Adjusted Unit Value Transfer as a Tool for Raising Awareness on Ecosystem Services Provided by Constructed Wetlands for Water Pollution Control: An Italian Case Study.

Anacleto Rizzo,Giulio Conte,Fabio Masi

doi:10.3390/ijerph18041531

Anacleto Rizzo, Giulio Conte + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041531

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Abstract

Constructed wetlands (CWs) are nature-based solutions (NBS) for water pollution control that can also be designed to be multipurpose in terms of additional ecosystem services (ESs), such as biodiversity support and social benefits. Awareness about additional ESs of CWs can be raised with value transfer (VT) methods for ESs monetization, in particular, the simplified adjusted unit VT method. A multi-criteria analysis (MCA) was performed to compare grey and green infrastructure alternatives for the management of a combined sewer overflow in the Buccinasco town (Italy), in which the criteria related to ESs were monetized with an adjusted VT method (B£ST software). The results highlighted the potential interest in the implementation of the green infrastructure in a new urban park, due to the activation of additional ESs of interest, such as health and recreational aspects. The results were also confirmed by a sensitivity analysis, which simulated the variation of preferences among different stakeholder groups (e.g., citizens, environmentalists). In conclusion, this work provided a transparent methodology to support decisions regarding green and grey infrastructure, allowing to evaluate additional ESs from the beginning of the decision stage with low cost and efforts.

Highlights

A multi-criteria analysis (MCA) was performed to compare grey and green infrastructure alternatives for the management of a combined sewer overflow in the Buccinasco town (Italy), in which the criteria related to ecosystem services (ESs) were monetized with an adjusted value transfer (VT) method (B£ST software)
The results highlighted the potential interest in the implementation of the green infrastructure in a new urban park, due to the activation of additional ESs of interest, such as health and recreational aspects
In order to investigate the potential role of adjusted unit VT as a tool to raise awareness on ESs and support decision making of Constructed wetlands (CWs) as multipurpose nature-based solution (NBS), this study reports the results from a feasibility study in which a recent ES valuation tool, B£ST [22,23], was used to guide the decision in choosing between green and grey infrastructure in an Italian case study

Summary

Introduction

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Constructed wetlands (CWs, known as treatment wetlands) are a well-known nature-based solution (NBS) for wastewater treatment and water pollution control. The CW potential to be a multipurpose NBS and green blue infrastructure is gaining momentum [1,2]. CWs can contribute to flood mitigation in urban and semiurban catchments [3], support biodiversity [4], produce biomass for both energy source [5]

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