Flanders Ecosystem Accounting (FLEA)

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Details

Biodiversity is a form of natural capital. It forms the basis of our economic prosperity and well-being. Through numerous ecosystem services, it provides economically valuable raw materials, supports our health and makes cities more liveable. It also strengthens the resilience of agricultural areas in times of climate change. The Flanders Ecosystem Accounting (FLEA) research project develops ecosystem accounts. These serve to better monitor changes in this natural capital and link them to information in national economic accounts. In this way, they help to better align nature and environmental policy, agricultural policy and economic policy. Ecosystem accounts also provide an integrated knowledge base for nature indicators and the nature report.

Ecosystem accounts show changes in the extent of ecosystems in Flanders, their ecological condition and the services they provide. These ecosystem services create economic benefits for households, industry and the government. The accounts thus form a statistic that links data and knowledge about nature and biodiversity to the macroeconomic accounts used by countries to conduct their economic policy.

The ecosystem accounts are drawn up in accordance with the guidelines of the European Regulation on environmental-economic accounts of 27 November 2024 and the UN System of Environmental-Economic Accounting - Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA EA, 2021). The first accounts for the year 2024 must be submitted to Eurostat via the Federal Planning Bureau before the end of 2028.

The size account is derived from a comprehensive ecosystem map. It is updated every three years on the basis of the Flanders Land Use Database and other ecosystem data. FLEA develops test maps and a repeatable method for validating the surface data.
The research into the state accounts focuses on state variables on which INBO has expertise and collects data. To this end, it collaborates with, among others, the Agency for Nature and Forests and the Department of Environment. The progress and results of the research are also fed back to Statistics Flanders and the Federal Planning Bureau.

Teams

• Wildlife Management and Invasive Species
• Nature & Society
• Biometry, Methodology and Quality Assurance
• Biotope Diversity
• Forest Ecology and - Management
• Landscape Ecology and Nature Management
• Species Diversity
• Datamanagement
• Estuaries
• Environment and Climate
• Nature Report and Advice Coordination
• Freshwater Habitats
• Management Team

INBO Research theme(s)

• Protected nature
• Nature & society
• Agriculture
• Water
• Soil & air
• Forest
• Wildlife management
• Climate
• Invasive species
• Data & infrastructure

Tags

• accounting
• indicator
• indicator