Chapter 12 - Accounting for the invisible value of trees on farms through valuation of ecosystem services

Determining the payment for ecosystem services of mangrove forests: The approach combining ecosystem services and social-economic level and application in Shankou National Nature Reserve, Guangxi, China

Wetland valuation is a policy tool available to environmental planners and policy-makers to justify the general costs of wetland preservation activities. Because there is no integrated procedure for valuing goods and services in the country, this article is the first attempt in Iran to provide a comprehensive yet simple and practical framework on how to value ecosystem goods and services. Estimating the cost of damage to ecosystem services can be effective in preventing further damage to wetland ecosystems. The study aims to propose a framework for estimating the environmental costs of development activities and estimating the damage to the values of the wetland ecosystem services within the direct and indirect effects of development activities. The benefit transfer method was used to estimate the values of ecosystem services of each land use/land cover (LULC) class and damage costs to ecosystem goods and services provided by wetlands. Using the Ecosystem Services Valuation Database (ESVD), the coefficients of the average values of ecosystem services for the country over a period of one year were estimated using the equation for adjusting the overall price levels. The mean values of ecosystem services per hectare of coastal and inland wetlands were updated based on the price levels in 2021. Then the corresponding values were adjusted for Iran. The sum of the “means” of the adjusted ecosystem service values per hectare for the Iranian coastal mangrove wetland ecosystems and inland wetland ecosystems are estimated to be 67,665 USD and 42,171 USD, respectively.

Healthy ecosystems provide us with fertile soil, clean water, timber, and food. They reduce the spread of diseases. They protect against flooding. Worldwide, they regulate atmospheric concentrations of oxygen and carbon dioxide. They moderate climate. Without these and other “ecosystem services,” we’d all perish.1 One hallmark of the history of civilization is an ever-increasing exploitation of ecosystem services coupled with substitution of technology for these services, particularly where ecosystems have been exploited beyond their ability to provide.2 Agriculture is a hybrid of exploitation and substitution that enabled people to live in greater, denser populations that drove further exploitation and substitution. Modern plumbing made close quarters far less noxious but led to exploitation of ecosystems’ ability to break down sewage, and to substitution with expensive sewage treatment technologies. Exploitation of fossil fuels led to a slew of modern conveniences, including fishing fleets that are so effective at catching their prey that they threaten fisheries globally.3,4 All this exploitation strained ecosystems, but in the past, when the population was a fraction of what it is now, these strains were local rather than global phenomena. In 2005 the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA),5 a sweeping survey conducted under the auspices of the United Nations, found that approximately 60% of 24 ecosystem services examined were being degraded or used unsustainably.6 “Every year we lose three to five trillion dollars’ worth of natural capital, roughly equivalent to the amount of money we lost in the financial crisis of 2008–2009,” says Dolf de Groot, leader of the Research Program on Integrated Ecosystem Assessment and Management at Wageningen University, the Netherlands. The value of ecosystem services typically goes unaccounted for in business and policy decisions and in market prices. For commercial purposes, if ecosystem services are recognized at all, they are perceived as free goods, like clean air and water. So it’s not surprising that much of the degradation of ecosystems is rooted in what the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), an independent group of U.S. scientists and engineers, describes as “widespread under-appreciation of the importance of environmental capital for human well-being and . . . the absence of the value of its services from the economic balance sheets of producers and consumers.”7 PCAST and other groups are working to build recognition of ecosystem services and, importantly, to valuate them—that is, calculate values for these services to help policy makers and resource managers make rational decisions that factor important environmental and human health outcomes into the bottom line.

Intermediate human activities maximize dryland ecosystem services in the long-term land-use change: Evidence from the Sangong River watershed, northwest China

Modeling the dynamics of the integrated earth system and the value of global ecosystem services using the GUMBO model

Ecosystem functions, services and their values – a case study in Xingshan County of China

Water allocation using ecological and agricultural value of water

The valuation of ecosystem services has become increasingly relevant due to the intricate relationship between humans and ecosystems. In the Piatra Craiului National Park (LTER Bucegi-Piatra Craiului site), rapid environmental changes and growing anthropogenic pressures on forest resources necessitate a robust understanding of ecosystem services' value. This study investigates two key aspects: the monetary and non-monetary valuation of forest ecosystem services and the interconnections between these valuations and biophysical variables. the monetary and non-monetary valuation of forest ecosystem services and the interconnections between these valuations and biophysical variables. Primary statistical analyses were conducted using the R PASTECS package, revealing notable variability in monetary (141%) and non-monetary (62%) values across management units. Data sources included Forest Management Plans and geospatial analyses derived from photograph datasets. Monetary values ranged from €34 to over €570,000 per management unit, while non-monetary kernel scores ranged from 1 to 5. Correlations were identified between monetary values and carbon stock, stand volume, and other biophysical metrics, highlighting stronger relationships compared to those involving non-monetary metrics, such as altitude and flora type. A social-media-based approach provided additional insights into the cultural dimensions of ecosystem services, engaging stakeholders and fostering broader public awareness. This integrated methodology underscores the need to balance economic and ecological perspectives in natural resource management. The findings contribute to adaptive management strategies by aligning long-term ecological research with actionable policy recommendations, ultimately promoting sustainable resource use and conservation efforts in the Southern Carpathians.

