EO4EA envisions a future where Earth observation systems enable ubiquitous environmental transparency and the true value of ecosystems is incorporated into conventional economic accounts and decision making, leading to a radical shift in the appreciation and valuation of natural resources.
To achieve global policy commitments, such as the sustainable development goals, the Paris Agreement, and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) targets, countries are going to need to incorporate the value of nature into decision making. This requires understanding and valuing the role that ecosystems play to benefit people and the economy.
As countries around the world start to develop ecosystem accounts, there is a need for methods to utilize EO data for accounting. The United Nations System of Environmental Economic Accounts (UN-SEEA) is releasing an updated guidance on Ecosystem Accounts. The Earth Observation for Ecosystem Accounting (EO4EA) initiative is working with the UN-SEEA to support ecosystem accounting and test the proposed methods.
“Ecosystem accounting is a coherent and integrated approach to the assessment of the environment through the measurement of ecosystems, and measurement of the flows of services from ecosystems into economic and other human activity” (SEEA EEA 2012)
