Connect
Events, networks and peer exchange.
A regular programme of online seminars and workshops, an annual conference, and the everyday connections between practitioners that a scattered field has never had.
Society for
Natural Capital
Accounting
A professional home for people who produce, use and improve natural capital accounts.
Natural capital accounting is now practised across government, business, research and civil society. It draws together accountants, ecologists, economists, statisticians, data specialists and decision makers, but until now they have lacked a professional association dedicated to their shared practice.
The Society connects this community, supports professional development, and advances credible methods and standards. It is incorporated in Australia and welcomes members internationally.
01The field
What is natural capital accounting?
Natural capital accounting organises information about ecosystems, environmental assets and their relationships with the economy and society.
It provides consistent measures that can be repeated over time and used in public policy, business decisions, research and community debate. Unlike a single environmental study or valuation, accounts are structured, repeatable and comparable — in much the same way that economic accounts track the economy.
An introduction to natural capital accounting02Purpose
Why the Society is needed
Natural capital accounting is becoming an established field of professional practice. It is undertaken in statistical offices, government agencies, universities, consultancies, businesses and civil society organisations around the world. Until now, practitioners have lacked an association dedicated to their shared professional development and practice. The Society has been established to fill that gap.
Governments, businesses and financial institutions are developing related approaches to natural capital measurement, accounting and disclosure. The Society provides a forum for examining where these approaches align, where they differ, and how practice can become more coherent — avoiding duplication and building on established practice.
03Our work
Four streams of work
The Society's programme is organised around four things practitioners have said they need.
Develop
Skills, competencies and professional pathways.
A competency framework, recognition of continuing professional development, and — in consultation with members and employers — an examination of the case for accreditation or certification.
Advance
Methods, standards and research.
A technical working group for the harder measurement and implementation questions, anchored in the SEEA while engaging with related public, corporate and community frameworks.
Represent
Coordinated practitioner contributions.
Considered practitioner input to consultations and public discussion — including the SEEA update — in a way that scattered individuals cannot achieve alone.
04Membership
What members receive
A$180foundation-year membership, 2026–27 · A$90 concession
- A programme of online seminars and workshops, at least six per year
- Access to recordings and presentation materials
- Quarterly member newsletters
- Voting rights and participation in the first annual general meeting
- Eligibility to join working groups
- Consultation on the competency framework and professional priorities
- Reduced registration for the inaugural conference
- An optional profile in the member directory
Who it is for
Membership is individual and cross-disciplinary. You do not need to be an accountant by training.
- People who produce or compile accounts
- People who use accounts in policy, planning, finance or management
- Researchers and educators who develop the field
- Students and early-career practitioners entering it
This includes ecologists, economists, statisticians, geospatial specialists, data scientists, lawyers, auditors, and finance and sustainability professionals, alongside accountants and decision makers.
Members join as individuals, not as representatives of their organisations. This allows members to test ideas, share experience and take part in professional discussion without every contribution being treated as the formal position of their employer.
05Foundation year
The programme for 2026–27
19 August 2026Next
Public launch seminar
An introduction to the Society, with Carl Obst on the SEEA Central Framework update process. Online, 90 minutes, open to all.
August – December 2026
Online professional programme
A regular series of presentations and workshops, including technical sessions tracking the SEEA update.
Late 2026
Member consultation
Members are consulted on the draft competency framework and on the Society’s professional priorities.
February 2027
Inaugural conference, Canberra
One to two days of presentations and papers, with a reduced registration rate for members.
First half of 2027
First annual general meeting
Election of the committee in accordance with the rules, and publication of the foundation-year report.
06Governance
The founding committee
The founding committee will guide the Society through its establishment period. Members will elect the committee in accordance with the rules at the first annual general meeting.
Michael Vardon
President
Environmental-economic and ecosystem accounting; ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society.
Heather Keith
Vice-President
Ecologist; forest carbon and ecosystem accounting; Griffith University.
Crystal Bradley
Secretary
Environment policy and ocean accounting; doctoral researcher, ANU.
Mark Eigenraam
Treasurer
Economist; Director, IDEEA Group.
Steven May
Ordinary committee member
Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Ben Milligan
Ordinary committee member
Environmental law and ecosystem science; UNSW Sydney.
Carl Obst
Ordinary committee member
Lead author and editor of the SEEA; Director, IDEEA Group.
07Latest
Launch seminar
19 August 2026 · Online via Microsoft Teams
An introduction to the Society and its aims, with a presentation by Carl Obst on the update to the SEEA Central Framework, followed by questions. Open to all.