Using Ocean Accounting towards an integrated assessment of ecosystem services and benefits within a coastal lake

Abstract

This paper develops an ocean account for Lake Illawarra in New South Wales, Australia, compiling the accounts for the years between 2010 and 2020. The account measures the extent of coastal vegetation (mangrove, tidal marsh, and seagrass), associated ecosystem services flows (climate change mitigation, eutrophication mitigation) in physical and monetary terms, and associated production and employment within sectors of the ocean economy. It establishes the use of ocean accounting as a means to organise relevant ocean data into a common framework, while being grounded in existing international statistical standards for national and environmental economic accounting.

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