Ecosystem services in Guatemala: concepts, accounting and perspectives

Abstract

The primary goal of the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) is to complement the System of National Accounts (SNA). The SEEA applies accounting principles to integrate both physical and monetary measures related to the environment, enabling comparisons with data from National Accounts, and therefore facilitating the analysis of sustainability of a country’s economic growth and development. Guatemala developed its System of Environmental-Economic Accounting, with a focus on measuring the SEEA “Central Framework”, including water, forest, solid waste, and energy accounts, among others. In 2021, the United Nations Statistical Commission adopted the SEEA Ecosystem Accounting framework as an international statistical standard. This article presents the main results of the Ecosystem Account of Guatemala. The article introduces first the definitions of ecosystems and ecosystem services, followed by an overview of the Ecosystem Account’s structure, according to the SEEA manual. The Ecosystem Account includes the compilation of the ecosystem extent and the condition accounts, as well as an initial assessment of the ecosystem services flow (both in physical and monetary terms), using as a reference the services provided by the country’s protected areas and other ecosystems. The article concludes by discussing and proposing policy guidelines informed by the study’s findings.