ABS to release new National Ecosystem Accounts in 2025

Media Statement
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Released
17/09/2024

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) have published an information paper in advance of the first experimental National Ecosystem Accounts in 2025. 

The accounts will measure and value Australia’s ecosystems, showing the contribution the environment makes to Australia’s economic and social wellbeing. They are being developed with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), and CSIRO. 

Today’s information paper covers details of this upcoming new release, including:

  • The type of information featured in the first release
  • How the data is collected, produced and ways the numbers can be used 
  • The ongoing development of Australia’s ecosystem accounting program.

The first release of the National Ecosystem Accounts will include estimates of the size and condition of land, freshwater and marine ecosystems. The release will also show some of the services these ecosystems provide, like rivers supplying water for drinking.

This ecosystem accounting program will use the United Nations’ System of Environmental-Economic Accounting Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA EA) international framework. It will build on existing work completed in recent years by the ABS and other organisations, like the National Ocean Account and Experimental Environmental-Economic Accounts for the Great Barrier Reef. 

This is part of the broader environmental-economic statistics program focused on integrating existing environmental and economic accounts based on the value of Australia’s ecosystems. As part of this program, the accounts will be regularly updated to keep the information relevant to Australia’s economy.

There are many possible uses of ecosystem accounting like managing natural resources, conservation planning, and informing Australians about the quality of their environment.

More information can be found in the Measuring and Valuing Australia’s Ecosystems information paper.

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