The amount of natural capital must be measured so that we can systematically monitor it and utilise the city's blue-green service network when planning. One measurement method is ecosystem accounting, which has been developed in Tampere as a pioneer in national and international projects together with the Finnish Environment Institute (Syke) since 2021.
Ecosystem accounts expand traditional national accounts by highlighting the significance of ecosystems and the services they provide for the economy and well-being. It is used to monitor the extent and status of natural ecosystems, as well as the amount of benefits and economic value they provide. Traditionally, the problem has been that the value of the benefits produced by nature is largely unknown, and therefore they have not been sufficiently taken into account in decision-making. Ecosystem accounting makes nature and the benefits it produces comparable to other monetary economic calculations. In 2026, ecosystem accounts will become binding in the legislation of the EU Member States.
A sufficient knowledge base on the costs and benefits of nature work enables various economic analyses, such as cost-benefit analyses that examine the profitability of operations. That is why Tampere is piloting a biodiversity budget that complements the climate budget, which collects financial resources budgeted for biodiversity work and monitors their realization and impacts. In addition to the direct economic costs, environmental impacts, including impacts on biodiversity, are highlighted in the assessment of large projects. Taking biodiversity impacts into account and responsibility are increasingly reflected in the city's operations, also in funding and the city's own investment activities.
Note: You can translate the measures using your internet browser's translation tool. The measures are written in Finnish, because they are being updated continuously.