Keith, HeatherVardon, MichaelStein, John A.Stein, Janet L.Lindenmayer, David B2019-09-162019-09-16Keith, H., Vardon, M., Stein, J.A., Stein, J.S. and Lindenmayer, D.B. (2017). Ecosystem accounts define explicit and spatial trade-offs for managing natural resources. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 1, 1683-1692.2397-334Xhttp://hdl.handle.net/1885/170457Decisions about natural resource management are frequently complex and vexed, often leading to public policy compromises. Discord between environmental and economic metrics creates problems in assessing trade-offs between different current or potential resource uses. Ecosystem accounts, which quantify ecosystems and their benefits for human well-being consistent with national economic accounts, provide exciting opportunities to contribute significantly to the policy process. We advanced the application of ecosystem accounts in a regional case study by explicitly and spatially linking impacts of human and natural activities on ecosystem assets and services to their associated industries. This demonstrated contributions of ecosystems beyond the traditional national accounts. Our results revealed that native forests would provide greater benefits from their ecosystem services of carbon sequestration, water yield, habitat provisioning and recreational amenity if harvesting for timber production ceased, thus allowing forests to continue growing to older ages.Support for this project was provided by research funding from Fujitsu Laboratories, Japan, and the National Environmental Science Programme of the Australian Department of the Environment and Energy.application/pdfen-AU© 2017 Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature.carbon sequestrationconservation of natural resourcesforestryvictoriaforestsnatural resources2017-09-1810.1038/s41559-017-0309-1