Natural Capital Accounting: FAO and UNECA organize training on environmental and economic statistics in Rabat

Rabat, 25 April 2019.

FAO and the Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) conducted  a joint training workshop on the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (SEEA-AFF). The workshop took place in Rabat, 23-26 April.
Experts involved in the estimation and reporting of indicators related to Forest accounts at the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests, at the High Commission for Planning and at the High Commission for Water and Forests and the Fight against Desertification will benefit from this four day training (23-26 April 2019). This workshop is being organized as part of an ECA pilot project involving Morocco, Cameroon and Senegal.      

The System of Environmental-Economic Accounting for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (SEEA-AFF) is a statistical framework that facilitates the assessment and analysis of the contribution of agriculture, forestry and fisheries to economic development as well as their environmental impact. It aims to provide countries with a statistical basis in line with international standards for the development of agri-environmental indicators to facilitate transparent, consistent and comparable monitoring of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Most importantly, the SEEA AFF provides experts in member countries with a tool to expand the computation of GDP in National Accounts with monetary and physical flows tables linked to the environment, a fundamental step needed to implement Natural Capital accounting. In this way, valuation of ecosystem services and biodiversity in agriculture, forestry and fisheries becomes operational.      

SEEA accounts enable countries to identify their priorities, baselines, and development goals, and play a vital role in evidence-based planning, decision-making, and policy formulation. They thus enable countries to strengthen the analysis of their environmental and economic statistics and provide them with tools for estimating forest products and forest areas in both physical and monetary terms.    

This project is of significant importance as countries face climate change. Forests and trees play an important role in the economic, environmental and social landscape of countries. Forest ecosystems supply services and sustenance either directly or indirectly to millions of people around the world. In addition to providing many products, forests provide vital ecosystem services such as erosion prevention, water quality preservation, crop and livestock protection, and carbon absorption, which contributes to the fight against climate change. Forests are also home to many species of plants and animals, thus helping to preserve the biodiversity of countries.