Geographic Coverage
National & State Level
Focus Area
Ecosystem Accounts
SDG
Goal 6, 12, 13, 14 and 15
Funding Agency
European Union
United Nations Environment
Secretariat to CBD
United Nations Statistics Division
MOEFCC
EU
The National Statistical Office (NSO), Govt of India has the mandate for ‘development of methodology, concepts and preparation of National Resource Accounts for India’. In line with the mandate, NSO, India is participating in the European Union (EU)-funded “Natural Capital Accounting and Valuation of Ecosystem Services (NCAVES)” project launched in 2017 by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) in five piloted countries- the other countries being Brazil, China, South Africa and Mexico.
This project is jointly implemented by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Secretariat of the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) in close collaboration with national stakeholders, and is likely to propel India in the path of compilation of ecosystem accounts.
The main objective of the UNSD-led project is to mainstream natural capital accounting and the valuation of ecosystem services in data-driven decision and policy-making at the national, regional and local levels.
Developed district-wise estimates of cropland ecosystem services for three years
State-wise estimates of nature-based tourism for two years
Developed the methods and framework of water quality accounts for surface and ground water and soil nutrient indices
EnviStats - India 2018 (Supplement on Environmental Accounts)
EnviStats - India 2019 (Vol.II-Environment Accounts)
The Project has helped set up collaborations with the data providers including the different Ministries and Organisations of Government of India, and consolidate the requisite datasets, which has led to the compilation of indicators and accounts that are compliant with the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA). These indicators and accounts have been released under the title, ‘EnviStats India’ – the first set in September 2018 and the second set in September 2019.
In order to assess the complete set of environmental goods and services produced by the different ecosystems present in a region, a pilot has been initiated in eight districts of Karnataka, covering different ecosystems and ecosystem services. This would enable MoSPI to replicate such district-based studies by incorporating the learnings of the pilot and using an appropriate sample size, which can then enable upscaling the estimates so as to help compile ecosystem accounts at the National level.
Several Stakeholder meetings have been held during the Project period – to sensitize them about the project and its probable uses in policy and decision making. Meetings have also been held at National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and NITI Aayog to ensure that the project achieves the necessary uptake for its deliverables.
