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Natural Capital Accounts and Public Policy Decisions: Findings From a Survey

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  • Recuero Virto, Laura
  • Weber, Jean-Louis
  • Jeantil, Mathilde

Abstract

There have been many initiatives and policy commitments in natural capital accounting in the recent years. Based on a survey for statistical offices, ministries and independent experts worldwide, we provide some preliminary evidence that there is very little use of natural capital accounts for public policy decisions and, more so, in developing countries. The most relevant obstacles are the lack of political support by key people and institutional leadership unable to promote policy use by other ministries. Concerning developing countries, the factor which is considered as the most relevant in preventing the use of natural capital accounts for policy making is the stage of development of the country. In addition, respondents from statistical institutes and developing countries are firstly, concerned about institutional obstacles and secondly, about data availability and cooperation. Respondents from ministries and independent experts are particularly concerned about design obstacles. Not many accounts may be available to be used in the policy-making process due to data gaps, design challenges and the required investment, the problem being more acute in developing countries. A key result of the survey is the need to evaluate the added value of natural capital accounts with respect to statistics.

Suggested Citation

  • Recuero Virto, Laura & Weber, Jean-Louis & Jeantil, Mathilde, 2018. "Natural Capital Accounts and Public Policy Decisions: Findings From a Survey," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 244-259.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:144:y:2018:i:c:p:244-259
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2017.08.011
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    1. Farid Gasmi & Laura Recuero Virto & Denis Couvet, 2020. "The Impact of Renewable Versus Non-renewable Natural Capital on Economic Growth," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 77(2), pages 271-333, October.
    2. Fleming, Aysha & O'Grady, Anthony P. & Stitzlein, Cara & Ogilvy, Sue & Mendham, Daniel & Harrison, Matthew T., 2022. "Improving acceptance of natural capital accounting in land use decision making: Barriers and opportunities," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    3. Pei‐Chi Kelly Hsiao & Charl de Villiers & Claire Horner & Hein Oosthuizen, 2022. "A review and synthesis of contemporary sustainability accounting research and the development of a research agenda," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(4), pages 4453-4483, December.
    4. Jerry Mauri & Yingli Huang & Jun Harbi & Nathan James Roberts, 2022. "Monetary Valuation of Protected Wild Animal Species as a Contingent Assessment in North Sulawesi, Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-17, August.
    5. Bagstad, Kenneth J. & Ingram, Jane Carter & Shapiro, Carl D. & La Notte, Alessandra & Maes, Joachim & Vallecillo, Sara & Casey, C. Frank & Glynn, Pierre D. & Heris, Mehdi P. & Johnson, Justin A. & Lau, 2021. "Lessons learned from development of natural capital accounts in the United States and European Union," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    6. Michael-Bitton, Geula & Gal, Gideon & Corrales, Xavier & Ofir, Eyal & Shechter, Mordechai & Zemah-Shamir, Shiri, 2022. "Economic aspects of fish stock accounting as a renewable marine natural capital: The Eastern Mediterranean continental shelf ecosystem as a case study," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    7. Warnell, Katherine J.D. & Russell, Marc & Rhodes, Charles & Bagstad, Kenneth J. & Olander, Lydia P. & Nowak, David J. & Poudel, Rajendra & Glynn, Pierre D. & Hass, Julie L. & Hirabayashi, Satoshi & In, 2020. "Testing ecosystem accounting in the United States: A case study for the Southeast," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    8. Clément Feger & Laurent Mermet & Emily Mckenzie & Bhaskar Vira, 2017. "Improving Decisions with Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Information," Working Papers hal-01930929, HAL.
    9. Comte, Adrien & Sylvie Campagne, C. & Lange, Sabine & Bruzón, Adrián García & Hein, Lars & Santos-Martín, Fernando & Levrel, Harold, 2022. "Ecosystem accounting: Past scientific developments and future challenges," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    10. Grover, Isobella & O'Reilly-Wapstra, Julianne & Suitor, Shaun & Hatton MacDonald, Darla, 2023. "Not seeing the accounts for the forest: A systematic literature review of ecosystem accounting for forest resource management purposes," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
    11. Lu Zhang & Zhongfa Zhou & Quan Chen & Lan Wu & Qing Feng & Dan Luo & Tangyin Wu, 2022. "Accounting for Value Changes in Cultivated Land Resources within the Karst Mountain Area of Southwest China, 2001–2020," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-23, May.
    12. C. Feger & Laurent Mermet, 2021. "Advances in accounting for biodiversity and ecosystems: a typology focusing upon the environmental results imperative [Innovations comptables pour la biodiversité et les écosystèmes : une typologie," Post-Print hal-02549016, HAL.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Natural capital accounts; Public policy;

    JEL classification:

    • Q0 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - General
    • Q28 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Government Policy
    • Q38 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation - - - Government Policy (includes OPEC Policy)
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy

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