The work presented in this report aims to support the implementation of a conceptual framework, which links environmental pressures related to bio-economy and the condition of agro- and forest ecosystems in the framework of the System of Environmental Economic Accounting – Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA EA). The SEEA EA describes internationally recognized statistical principles and recommendations for the valuation of ecosystem services and assets in a context that is coherent with the concepts of System of National Accounts for countries which are undertaking valuation of ecosystem services and/or assets. In this framework, ecosystem condition is one of the SEEA EA core accounts, recording the condition of ecosystems in terms of selected characteristics at specific points in time. Good ecosystem condition is resulting from sustainable management of biotic and abiotic resources: in order to assess the distance of ecosystems current state from the good condition state (whether in a positive or negative direction), a condition index is proposed, which builds on a series of variables describing six key ecosystem attributes, whose current values are compared to reference values. Results show that for both agro- and forest ecosystems large variations in conditions exist in the European Union (EU). European forest ecosystems are currently in a moderate condition. Overall, forests remain subject to natural and anthropogenic pressures, the condition of two-thirds of the forest area is improving, although at a slow pace and this improvement however is counterbalanced by a declining condition which affects one-third of the forest area. For cropland, overall in EU27, the condition is good for only 19.8% of its surface extent. Nevertheless, only a very minor share of surface extent is in the worst condition while more than half of it, thus not in good condition, it is in an intermediate situation, likely requiring only minor efforts in change of management to reach a level of good condition. Results show as well that more efforts should be carried out to improve the biotic descriptors for grassland ecosystems. The applied framework is based on an aggregation frame, in which the weights of each single variable are made explicit and can eventually be easily modified when new information becomes available. Moreover, results facilitate the understanding of which management solutions are beneficial for ecosystems having different condition levels (e.g. improvement of the condition level when such level is low, or maintenance of the condition level when such level is high); further in-depth analysis of the underpinning indicators may then provide clear hints on which type of change in management is needed.

PARACCHINI Maria Luisa;  BARREDO Jose I.;  TROMBETTI Marco;  CATARINO Rui;  GUERRERO Irene;  RENNER Ansel;  VALLECILLO Sara;  CZÚCZ Balint; 

2025-07-31

Publications Office of the European Union

JRC142995

978-92-68-38943-0 (online),   

1831-9424 (online),   

EUR 40688,    OP KJ-01-26-157-EN-N (online),   

https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC142995,   

10.2760/6629891 (online),