Ecosystem Services Assessed in Lithuania for the First Time
The State Data Agency (Statistics Lithuania) has carried out the first assessment of ecosystem services in Lithuania. The survey was implemented as part of the European Union–funded project “Implementation of the Classification of Environmental Protection Activities (CEP), Assessment of Ecosystem Services, and Compilation of Quarterly Greenhouse Gas Emissions Accounts”. Its results will contribute to preparations for compiling ecosystem accounts in accordance with new European Union legal requirements.
A regulation adopted in 2024 by the European Parliament and the Council, which incorporates an ecosystem accounts module into the system of environmental economic accounts, provides that from 2026 EU Member States will have to produce data on ecosystem extent, condition, and services. In order to prepare for the compilation of these data, the State Data Agency carried out the first ecosystem services assessment in Lithuania.
What are ecosystem services?
Ecosystem services are the benefits that nature provides to people and the economy. They include the provision of food and raw materials, improvement of air quality, climate regulation, maintenance of biodiversity, and recreational opportunities.
Seven ecosystem services were analysed during the assessment:
- provision of agricultural crops;
- pollination of agricultural crops;
- provision of timber;
- air filtration;
- global climate regulation;
- local climate regulation;
- nature-based tourism.
The provision of services was assessed across 11 types of ecosystems found in Lithuania—from croplands, grasslands, and forests to water bodies, wetlands, and urbanised areas.
Forests – the main providers of climate regulation services
The assessment results showed a significant contribution of Lithuania’s ecosystems to climate change mitigation. In 2021, ecosystems sequestered more than 1.7 million tonnes of carbon, while the stocks of stored organic carbon reached nearly 681 million tonnes. Forests and wooded areas played the most important role in climate regulation.
It was also found that carbon is stored not only in forests but also in croplands, grasslands, and other terrestrial ecosystems. This highlights the important role of various ecosystems in reducing the impacts of climate change.
Benefits of nature for the economy and society
The survey revealed that the benefits provided by Lithuania’s ecosystems are important for the economy and societal well-being.
In 2021:
- ecosystems enabled the production of more than 12.5 million tonnes of agricultural output;
- more than 293 thousand tonnes of agricultural crop yield depended on wild pollinators;
- the annual increment of timber in Lithuania’s forests exceeded 17 million cubic metres;
- ecosystems removed about 31 thousand tonnes of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and about 59 thousand tonnes of PM10 pollutants from the air.
Urban green spaces contribute to local climate regulation
The assessment of local climate regulation services in the six largest Lithuanian cities showed that the greatest cooling effect is provided by urban forests, green spaces, and other vegetated areas. These ecosystems help reduce air temperature on hot days and improve quality of life in urbanised areas.
The importance of nature for tourism
According to the survey, in 2021, more than 5.5 million tourist overnight stays were associated with visits to natural areas, most of which were forest ecosystems, although coastal areas, beaches, and dunes were also important.
Data will support the compilation of ecosystem accounts
The assessment of ecosystem services was carried out using the European Commission (Eurostat) tool INCA (Integrated system for Natural Capital Accounting). During the project, not only were the first ecosystem service indicators for Lithuania developed, but methodological experience necessary for the regular compilation of ecosystem accounts in the future was also accumulated.
Ecosystem accounts will enable systematic assessment of the state of natural capital and the benefits it provides to society and the economy. These data will support evidence-based decision-making in the fields of environmental protection, climate change, spatial planning, and sustainable development.
Quarterly greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions accounts
Quarterly greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions accounts show how much greenhouse gas emissions are released into the atmosphere by economic sectors during a given quarter. They help monitor climate change trends almost in real time and assess the impact of economic changes on these emissions.
Greenhouse gases (GHGs) include carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and fluorinated gases (F-gases), and their emissions are expressed in a common unit – tonnes of CO₂ equivalent.
The methodology for compiling quarterly estimates can be described as an econometric-statistical method, often used in the preparation of quarterly national accounts.
The main methodological principle for compiling quarterly GHG accounts is that annual time series of air emissions accounts are disaggregated into quarterly values, and the values for those quarters for which annual data have not yet been published are forecast.
In both stages, i.e., temporal disaggregation and extrapolation, auxiliary information is used, provided by short-term predictive variables (indicators), which help to approximate the quarterly dynamics of the target variable, i.e. greenhouse gas emissions.
More information here.
The project is funded by the European Union
The content of this project reflects only the author’s views, and the author is solely responsible for it. The European Commission does not accept any responsibility for the use of the information contained therein.