Destatis/ValuGaps Workshop

On 24th October 2022, the first joint workshop of the second project phase between the ValuGaps team and the team from the Destatis section “Monetary Environmental-Economic Accounts, Sustainable Development Reporting” took place at the premises of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) in Bonn. The main topics of discussion were the valuation of natural capital and ecosystem services, the planned multi-site valuation study within the ValuGaps project, and the design of future cooperation between ValuGaps and Destatis.

The current status of the ecosystem accounts was presented by the Destatis team and served as a basis for discussion of further cooperation, which primarily aims to address existing problems and uncertainties within the framework of the ecosystem accounts. In this context, it was discussed how the multi-site evaluation study should be optimally designed to create a benefit for natural capital accounting. Furthermore, the current status of the "Ecosystem Services Valuation Database (ESVD)", a comprehensive database that collects and processes ecosystem service-related valuation studies, was presented. In addition to regular online meetings, another workshop is planned for 2023.