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Government Dialogue Best Practice: Japanese Ecosystem Service Valuation & Ecosystem Asset Accounts

Summary

Japan has been supporting research for developing an accounting system reflecting the framework of System of Environmental-Economic Accounting – Experimental Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EEA) to record values of ecological stocks and ecosystem service flows in Japan.

Description: Japan has been supporting a research for developing an accounting system to record values of ecological stocks and ecosystem services in Japan.

With an aim to achieve Aichi Biodiversity Target 2 “By 2020, at the latest, biodiversity values have been integrated into national and local development and poverty reduction strategies and planning processes and are being incorporated into national accounting, as appropriate, and reporting systems”, Japan has been supporting research for developing an accounting system reflecting the framework of System of Environmental-Economic Accounting – Experimental Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EEA) to record values of ecological stocks and ecosystem service flows in Japan. In the research, the unit value of forest and wetland was firstly estimated by environmental-economic valuation techniques. In addition, several ecosystem services from forest were separately evaluated and shown as breakdown of stock value. The exchange values of the stocks was added, and incorporated in the ecosystem asset accounts. The account has both physical and monetary term. The evaluation was also conducted in each prefecture in Japan so that the developed framework for accounting can be applied at a subnational level.

In the next steps of the research, the evaluations will be conducted at a smaller scale in pilot cities, to assess both positive and negative impacts of environmental policies on ecosystem services.

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