Ecosystem Condition Account for Germany

ended

The project aims to build up an automated, nationwide Ecosystem Condition Account for Germany and link it to ecosystem services. The resulting data product will monitor the condition of all ecosystems over time using a rich set of variables, reference values and indicators that cover all relevant biotic, abiotic and landscape-related ecosystem characteristics. The condition account is an essential part of Ecosystem Accounting, an environmental reporting system designed to capture the complex interactions between humans and the environment and structured in three main accounts – Extent, Condition and Services. Together, these high-resolution spatial statistics give visibility to the services provided by ecosystems and can function as a localized information basis for political and societal decision-making. Building upon the already built-up Ecosystem Extent Account for Germany, the Condition Account represents the second part in the set-up of a comprehensive ecosystem accounting system for Germany. The project’s output, a spatial time-series database on ecosystem condition, would be a powerful tool to achieve the goals of the European Green Deal. It aims to link ecosystem extent to services, monitors condition over time and allows to interpret changes in human benefits derived from nature. As such, it could be used to monitor the biodiversity restoration targets defined in the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and fulfil the reporting requirements under the proposed amendment of EU Regulation 691/2011.