Natural capital accounting reveals ecosystems’ role in water and energy security in Colombia’s Sinú Basin

Lisa Mandle; Héctor Angarita; Jaime Moreno; Jesse A. Goldstein; Sioux F. Melo L; Alejandra Echeverri; Nicolas Rojas; Fabián Dario Villalba

doi:10.1038/s43247-025-02254-9

Natural capital accounting reveals ecosystems’ role in water and energy security in Colombia’s Sinú Basin

Lisa Mandle^*
, Héctor Angarita
, Jaime Moreno
, Jesse A. Goldstein
, Sioux F. Melo L
, Alejandra Echeverri
, Nicolas Rojas
, Fabián Dario Villalba

^*Corresponding author for this work

Stanford University
Universidad Javeriana
University of California at Berkeley
National Planning Department
Ministry of the Interior

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Many valuable economic benefits from nature have traditionally been overlooked in both national accounts and government policy. To remedy this, countries are adopting the new United Nations System of Environmental-Economic Accounting framework for valuing ecosystem services, but inclusion of key hydrological services has so far been limited. Here we develop ecosystem service flow accounts linked to a natural capital assessment in Colombia’s Sinú Basin to value ecosystems’ contributions to water and energy security. Using integrated biophysical and economic models parameterized with local data, we find ecosystems deliver sediment retention benefits to the energy and water sectors equivalent to 1.7% of the region’s gross domestic product. A planned expansion of the region’s aqueduct system would further increase these services’ value by 12%. Our findings are informing development planning and policy within Colombia and provide lessons for the many other countries adopting natural capital accounting to support their sustainable development goals.

Original language	English
Article number	309
Number of pages	11
Journal	Communications Earth and Environment
Volume	6
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02254-9
Publication status	Published - 21 Apr 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2025.

Funding

We thank Diego Cobaleda and Jenny Rosado from DANE for valuable suggestions and feedback through the process, Carolina Diaz Giraldo for her support from DNP, representatives from local water utilities who shared information on sedimentation thresholds and costs, and Talia Trepte for help designing Fig. 1. Santiago Aparicio was key to initiating the collaboration between DNP and the Natural Capital Project. We thank colleagues at the Natural Capital Project, the Inter-American Development Bank, DNP, and DANE for valuable conversations throughout the duration of the project. We thank Mary Ruckelshaus and Gretchen Daily for contributing to funding acquisition. This work was supported with funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation under agreements #8806, #11,340, and #13,153. The work does not represent the views of any of our institutions, including the Colombian government.

Funders	Funder number
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (Gordon E. and Betty I. Moore Foundation)
Natural Capital Project
Inter-American Development Bank
Mary Ruckelshaus and Gretchen Daily	8806, 11,340, 13,153
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
Colombian government

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy

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s43247-025-02254-9Final published version, 1.77 MBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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abstract = "Many valuable economic benefits from nature have traditionally been overlooked in both national accounts and government policy. To remedy this, countries are adopting the new United Nations System of Environmental-Economic Accounting framework for valuing ecosystem services, but inclusion of key hydrological services has so far been limited. Here we develop ecosystem service flow accounts linked to a natural capital assessment in Colombia{\textquoteright}s Sin{\'u} Basin to value ecosystems{\textquoteright} contributions to water and energy security. Using integrated biophysical and economic models parameterized with local data, we find ecosystems deliver sediment retention benefits to the energy and water sectors equivalent to 1.7\% of the region{\textquoteright}s gross domestic product. A planned expansion of the region{\textquoteright}s aqueduct system would further increase these services{\textquoteright} value by 12\%. Our findings are informing development planning and policy within Colombia and provide lessons for the many other countries adopting natural capital accounting to support their sustainable development goals.",

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AU - Echeverri, Alejandra

AU - Rojas, Nicolas

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Natural capital accounting reveals ecosystems’ role in water and energy security in Colombia’s Sinú Basin

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

UN SDGs

Access to Document

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