Natural capital

Amount (physical and monetary) of Canada's natural capital assets.

Natural capital is another term for the stock of renewable and non-renewable resources (e.g. plants, animals, air, water, soils, minerals) that combine to yield a flow of benefits to people. Natural capital assets produce goods and services important for economic production and human well-being.

Categories of natural capital include natural resource stocks—e.g., timber, minerals, and energy resources that are inputs into economic production, as well as land and water resources—and ecosystem assets such as forests, wetlands, agricultural or urban land, snow and ice, tundra, lakes, and rivers, which provide ecosystem services.

Natural capital accounting is closely aligned with the United Nations System of Environmental Economic Accounting (SEEA), which is a framework that integrates environmental and economic information, ensuring that natural capital is accounted for alongside traditional economic measures. The SEEA includes concepts, definitions and classifications suitable for generating a wide range of accounts, indicators and statistics on natural capital including environmental assets and ecosystems.

Measurement of Natural Capital at Statistics Canada is described in the Methodological Guide: Canadian System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (16-509-X).

Natural resource asset accounts (NRAA) are produced annually in physical and monetary terms, with estimates of national resource wealth linked to the National Balance Sheet Accounts. In addition to regular estimates for energy, mineral and timber assets, estimates are updated on an occasional basis for land and water assets.

The Census of Environment program aims to develop ecosystem accounts and environmental profiles across various ecosystems and watersheds. Ecosystems such as forests, alpine or prairie grasslands, tundra, lakes and rivers, ocean and coastal areas, as well as cities and towns, are an intrinsic part of Canada and a source of the nation's wealth and biodiversity. The Census of Environment is designed to track the size and health of these ecosystems and provide measures of ecosystem services. The launch of this program reflects Statistics Canada's ongoing work to improve environmental-economic accounting and provide insights on natural capital.

Nature is critical for economic growth, prosperity and human well-being. Natural capital accounting is a means of including the environmental considerations of nature in economic planning.

The sustainability of natural resource use is linked to well-being, since asset depletion or degradation will undermine future quality of life in Canada. Regularly monitoring and reporting on natural capital within national accounts provides us with the ability to assess changes over time and to understand the impact the economy has on natural assets.

Ecosystems across the country provide ecosystem services such as food, clean air and water, climate regulation and recreation. Natural environments can also have a major impact on people's physical and mental health. Nature's contributions to the economy and people depend on the capacity of ecosystems to produce these services. Information about the extent and condition of Canada's ecosystems can help governments and businesses address challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation.

Environmental asset accounts: Canada's resources and how they are used

Canadian System of Environmental-Economic Accounts - Ecosystem Accounts

• Table 38-10-0007-01 - Selected natural resource reserves
• Table 38-10-0006-01 - Value of selected natural resource reserves (x 1,000,000)
• Table 38-10-0283-01 - Annual water yield for selected drainage regions and Southern Canada
• Table 38-10-0091-01 - Annual water yield for selected ecoprovinces
• Table 38-10-0003-01 - Median, maximum and minimum monthly water yield for selected drainage regions
• Table 38-10-0095-01 - Median, minimum and maximum monthly water yield for selected ecoprovinces
• Table 38-10-0174-01 - Thirty-year water yield averages and variability
• Table 38-10-0250-01 - Physical flow account for water use
• Table 38-10-0191-01 - Water asset account
• Table 38-10-0178-01 - Land cover by class, Canada, sub-drainage area, major drainage area and drainage region
• Table 38-10-0177-01 - Land cover by class, Canada, ecoprovince and ecozone

National balance sheet accounts

National Balance sheet accounts

• Table 36-10-0580-01 - National Balance Sheet Accounts (x 1,000,000)

Ecosystem accounts

Canadian System of Environmental-Economic Accounts - Ecosystem Accounts

Ecosystem extents: How much exists in Canada?

• Table 2.1 Terrestrial and freshwater ecosystem extent, by type and ecoprovince (Part 1, 2 and 3)
• Table 38-10-0163-01 - Extent and growth of contiguously settled areas
• Table 38-10-0165-01 - Agroecosystem extent
• Table 38-10-0153-01 - Ocean and coastal ecosystem extent account
• Table 38-10-0157-01 - Protected and conserved ocean and coastal ecosystem extent account
• Table 38-10-0189-01 - Ocean and coastal ecosystem services: Physical measures by marine bioregion
• Table 38-10-0190-02 - Ocean and coastal ecosystem services: Experimental monetary measures by marine bioregion and ecosystem type (x 1,000)
• Table 38-10-0190-03 - Ocean and coastal ecosystem services: Experimental monetary measures by province or territory (x 1,000)

Ecosystem condition: Is it healthy?

• Table 38-10-0158-01 - Urban greenness
• Table 38-10-0187-01 - Vegetation cover in large urban areas
• Table 38-10-0164-01 - Agroecosystem condition account
• Table 38-10-0162-01 - Salt marsh ecosystem condition account
• Table 38-10-0182-01 - Ocean condition account by fishing unit
• Table 38-10-0183-01 - Ocean condition account by marine bioregion

Ecosystem services: What does nature supply?

• Table 38-10-0171-01 - Ecosystem services, biomass provisioning services by ecosystem type and type of product
• Table 38-10-0161-01 - Salt marsh ecosystem services account
• Table 38-10-0250-01 - Physical flow account for water use
• Table 38-10-0190-01 - Ocean and coastal ecosystem services: Experimental monetary measures, Canada and ocean

For products related to natural capital, including data tables, data visualizations, articles, and other product types see Analytical releases: Natural capital or view all analytical releases.

This indicator aligns with the following frameworks:

• System of Environmental Economic Accounting
• SEEA Central Framework | System of Environmental Economic Accounting
  • Ecosystem Accounting | System of Environmental Economic Accounting

Other relevant frameworks that can make use of data from natural capital accounting efforts include:

• Canadian Indicator Framework (CIF) for the Sustainable Development Goals
• CIF Goal 14 – Life below water
• CIF Goal 15 – Life on land
• Federal sustainable development strategy (FSDS)
• Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators (CESI)
• Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework – 2030 Targets
• Canada's 2030 Nature Strategy: Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss in Canada

• Methodological Guide: Canadian System of Environmental-Economic Accounting
• Canadian System of Environmental-Economic Accounts - Natural Resource Asset Accounts (NRAA)
• Canadian System of Environmental-Economic Accounting - Ecosystem Accounting
• Census of Environment
• Partnership on Cooperation on Nature Capital Accounting, Environmental-Economic Accounting, and Related Statistics
• 2030 Nature Strategy and Nature Accountability Bill (Environment and Climate Change Canada)