Operationalising SEEA-EA for water-related ecosystem services assessment

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

In the face of growing environmental and economic pressures, accurately accounting for ecosystem services and natural capital is essential for sustainable decision-making. This study provides a systematic review of how ecosystem services have been integrated into economic models through the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting – Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EA) framework. Focusing on water-related services such as provisioning, purification, and flood control, the review examines empirical applications and methodological advances that bring nature into the economy. Based on 19 peer-reviewed studies selected through a PRISMA-guided protocol, the analysis identifies persistent asymmetries between biophysical and monetary approaches. While SEEA-EA has reached a stage of applied maturity, challenges remain in fully coupling ecological indicators with economic valuation. Two strategic priorities are highlighted: improving monitoring integration by aligning environmental indicators with economic accounts and addressing systemic complexity by embedding ecological metrics into macroeconomic and risk-assessment models. Overall, the review underscores the importance of systematically including ecosystem services in national and regional accounting systems to foster resilience and sustainability. • Integration of SEEA-EA into ecological and national economic frameworks emphasized. • Flood control, water purification and water provision recognized as critical ecosystem services. • The framework highlights risks associated with undervaluation of natural capital in economic accounting. • Novel approach aligns monetary and biophysical metrics for analytical policy development. • Case studies show the urgency of implementing sustainable resource management practices.