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BC3-UPV/EHU Seminars: Spatial green accounting for terrestrial ecosystems: from theory to practice

February 22, 2012 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

BC3-UPV/EHU Seminars
Spatial green accounting for terrestrial ecosystems: from theory to practice.

Prof. Alejandro Caparrós

Institute for Public Goods and Policies – CSIC)

Abstract

National accounts are widely used to assess the performance of an economy and theory has shown the relationship between the Net National Product and the linearized Hamiltonian. This implies that it suffices to maximize it to keep an economy on its optimal path and that only values estimated for the current year are needed. Theoretical literature on green accounting has extended these results to natural resources and there is now a great interest in expanding national accounts to cover the environment. However, national accounts are based on market prices and environmental valuation typically focuses on consumer surplus. To aggregate values in a consistent manner we propose to simulate the price that would occur if the environment were perfectly internalized. To do this, we propose to simulate the whole market: demand (using non-market valuation techniques), supply and market structure. We also show that the theoretical result that only values of the year are needed depends on assumptions which are unrealistic for forests, especially if results are to be spatially explicit. Thus, forward looking values are necessary to estimate variations in capital (we discuss a simplified method to do this).In the second part we present an application of the theory discussed above to Andalusia. The goal of the RECAMAN project is to integrate commercial and non-commercial values in a single accounting framework in a consistent manner. The accounting framework, the System of Agroforestry Accounts, integrates a production and a capital account. The production account distinguishes final from intermediate goods and services, and natural capital values are estimated discounting future net revenues (natural resource rents), when asset market prices are not available. Commercial values are based on market prices (timber, cork, firewood, pasture and hunting). For non-commercial values the Simulated Exchange Value method discussed above is used. Non-commercial values included are: public and private recreation, biodiversity preservation, landscape, carbon sequestration and mushroom recollection. All estimates are spatially explicit.

Faculty of Sarriko, 22nd february 2012 at 13:00 in Room B0.14

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Date:
February 22, 2012
Time:
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
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