SNAPP: Integrating natural capital into system of national accounts: A case study of forestry and wetland landscapes in Rwanda
Principal Investigators:
Janaki R. Alavalapati, Glenn-Marie Lange, and Michel Masozera
Natural capital plays a central role in economic development of nations for human well-being.These are realized through provision of both market and non-market goods and services. The System of National Accounts only includes market, or near-market, goods and services and therefore fails to fully account for non-market contributions of natural capital to national income. This proposal intends to integrate natural capital into the System of National Accounts using the framework of the System of Environmental Economic Accounting (SEEA), developed... more
Natural capital plays a central role in economic development of nations for human well-being.These are realized through provision of both market and non-market goods and services. The System of National Accounts only includes market, or near-market, goods and services and therefore fails to fully account for non-market contributions of natural capital to national income. This proposal intends to integrate natural capital into the System of National Accounts using the framework of the System of Environmental Economic Accounting (SEEA), developed under the auspices of the UN Statistical Commission. Specifically, the work will focus on non-market ecosystem services from two priority landscapes in Rwanda. Rwanda is an especially attractive study site because it is: 1) one of the 10 African signatories to the Gaborone Declaration, which commits the country to implement natural capital accounting, and 2) it is a Core Implementing Country of the World Bank’s Wealth Accounting and the Valuation of Ecosystem Services (WAVES) Global Partnership. In addition to assessing the contribution of ecosystem services to national economic accounts, a computable general equilibrium analysis incorporating ecosystem services will be conducted to identify potential tradeoffs arising out of alternative natural resource policy and management options; innovative financing mechanisms for natural capital investment will also be identified. Support from the Science for Nature and People initiative will provide a model and critical resources for ensuring collaboration occurs and synergies are optimized across the different groups who are beginning to work on these efforts including the research institutions, NGOs, the Government of Rwanda, and the World Bank who are emphasizing integration of natural capital into System of National Accounts through ongoing initiatives. Results from this study will guide natural resource management policy agenda by establishing the direct relationship between the economy and natural capital. It will provide a practical field-tested country case study of regional communities of practice (CoPs) for natural capital accounting that can be adopted by other regions/countries. Rwanda is a unique country for undertaking thisworkinthe region given the Government’s commitment to natural capital accounting, as evidenced by its National Natural Capital Committee, and its commitment to become a developed country by 2020. The results that emerge from this working group will directly support the country’s ambitious development planning processes and will serve as a model for other countries seeking to integrate natural capital into its goals for economic growth.
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Participants and Meetings

Working Group Participants
Activity | Dates | Further Information |
---|---|---|
Working Group | 2nd—4th September 2015 | Participant List |
Working Group | 21st—22nd April 2016 | Participant List |
Working Group | 14th—16th March 2017 | Participant List |
Participant Contact Information
Sofia Ahlroth | sahlroth@worldbank.org | World Bank |
Janaki R. Alavalapati | ajanaki@auburn.edu | Auburn University |
Kenneth Bagstad | kjbagstad@usgs.gov | US Geological Survey (USGS) |
Mediatrice Bana | mbana@wcs.org | Wildlife Conservation Society Rwanda |
Onil Banerjee | onilb@iadb.org | Inter-American Development Bank |
Eron Bloomgarden | ebloomgarden@encouragecapital.com | EKO Asset Management Partners |
Fred Boltz | FBoltz@rockfound.org | Rockefeller Foundation |
Marie Laetitia Busokeye | mlbusokeye@gmail.com | Rwanda Environment Management Authority |
Jane Carter Ingram | cingram@wcs.org | Wildlife Conservation Society |
Innocent Kabenga | innocent.kabenga@gggi.org | Ministry of Natural Resources |
