Luxembourg, 5-9 February 2007 MEDSTAT II Differences in accounting for economic and ecological systems In economy: + > – = gains = increase in wealth – > + = losses = decrease in wealth aggregated results are defined as the sum of elementary flows over a fixed period (year or quarter) at the national or regional levels economic factors are generally substitutable average values make sense in most cases In ecology: specific ecosystem dimensions need to be reflected… multiple scales and interactions variability, time scales resilience, health of ecosystems, thresholds no need to account for everything, just the key markers (variables) necessary for making the diagnosis (assessment)
{}