Applying systems thinking: The Ecosystem Approach and Natural Capital Approach – Convergent or divergent concepts in marine management?

Exploring the origins of the Ecosystem Approach and Natural Capital Accounting and considering the core elements we recommend a simple schema to both demonstrate the similarities in the core data and approach and help facilitate collaborative and integrated analyses by natural scientists, social scientists and economists. Using the unifying framework of Drivers, Activities, Pressures, State, Impact, Welfare, Response and Measures we propose that the requisite steps and underlying data to assess environmental status or natural capital status are broadly the same and that efficiency, transparency and utility of assessments will be improved if these concepts converge.