On the rationale and policy usefulness of Ecological Footprint Accounting: The case of Morocco

Ecological Footprint and biocapacity metrics have been widely used in natural capital and ecosystem accounting, and are frequently cited in the sustainability debate. Given their potential role as metrics for environmental science and policy, a critical scrutiny is needed. Moreover, these metrics remain unclear to many, are subject to criticisms, and discussion continues regarding their policy relevance. This paper aims to explain the rationale behind Ecological Footprint Accounting (EFA) and help ensure that Ecological Footprint and biocapacity results are properly interpreted and effectively used in evaluating risks and developing policy recommendations. The conclusion of this paper is that the main value-added of Ecological Footprint Accounting is highlighting trade-offs between human activities by providing both a final aggregate indicator and an accounting framework that shed light on the relationships between many of the anthropogenic drivers that contribute to ecological overshoot.