Gross Ecosystem Product (GEP) Accounting for the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan Urban Agglomeration, China

Gross Ecosystem Product (GEP) refers to the total value of the final products and services provided by the ecosystem for human welfare and sustainable economic and social development. Currently, pilot projects have been setup in China to calculate GEP, yet there have been few attempts to develop ecosystem accounts using the System of Environmental Economic Accounting - Experimental Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA EEA) framework. We explored the value of GEP based on the SEEA EEA framework for Chang-Zhu-Tan urban agglomeration in central China. Land use change was detected from all available Landsat images from 1985 to 2018 using the Continuous Change Detection and Classification approach. A set of comprehensive reports that integrate quantity, quality, and value on the supply and use of ecosystem services were established, and the degradation of ecosystems and the change of natural assets in the Chang-Zhu-Tan area were tracked. Our study provides critical information and tools for the establishment of monitoring and auditing systems to track the changes of natural resource assets and ecosystem services to support adaptive management practices and lifelong accountability for ecological and environmental damages.