Integrating Information on Ecosystems and Their Services Through Natural Capital Accounting

Natural Resource Stewardship & Science monthly webinar

The nation’s economy and environment are deeply interconnected. Water, soil, air, forests, and other natural assets play a critical role in sustaining and powering our economy—from supplying the food we eat, to starting critical supply chains, to driving innovation, and more. And yet the data we rely on to describe and measure our economy are largely disconnected from the natural world. In response to these limitations, the Administration released a National Strategy to Develop Statistics for Environmental-Economic Decisions in January 2023, which calls for the development and use of natural capital accounts that systematically measure ecosystems, ecosystem services, and other natural resources and their links to the economy.

DOI plays a critical role in this effort both as a provider of information about natural capital and as a potential user of natural capital accounts. The DOI Office of Policy Analysis and USGS are leading work to build these accounts and advance their use within DOI. In this presentation, we will introduce the concept of natural capital accounting, describe ongoing work within and beyond DOI to build natural capital accounts, and explore the potential roles the National Park Service may play in natural capital accounting, both as a data provider and user of the accounts. For more information, see https://www.doi.gov/ppa/integrative/natural-capital-accounting.

Ken Bagstad is a Research Economist with the USGS Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center. He serves as the USGS lead for the interagency natural capital accounting initiative. Ken has led natural capital accounting efforts in the U.S. since 2016 and has also supported the implementation of natural capital accounts by international organizations and at the national level in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Jacob Malcom is the Director of the Office of Policy Analysis for the U.S. Department of the Interior. He leads the office in its work to serve the nation and advance the mission of the Department of the Interior and its bureaus with innovative, objective, and cross-cutting policy and economic analyses and program coordination. He has a deep interest in advancing natural capital accounts to help the Nation account for the resources that it holds and depends on, which will inform policy analyses and decisions at Interior and beyond.

Register

DATE: Wednesday, March 13

TIME: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

LOCATION: Online via Microsoft Teams