SEEA and Ecosystem Services Accounting: A Promising Framework for Territorial Governance Innovation

ES rapidly was adopted by quantitative geographers and urban planners as an effective tool to deliver reliable spatial analysis on natural capital and its interaction with citizens and economic ecosystem. Although several relevant applications of ES in planning have been realised, it is still difficult to find a common agreement on how to adopt ES as a standard planning support system. Through a literature review this research aims to highlight how monetizing ecosystem services could be effectively integrated in territorial management practices. The System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) framework was identified as a promising tool for this purpose according to its analytical structure based on the integration of national budget, spatial analytics based on ES, and social information characterizing the groups of beneficiaries. It represents an international accounting tools for natural capital appraisal aimed at supporting a holistic decision-making process adopted by UN. In particular, SEEA aims to provide accounting over time to measure the health of the environment, the environment’s contribution to the economy, and the impacts of economic activities on the environment. The research aims to highlight the challenges and opportunities that arise from implementing SEEA in urban planning, providing a critical analysis of the value of ecosystem services with the goal of promoting sustainable practices and nature conservation.