Dr Amanda Hansson
Originally from Sweden, Dr Amanda Hansson began her education with an undergraduate degree in earth science. She later moved to Australia, where she studied environmental management at the University of Queensland. She completed a PhD with a strong focus on alpine forest ecology and climate change.
Now, Dr Hansson works with Accounting for Nature as a capacity building and advisory manager. Accounting for Nature is an independent not-for-profit environmental accounting organisation.
Environmental (or natural capital) accounting offers standardised and quantifiable evaluations of the physical condition of nature, encompassing agricultural soils, native vegetation, wildlife, rivers and marine ecosystems.
Firstly, environmental accounting focuses on establishing the condition of environmental assets within a defined area, such as a farm or protected area. It then seeks to determine the change in environmental conditions over time; that is, to show whether or not, and at what rate, a management activity is making a measurable difference.
This capability empowers land managers, policymakers and stakeholders to identify links between the state of environmental assets, management practices and profitability. Ultimately, natural capital accounting measures the contribution of the environment to the economy and the impact of the economy on the environment.
Dr Hansson helps landholders navigate the new world of natural capital accounting, running webinars and contributing to regional workshops to advise and educate those who are interested in the space.