Godfrey Kabera | godfrey.kabera@minecofin.gov.rw | Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning |
Peter Katanisa | katanisapeter@gmail.com | Ministry of Natural Resources |
Pankaj Lal | lalp@mail.montclair.edu | Montclair State University |
Glenn-Marie Lange | glange1@worldbank.org | World Bank |
Michel Masozera | mmasozera@wcs.org | Wildlife Conservation Society Rwanda |
Jensen Montambault | jmontambault@tnc.org | The Nature Conservancy |
Rodrigue Mugabo | rmugabo@wcs.org | Wildlife Conservation Society, Rwanda |
Richard Niyomugabo | ||
Emmanuel Nkurunziza | Emmanuel.Nkurunziza@rnra.rw | Rwanda National Resources Authority |
Tuyishime N.M | Ministry of Natural Resources | |
Thomas Ochuodho | thomas.ochuodho@uky.edu | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
Stephen Polasky | polasky@umn.edu | University of Minnesota |
Denis Rugege | denis.rugege@gmail.com | United Nations Development Programme |
Claudine Uwera | claudine.uwera@gmail.com | University of Rwanda |
LeeAnne French | french@nceas.ucsb.edu | University of California, Santa Barbara |
Grace Nishimwe | grace.nishimwe@rnra.rw | Rwanda Natural Resources Authority |
Martin Cicowiez | mcicowiez@gmail.com | |
Hans A. Freiherr | zconsult@yahoo.com | |
Jacob Hodari | jhodari@minirena.gov.rw | Republic of Rwanda, Ministry of Environment |
Vincent de Paul Kabalisa | kabalisa@hotmail.com | Rwanda Natural Resources Authority |
Desire Kagabo | D.kagabo@cgiar.org | Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research (CGIAR) |
Samuel Kanyamibwa | skanyamibwa@arcosnetwork.org | Albertine Rift Conservation Society (ARCOS) Network |
Charles Karangwa | charles.karangwa@iucn.org | International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) |
Theobald Mashinga | theobald.mashinga@gov.se | Embassy of Sweden |
Anna Masozera | abehm@igpo.org | International Gorilla Conservation Programme |
Antoine Mudakikwa | antoine.mudakikwa@rdb.rw | Rwanda Development Board |
Athanase Mukuralinda | A.Mukuralinda@cgiar.org | World Agroforestry Centre |
Alex Mulisa | a.mulisa@fonerwa.org | Rwanda's Green Fund (FONERWA) |
Yusuf Murangwa | yusuf.murangwa@statistics.gov.rw | National institute of Statistics Rwanda |
Amini Mutaganda | mutaganda.amini@gmail.com | Rwanda Water and Forestry Authority |
Eugene Mutaganda | eugene.mutangana@rbd.rw | Rwanda Development Board |
Leon Nabahungu | l.nabahungu@cgiar.org | International Institute of Tropical Agriculture |
Prime Ngabonziza | null | Rwanda Water and Forestry Authority |
Janvier Ntalindwa | janvier.ntalindwa@undp.org | United Nations Development Programme |
Coletha Ruhamya | cruhamya@rema.gov.rw | Rwanda Environment Management Authority |
Products: Publications, Reports, Datasets, Presentations, Visualizations
Type | Products of NCEAS Research |
---|---|
Presentations | Alavalapati, Janaki R. 2016. TNC board meeting presentation. TNC; October 2016. |
Journal Article | Bagstad, Kenneth; Cohen, Erika; Ancona, Zachary H.; McNulty, Steven; Sun, Ge. 2018. The sensitivity of ecosystem service models to choices of input data and spatial resolution. Applied Geography. (Abstract) (Online version) |
Report or White Paper | Banerjee, Onil; Cicowiez, Martin; Ochuodho, Thomas; Masozera, Michel; Wolde, Bernabas; Lal, Pankaj; Dudek, Sebastian; Alavalapati, Janaki R. 2017. Financing the sustainable management of Rwanda's protected areas. CEDLAS. (Abstract) (Online version) |
Journal Article | Banerjee, Onil; Cicowiez, Martin; Ochuodho, Thomas; Masozera, Michel; Wolde, Bernabas; Lal, Pankaj; Dudek, Sebastian; Alavalapati, Janaki R. 2018. Financing the sustainable management of Rwanda's protected areas. Journal of Sustainable Tourism. (Abstract) (Online version) |
Journal Article | Lal, Pankaj; Wolde, Bernabas; Masozera, Michel; Burli, Pralhad; Alavalapati, Janaki R.; Ranjan, Aditi; Montambault, Jensen; Banerjee, Onil; Ochuodho, Thomas; Mugabo, Rodrigue. 2017. Valuing visitor services and access to protected areas: The case of Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda. Tourism Management. Vol: 61. Pages 141-151. (Abstract) |
Journal Article | Ochuodho, Thomas; Alavalapati, Janaki R. 2016. Integrating natural capital into system of national accounts for policy analysis: An application of a computable general equilibrium model. Forest Policy and Economics. (Abstract) |
"SNAPP: Integrating natural capital into system of national accounts: A case study of forestry and wetland landscapes in Rwanda" is project ID: 12709