting in Russia should be regionally differentiated to take account of the strong heterogeneity of natural conditions and the socio-economic development at this level. Decision-making in spatial planning and ecosystem management should carefully consider the difference between causal relationships between indicators and correlations that arise from the simultaneous response of indicators to changes in other factors. Differences in relationships between indicators at different spatial scales should also be taken into account.

Applying the System of Environmental Economic Accounting-Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EA) framework at catchment scale to develop ecosystem extent and condition accounts

Ecosystem accounting is a tool to integrate nature into decision-making in a more structured way. Applying the use of nationally available datasets at catchment scale and following the System of Environmental Economic Accounting-Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EA) framework, we present results from a catchment case study in Ireland, highlighting findings specifically in relation to the development of ecosystem extent and condition accounts. In the absence of a national ecosystem map, CORINE landcover mapping formed the basic data for extent and type of ecosystems, distinguishing woodlands and forest, peatland and heathland, grasslands and cropland and urban areas, with limited coverage of linear freshwater rivers, hedgerows and coastal ecosystems. Additional remote sensing data provided higher resolution at catchment scale, while limited site-level survey data were available. Condition data gathered for reporting under the EU Water Framework Directive were available at sub-basin level for surface waterbodies. Data were available at national level for habitats reported for the EU under the Habitats Directive (59 habitats reported), covering ~ 25% of the study area. Data for ecosystem types outside of these reporting frameworks were in the form of ancillary data only, providing information on pressures, threats and intensity of use. Our findings in Ireland reflect work across the European region, highlighting the role of data gathering and stakeholder engagement. We outline some of the data gaps to provide information for future research and alignment of data for the purpose of NCA, both at catchment and national scale.

Applicability of Accounting to Ecosystems in Iraq: A Study of Habbaniyah Lake

إمكانية تطبيق المحاسبة عن النظم الايكولوجية في العراق: دراسة حالة بحيرة الحبانية مهند عبد حسين أ.م. د. فيان عبدالرحمن ياسين الجامعة التقنية الوسطى / الكلية التقنية الادارية, بغداد المخلص: تنبع أهمية هذا البحث من أهمية تطبيق المحاسبة على النظم الايكولوجية في العراق , حيث توفر محاسبة النظم الايكولوجية بيانات كمية وقيمية وحسابات معمقة للنظم الايكولوجية تتمثل في حسابات مدى وحالة النظم الايكولوجية , كذلك نتيجة نشاط النظم الايكولوجية وحساب الموجودات للنظم الايكولوجية, وقد تضمن الجانب النظري الإطار المفاهيمي لماهية للنظم الايكولوجية وخصائصها وطبيعة عملها وأهميتها والتعريف بمحاسبة النظم الايكولوجية وكيفية تطبيقها , أمَا الجانب العملي للبحث فقد استندت الدراسة على البيانات الحقيقة المتوافرة والتي تم جمعها من الجهات ذات العلاقة بالنظام الايكولوجي لبحيرة الحبانية , وأمَا في ما يتعلق في قياس منافع وخدمات النظام الايكولوجي فقد تم الاعتماد على مقترحات المنظمات الدولية المهتمة في تطبيق المحاسبة عن النظم الايكولوجية , وقد تم التوصل الى إمكانية تطبيق المحاسبة عن النظم الايكولوجية في العراق , وأظهرت نتائج الحسابات الكمية أنً كمية تخزين المياه في النظام الايكولوجي تتناسب طرديا مع المنافع والخدمات للنظام الايكولوجي و المرونة في استقبال الاطلاقات المائية التي يمتاز بها النظام الايكولوجي تتناسب عكسيا مع تخفيض خطر الفيضان وأنٌ التدفقات المائية من خارج الدورة الهيدرولوجية تكون سلبية , أمٌا نتائج الحسابات القيمية فقد أظهرت معلومات مهمة عن النظام الايكولوجي (بحيرة الحبانية) تتمثل في حسابات النتيجة الموجبة لكل سنوات الدراسة وحسابات كمية وقيمية عن الموجودات للنظام الايكولوجي قيد الدراسة. الكلمات المفتاحية: محاسبة النظم الايكولوجية، النظم الايكولوجية, موجودات النظم الايكولوجية RESEARCH ARTICLE Applicability of Accounting to Ecosystems in Iraq: A Study of Habbaniyah Lake Muhannad Abd Hussain Dr. Vian Abdul Rahman Yaseen Middle Technical University / College of Administrative Technology, Baghdad Abstract: The significance of this research lies in the importance of applying accounting to ecosystems in Iraq. Ecosystem accounting provides quantitative and value data and certain calculations of ecosystem. It includes measuring the level and status of ecosystems, as well as the effect of ecosystem functioning and valuating ecosystems assets, the theoretical framework includes the conceptual framework of what ecosystems are, their characteristics, nature of their function and their importance and the definition of the ecosystem accounting and how to apply it. As for the application of the practical side of the research, the study was based on the actual data available that collected from the relevant authorities of the ecosystem of Habbaniyah Lake. As for evaluating the ecosystem benefits and services, the proposals of international organizations interested in applying accounting to ecosystems have been relied upon. The applicability of applying accounting to ecosystems in Iraq has been reached, and the results of quantitative calculations showed that the amount of water storage in the ecosystem is directly proportional to the benefits and services of the ecosystem, and the flexibility to receive water releases that characterizes the ecosystem is inversely proportional to reducing the risk of flooding and that water flows from outside the hydrological cycle are negative. The results of the value calculations used in the research have revealed important information about the ecosystem (Habbaniyah Lake). This is represented in the positive result observed for all years of the study and the quantitative and value calculations of the ecosystem assets under study. Keywords: Ecosystem accounting, ecosystems, ecosystem assets

FEATURES OF THE ORGANIZATION AND ANALYSIS OF ACCOUNTING OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE BAIKAL NATURAL TERRITORY

The purpose of this work is to review the existing basic methodological approaches to experimental ecosystem accounting within the framework of the natural-economic accounting system, as well as their practical application in statistical analysis, taking into account existing information resources. The authors substantiate the choice of the object of research – the Baikal natural territory. The paper prepares a list of ecosystem services typical for the Baikal nature territory ecosystem, analyses the dynamics and structure of some of them in the period 2013 – 2017, assesses the contribution of the Baikal nature territory ecosystem to the total volume of ecosystem services in individual regions of Russia in physical terms, calculates the share of anthropogenic load obtained by the Baikal nature territory ecosystem from the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, formulates conclusions about the relevance of ecosystem accounting for the Russian Federation.