Ecosystem service values as an ecological indicator for land management decisions: A case study in southern Ontario, Canada

The value of ecological systems to human well-being and the economy is often not estimated in contemporary economic and policy decision making processes. Estimating non-marketable and marketable values of ecosystem services from Indigenous managed land provides significant information about the role that the natural environment plays in maintaining the well-being of people. This research investigates the value of ecosystem services from an Indigenous Protected Area, the Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area—an estate managed by Indigenous people in northern Australia. It provides valuable insights for policy makers, land managers, and future development programs while informing the importance of managing Indigenous lands for the local and wider public benefits. Additionally, applying the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment framework and the standard ecological economic valuation techniques, this study presents ‘realistic’ values of marketable and non-marketable ecosystem services identified from the Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area. The total value of ecosystem services was estimated at $32.6 million per year, which are largely non-marketable (such as climate and water regulation) and these values flow to the local and wider public. This research further argues that investing in managing Indigenous estates helps in reducing welfare costs for the Australian Government worth, in the case of the Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area, $8 million per year. Overall, the value of ecosystem services and cost savings demonstrate the real benefits that Indigenous people obtain for working on their land, termed as “Country.” In addition, Indigenous land management delivers offsite ecological, social, and cultural ecosystem services (value estimated at $29 million per year for the Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area) which are typically ignored in policy decision making regarding Indigenous matters in Australia. This study highlights the importance of land managed by Indigenous people in Australia and worldwide to comprehend the real value of benefits and suggests developing appropriate stewardship arrangements to support people’s efforts.

Estimation of the value of regional ecosystem services of an archipelago using satellite remote sensing technology: A case study of Zhoushan Archipelago, China

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 1988-2013年重庆市主城九区生态用地空间结构及其生态系统服务价值变化 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201508081672 作者: 作者单位: 西南大学资源环境学院,西南大学资源环境学院,重庆市规划设计研究院,西南大学资源环境学院,西南大学资源环境学院,西南大学资源环境学院 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家“十二五”科技支撑计划资助项目（2012BAD14B18） Changes in the spatial structure of ecological land and ecosystem service values in nine key districts of Chongqing City over the past 25 years Author: Affiliation: College of Resources and Environment,Southwest University,College of Resources and Environment,Southwest University,Chongqing Planning and Design Institute,College of Resources and Environment,Southwest University,College of Resources and Environment,Southwest University,College of Resources and Environment,Southwest University Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:在当前快速城市化的背景下，理解和把握城市生态系统服务功能退化原因及规律的最有效手段是对其生态用地结构及其生态系统服务价值进行准确的评估。采用RS、GIS技术以及生态系统服务价值评估等方法，对重庆市主城九区1988、1996、2004、2013年4个时段遥感影像进行解译及比较分析，结果表明：1988-2013年间，重庆市主城九区城市化水平经历了加速阶段、减速阶段及饱和阶段，城市化水平的提高对城市建设用地增长的影响显著；重庆市主城九区生态用地主要为城市提供了食物生产、提供原材料、废物处理、土壤形成与保护、气候调节、气体调节、生物多样性以及水源涵养等生态系统服务，在结构变化上呈现出“二减三增”的结构变化特点；25年间重庆市主城九区共减少生态系统服务价值260.60×106元，整体处于下降趋势，其中农地的生态系统服务价值损失最大，共减少24.50%；在空间分布上，随着城市建设用地向“南-北-西”方向扩展，生态系统服务价值以中梁山与铜锣山之间的区域减少最为严重，整个研究区生态系统服务价值下降的主要原因来自于农地的大量减少以及城市建设用地扩张所带来的生态负影响。研究结果表明在重庆市主城九区生态用地空间格局与生态系统服务变化之间存在密切相关性，在城市化率达到饱和阶段后应严格控制建设用地增长，促进建设用地集约节约利用，加大农地的保护力度以及对林地、水体、草地的维护，维持整个区域的生态平衡。研究可为科学合理布局和保护城市生态用地提供信息资料和决策参考。 Abstract:Land-use change is a major factor that drives changes in ecosystem services. Measuring variations in the values of ecosystem services that correspond to changes in land use is an effective way of assessing environmental costs and benefits for environmental policy planning. The present study adopted the above approach in the current context of rapid urbanization, using the nine key districts of Chongqing City (a typical fast-growing Chinese city) as a case study. Conducting accurate assessments of the structure of ecological land and associated ecosystem service values has emerged as the most effective approach for understanding the causes and patterns of the functional degradation of ecological services. Together with accurate spatial datasets of LandsatTM images from 1988 to 2013, we used remote sensing, geographic information system (GIS) technologies, and ecosystem service value assessment methods to analyze the urbanization levels of Chongqing`s nine key districts. The present study explored variations in the spatial structure of urban ecological land and the effects of different levels of urbanization across these districts on the expansion of urban construction land. The study further assessed changes in monetized values of ecosystem services that were caused by changes in the structure of urban ecological land. The results showed that from 1988 to 2013, urbanization levels of the study districts first underwent an acceleration phase, subsequently shifting to a deceleration phase, and finally reaching a saturation phase. Increased urbanization levels had a significant impact on the expansion of urban construction land. The ecological land in these districts of Chongqing provides a number of ecosystem services, including food production, supplemental raw materials, waste treatment, soil formation and protection, climate regulation, gas regulation, and biodiversity and water conservation. The structural changes of ecological land evidenced a "two minus three growth" pattern. The value of ecosystem services calculated for the study districts revealed a total loss of 260.60×106 Yuan over the past 25 years. The greatest loss was incurred for the value of farmland ecosystem services that showed a reduction of 24.5%. Together with the spatial distribution change, entailing the expansion of urban construction land toward the west, north, and south, the greatest loss in terms of the ecosystem service value was incurred in the region between the Zhongliang and Tongluo mountains. The main reason for the decline in ecosystem service values over the entire study area was the negative impact resulting from farmland reduction and the expansion of construction land. The present study revealed a strong correlation between the spatial pattern of ecological land and changes in ecosystem service values in relation to the different urbanization levels of Chongqing's nine key districts. Once the urbanization level reach saturation, strict regulations should be implemented to control the expansion of construction land and promote its intensive use. Efforts to protect farmlands, forests, grasslands, and wetlands should be enhanced to maintain the ecological balance of the entire region. This research can provide information and guidelines to facilitate decision-making in relation to the design of scientific and rational layouts as well as urban ecological land protection. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Terrestrial ecosystem services can provide both direct and indirect economic benefits. In this case study, we estimated the annual economic value of some ecosystem services provided by terrestrial ecosystems in the Qinba mountains of Shaanxi Province of China, using both simulation models and a geographic information system that helps to analyze the effect of ecological factors on ecosystem functions. With respect to differences in vegetation types and their coverage, by combining the latest research, and using theory and methods for the value of terrestrial ecosystem services, we not only calculated goods produced by different types of vegetation but also estimated the value of various terrestrial ecosystem services. We also set up a database and an eco‐account of a terrestrial ecosystem. The ecosystem services assessed relate to the following aspects: the vegetation's primary productivity, soil and fertility conservation, water conservation, carbon fixation and oxygen supply. The total economic value of terrestrial ecosystem services in the Qinba mountains was estimated to be 968.33 billion renminbi per year, and represents a part of the actual ecosystem services. In addition, we analyzed the spatial distribution of the vegetation based on the economic values of the terrestrial ecosystem services. Our findings can contribute to the conservation of these terrestrial ecosystems and the effective use of these ecosystem services.

