Using environmental DNA in natural capital accounting
eDGES v2 – Project 9
Natural Capital Accounting (NCA) is a framework for managing natural assets that brings this process into the realm of standard account management. It provides a consistent basis for reporting on the state of natural environments managed by companies, trusts, or other large non-governmental entities. NCA has the potential to drive better environmental outcomes, but this potential will only be met if accurate and appropriate environmental information is used to inform natural asset accounts. eDNA metabarcoding is established as a high-throughput method for obtaining biodiversity information from any environment of interest. This makes eDNA data potentially valuable for NCA, but there are no current analysis frameworks that can interface between the data outputs of eDNA metabarcoding and the data inputs for NCA frameworks. This project is developing a toolbox of eDNA-derived metrics and exploring their utility for NCA.
Figure 1: Workflow for integrating environmental DNA (eDNA) into Natural Capital Accounting. The process begins by defining ecosystem extent and type, followed by environmental sampling to capture DNA traces. Sequencing and analysis of eDNA provide biodiversity data, which are linked to ecosystem services and condition metrics. These insights are then integrated into Natural Capital Accounting frameworks to inform sustainable decision-making. Created in https://BioRender.com.
Figure 2: Indicators of ecosystem condition for use in Natural Capital Accounting can be derived by measuring variables across three categories defined by the SEEA-EA framework: abiotic (physical and chemical states), biotic (compositional, structural, and functional states), and landscape-level characteristics (diversity, connectivity, and fragmentation). When assessed relative to reference values, these variables can be used as condition indicators. When multiple indicators are available, they can be combined to create an overall ecosystem condition index. Environmental DNA (eDNA) provides a powerful tool for measuring variables in the biotic category by capturing biodiversity information across taxa.
Figure 3: Example partial ecosystem condition account for use in Natural Capital Accounting. Environmental DNA (eDNA) contributes rich biotic information to these accounts through various metrics. While eDNA data can inform the biotic dimension, SEEA–based ecosystem accounts also integrate abiotic and landscape-level indicators to give a comprehensive picture of ecosystem condition.