  This paper proposes an approach to environmental accounting useful for
studying the feasibility of socio-economic systems in relation to the external
constraints posed by ecological compatibility. The approach is based on a
multi-scale analysis of the metabolic pattern of ecosystems and societies and
it provides an integrated characterization of the resulting interaction. The
text starts with a theoretical part explaining (i) the implicit epistemological
revolution implied by the notion of ecosystem metabolism and the fund-flow
model developed by Georgescu-Roegen applied to environmental accounting, and
(ii) the potentials of this approach to create indicators to assess ecological
integrity and environmental impacts. This revolution also makes it possible to
carry out a multi-scale integrated assessment of ecosystem and societal
metabolisms at the territorial level. In the second part, two applications of
this approach using an indicator of the negentropic cost show the possibility
to characterize in quantitative and qualitative terms degrees of alteration
(crop cultivation, tree plantations)for different biomes (tropical and boreal
forests). Also, a case study for land use scenarios has been included. The
proposed approach represents an integrated multi-scale tool for the analysis of
nature conservation scenarios and strategies.
