Ecosystem accounting to value ecosystem assets and services provided by agroforestry
摘要
Much of the global economy is dependent on natural capital. Natural capital is defined as the stock of renewable and non-renewable resources that combine to provide flows of services and benefits for humanity (Natural Capital Coalition, 2016). These benefits are generally derived from the ecosystem services that natural capital generates. In many situations, the benefits that humanity receives from these ecosystem services can be significant. Recent analysis suggests that over half the global gross domestic product (GDP) is highly or moderately dependent on the goods and services that nature provides (Dasgupta, 2021). Increasingly, climate change and ongoing loss of nature are being seen as significant risks not just to ecosystems but to the economic systems that these ecosystem goods and services underpin. Nature-related risks represent six of the top ten risks to the stability of the global economy over the next decade (World Economic Forum, 2023), and there is an urgent need to adopt production systems that are more resilient to this changing risk profile to ensure the ongoing sustainability of production. Agricultural systems are highly dependent on natural capital, and agricultural producers are important stewards of large reserves of natural capital. Agricultural producers have a significant opportunity to manage their natural capital in a manner that increases the sustainability and transparency of agricultural produce within global supply chains and to take advantage of the emerging demand for market-driven natural capital opportunities.