Abstract. The ecosystem service value is an important concept and an index that reflects the quality of the regional ecological environment status and the measurement of the total ecological benefits. In this study, based on the characteristics of land use and the types of ecosystem in the studied area, the ecological indicators including the net primary productivity of the vegetation and the vegetation cover were selected. Landsat TM remote sensing image, ground-based observation, meteorological data and statistical data etc. were applied to establish the remote sensing-based assessment criteria and assessment model for quantitative estimation of the ecosystem service value. The established assessment criteria and model were applied to conduct the quantitative calculation on the value of the single ecosystem service and the ecosystem service value per unit area. The results indicated that during the decade of 2000–2010, with the inter-conversion of different types of land use, the total value of the ecological service in the studied area displayed a gradually decreasing trend. Among which, the values of ecological service of the cultivation land, wetland and the total ecological service were reduced by 11.92, 11.75 and 5.74%, respectively. While the values of ecological services of forest land, waters and intertidal zone were increased to certain extend. However, these increased values did not change the continuously decreasing trend of the total value of ecosystem service in the studied area. Based on these assessments, the spatially- and temporally-changing patterns of the values of ecosystem service in the studied area were analysed to reveal their intrinsic relationship between the land use and the changes in values of ecosystem service.

In this study, the outcome serves to establish a measurement model to calculate the value of ecosystem services in Lhasa River Basin, China. Following on the principle of resource scarcity, a study paradigm is established according to the influence of natural and socio-economic location differences on the value of ecosystem services. Results show that the total value of ecosystem services in Lhasa River Basin is 104.503 billion yuan. The unit ecosystem service value of natural grassland in the lower reaches is 5.6 times and 1.07 times larger than that in the upper and middle reaches, respectively. The value of ecosystem services is clearly affected by the scarcity of ecosystem services and dependence of economic and social development on the ecosystem. The value of ecosystem services in the upper, middle, and lower reaches were 4.17%, 21.48%, and 74.35%, respectively. It is found that the value of ecosystem services in this particular region differs significantly in the upper, middle, and lower reaches of the basin. The scarcity of ecological resources has increased the value of ecosystem services, which is reflected in the highest value of ecosystem services in the middle of Lhasa River Valley and both sides of the river where population, economy, and ecological demand are relatively concentrated. According to the estimated results, this study proposes a variety of methods to improve the ecosystem service value and analysis of the ecological compensation mechanism, derived from the contribution made by ecological services.