PANCANET | Natural capital accounting in the Pacific

PANCAnet, a new online platform of the Pacific Natural Capital Accounting Network, is now open for membership for those interested in using natural capital accounting to inform progress and development in the Pacific region. Launched by GDN, following discussions from a workshop in Brisbane on the local demand for NCA and its use in the region earlier this year, PANCAnet is a virtual working space for researchers and practitioners to share ideas, connect and collaborate to build projects that link natural capital accounting to policy debates.

Countries in the Pacific face serious environmental threats, carrying critical implications for the sustainability of their socio-economic development and the livelihoods of their populations. One way to combat this is to make sure that national statistical offices and other government agencies become more involved, and begin to regularly measure 'natural capital.' This will provide policymakers with rich data on the natural resources and ecosystem services of a particular country or region, which can inform difficult policy choices for sustainable development, such as how to invest in tourism, whether to privatize water or how to regulate the energy sector. Collaboration between national statistical offices, the research community, government agencies and development partners, is crucial for information and evidence to translate into sustainable policy decisions.

PANCAnet serves as a pivotal platform for collaboration across domestic, international and regional boundaries. Researchers, policymakers, civil servants and members of an NGO or international organization working on natural resources in the Pacific region are invited to join. Members will gain access to expert advice, a virtual forum in which to discuss ideas with other members, and find collaborators while building projects that link natural capital accounting to policy debates.

Members can also:

• Join on-going discussions on topics such as regulation in the energy sector; marine and coastal ecosystems; health and environment; and sustainable tourism

• Pitch a challenge or an idea using natural capital accounting, and get feedback from other members, experts, professional grant writers and donors during the next 6 months

• Ask any question you might have on natural capital accounting and its links to policy.