In response to the needs of ecological civilization construction, an upsurge of experimental accounting of Gross Ecosystem Product (GEP) has been set off in recent years in China. Nonetheless, the fundamental research on GEP is still lagging behind. Based on the international literature and current practices in China, this paper discusses the connotation and accounting framework of GEP in order to provide guidance for applications of GEP in the future. (1) By analyzing the existing GEP definitions, this paper proposes an improved GEP definition:the gross value of final provisions and services that are provided by ecosystems for economic production and other human activities in a specific area in a given period of time, including three components:the values of provisioning products, the value of regulating services and the value of cultural services. (2) Considering the requirements of China's ecological civilization construction, this paper clarifies two applications of GEP. One is to assist GDP to evaluate the regional development performances, and the other is to determine the regional ecological compensation standards. (3) The supply table and the use table of provisioning products, regulating services and cultural services are designed according to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) accounting principles, and a normal set of GEP accounting tables and accounting methods are formed. (4) This paper proposes some essential issues and their solutions for implementation of GEP accounting framework, including related classification systems, key nodes, and the design of accounting methods in physical and monetary terms.