Purpose - The paper seeks to respond to calls by Jones for more studies
exploring the possibility of operationalising accounting for
biodiversity. Design/methodology/approach - Archival data are used to
produce a natural inventory report for the Sundarbans, the world's
largest mangrove forest declared as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in
2007. Findings - The study extends prior research on biodiversity
accounting by exploring the applicability of Jones' natural inventory
model in the context of Bangladesh. The results indicate that
application of Jones' natural inventory model is feasible in the context
of developing countries such as Bangladesh. It is also recognised that
the socio-economic and political environment prevailing in developing
economies may lead to the emergence of important stakeholder groups
including local civil society bodies, international donor agencies and
foreign governments. Biodiversity accounting may provide a legitimate
basis for the government in allaying concerns regarding environmental
stewardship and assist in negotiations with powerful stakeholder groups
on important issues such as financial assistance after natural disasters
and claims to the global climate change fund. Originality/value - This
is one of the early attempts to operationalise biodiversity accounting
in the context of a developing economy.