by Mandy Driver, South African National Biodiversity Institute Presentation given at the 'Beyond-GDP in Africa: Innovative Ideas for a Regional Dashboard' workshop, Centre for the study of Governance Innovation, University of Pretoria. www.governanceinnovation.org

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Update on the UN System of
Environmental-Economic Accounting
Beyond GDP in Africa
27-28 October 2014
Mandy Driver
m.driver@sanbi.org.za
South African National Biodiversity Institute
• Government agency
• Falls under Department of
Environmental Affairs
• Bridging role between science
and policy
• Often work in partnership with other
organisations

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Overview
• What is environmental accounting?
• What is ecosystem accounting?
• Ecosystem accounting in SA
• Reflections
National accounting
• Dates back to 1930s & 1940s – Great
Depression and Second World War
• United Nations System of National Accounts
(SNA) formalised in 1950s
– Most recent version SNA 2008
– 1953, 1968, 1993, 2008
• Many limitations…

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Environmental accounting
• In response to limitations of GDP
• Roots in sustainable development debates
from late 80s / early 90s
•  development of System of Environmental-
Economic Accounting (SEEA)
– First published in 1993
• SEEA Central
Framework
• Adopted in 2012 as an
international statistical
standard by UNSC
• “Conceptual
framework on
relationship between
environment and
economy”
• Methods for
measuring and
quantifying natural
resources

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Environmental accounting
• SEEA Central Framework deals with
“individual environmental assets”
• Main ones:
– Mineral and energy resources
– Land
– Soil
– Timber
– Harvested aquatic resources (e.g. fish)
– Water resources
Environmental accounting
• SEEA Central Framework does not deal with
ecosystems…

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• SEEA Experimental
Ecosystem Accounting
(SEEA EEA) published
in 2013
– “important first step in the
development of a
statistical framework for
ecosystem accounting”
• Ecosystem accounting
– Subset of environmental
accounting
– Takes an ecosystem
perspective rather than a
more general natural
resource perspective
Ecosystem accounting
• Focus is on ecosystems – interacting biotic
and abiotic components
– Ecosystem assets
– Ecosystem services
• Stocks and flows…
stock of
ecosystem
assets
flow of
ecosystem services

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What is “the accounting approach”?
• Standardised concepts and definitions
• Systematic regular measurement and recording
– BUT don’t have to wait for perfect data
• Doesn’t imply monetary valuation
• Provides info that can be used in many contexts
– e.g. research, policy
• Takes time and effort to invest in statistical
infrastructure
Key concepts in ecosystem accounting
• For ecosystem asset and ecosystem service
accounting:
– Basic spatial units
– Ecosystem functional units
– Ecosystem accounting units (e.g. WMA, province)
• For ecosystem asset accounting:
– Ecosystem condition
– Ecosystem extent
– Expected flow of ecosystem services

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National Biodiversity Assessment
• Strong focus on ecosystems
• Every 5 to 7 years
• Part of SANBI’s mandate to
monitor and report on the state
of biodiversity
 Assessment of ecosystems across
terrestrial, freshwater, estuarine,
coastal & marine environments
 Also includes indigenous species,
invasive species, climate change
Essential data inputs
 Classification & mapping of ecosystem types
 Map of protected areas (land-based & marine)
e.g. vegetation types
e.g. marine & coastal
habitat types
 Maps of ecological condition
terrestrial
wetlands
rivers marine

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National ecosystem indicators
• How threatened are our ecosystems?
• How well protected are our ecosystems?
Critically endangered
Endangered
Vulnerable
Least threatened
Critically endangered
Endangered
Vulnerable
Least threatened
terrestrial rivers wetlands marine
Not protected Not protected
Poorly protected
Moderately protected
Well protected
Poorly protected
Moderately protected
Well protected
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Terrestrial
Rivers
Wetlands
Estuaries
Coastal & inshore
Offshore
% of ecosystem types
CR
EN
VU
LT
Ecosystem threat status
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Terrestrial
Rivers
Wetlands
Estuaries
Coastal & inshore
Offshore
% of ecosystem types
Not protected
Poorly protected
Moderately protected
Well protected
Ecosystem protection level

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Key partners for ecosystem accounting
• Main agencies currently involved
• Now with additional support: Advancing SEEA
Experimental Ecosystem Accounting project – SA
one of 6 pilot countries
Ecosystem accounts in SA to date
• Pilot national river ecosystem accounts
underway – draft results for 1999 & 2011
– Began work June 2013
• Pilot provincial land cover accounts – draft
results for KZN 2005-2011
– Began work August 2014

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National river ecosystem accounts
• Freshwater ecosystems are the most threatened
ecosystems in SA – water scarce country
• River ecosystem
assets support a
range of important
services (e.g. water,
flood regulation,
recreation)
• National data layer on
ecological condition of
rivers available for
1999 and 2011 2011
Trends in ecological condition categories
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1999 2011
% river length
%AB
%C
%DEF
AB
C
DEF
AB
C
DEF
1999
2011

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1999
2011
Converted to an
index of ecological condition
Reflections
• SEEA Central Framework is well established
conceptually
– Regular implementation relatively limited
• Rapidly growing interest in SEEA
Experimental Ecosystem Accounting
– Most applications are sub-national
– Some conceptual issues still to be resolved
• SEEA provides a powerful framework but
some way to go to mainstream implementation
and uptake

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Workshop invitation!
m.driver@sanbi.org.za