We present methods and results of country-based natural capital assessments for four ecosystem services (ES) in Italy. The spatial mapping and the assessment have been carried out in both physical and monetary terms for (i) crop pollination, (ii) outdoor recreation, (iii) flood regulation (iv) and water provision, using the ARIES (Artificial Intelligence for Ecosystem Services) technology, which provides and integrates the necessary data and models. Extent, supply and use accounting tables have been developed for the same ecosystem services in line with the United Nations System of Environmental Economic Accounting (UN-SEEA) guidelines and Experimental Ecosystem Accounting (EEA) initiative. This work represents a first official and nationwide assessment of ecosystem services for the Italian Government in accomplishment of the Italian law n. 221/2015, applying a variety of different models and economic valuation methods to provide systematic and replicable information on natural capital through national accounting tables. We find that land management and maintenance of the countryside and forestland, which represent the typical Italian landscape, are fundamental. Our application also identifies several modelling challenges that need to be addressed before a methodological path for integrated ecosystem and economic accounting may be considered rigorous and reliable.

我们介绍了意大利对四种生态系统服务（ES）进行的基于国家的自然资本评估的方法和结果。已使用ARIES（生态系统服务人工智能）以实物和货币方式对（i）作物授粉，（ii）户外休闲，（iii）防洪（iv）和供水进行了空间制图和评估。 ）技术，它提供并集成了必要的数据和模型。根据联合国环境经济核算系统（UN-SEEA）的指导方针和实验性生态系统核算（EEA）倡议，已为同一生态系统服务制定了范围，供应和使用核算表。这项工作是意大利政府为完成意大利法律而首次对全国生态系统服务进行的正式评估。2015年2月22日，采用各种不同的模型和经济估值方法，通过国民核算表提供有关自然资本的系统且可复制的信息。我们发现，代表意大利典型景观的乡村和林地的土地管理与维护至关重要。我们的应用程序还确定了在将集成生态系统和经济核算的方法路径视为严格和可靠之前需要解决的几个建模挑战。