Economic Value of Environmental Services of Swamp Land Ecosystem (A Case Study in the Hulu Sungai Utara Regency, Kalimantan Selatan)

This article would like to describe the economic and ecological benefits, as well as analyzing the total economic value of non-tidal swamps. Non-tidal swamps in the District Tapin are interested to be studied because of the use of non-tidal swamp in this area for people, especially ethnic Banjar since over a hundred years ago. But since 2011 the South Kalimantan local government has set a palm oil plantation development plans (Elaeis guineensis) on the area. Assessment has been conducted with a total valuation approach (total valuation). We found that the ecosystem has economic benefits in the form of functions of water supply for rice paddy (Oryza sativa), timber plants (Melaleca cajuputi), fisheries, Purun plants (Eleocharis dulcis), and functions as a source of domestic water. It has also ecological benefits in the form of biological functions such as: the provision of feed (feeding ground), where fish rearing, timber Galam (nursery ground), and hatchery fish (spawning ground), as storage and recycle of water, and function options (option value) in the form of biodiversity. Based on the results of the assessment are known, the total economic value amounted to 22.7 million per hectare, with the ratio of the economic value of only 7.14% compared to the ecological value of 92.86%. Therefore non-tidal swamps conversion plan into another function not only the loss of economic value (direct benefits) that had been in the swamp enjoy the surrounding community, but also a greater loss in the form of loss of ecological value (indirect benefits).

Coastal and marine ecosystems deliver critical ecological and economic benefits. This study evaluates ecosystem services from Toucheng and Suao fishery resource conservation zones (FRCZs) within a Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Taiwan's Yilan region, using the contingent valuation method (CVM). Public willingness to pay (WTP) for conservation is influenced by factors such as age (AGE), income (INC), environmental organization participation (EPO), perceived conservation importance (IMP), and number of children (CHI), reflecting sustainability awareness. The estimated total economic value (TEV) of ecosystem services is NT$215.40 million (US$6.51 million) annually within the MPA, and NT$1,489.28 million (US$44.98 million) across the Yilan region. We further calculate the economic value (EV) for different ecosystem services (provisioning, regulating, supporting and cultural) based on respondents' WTP. The results show provisioning services have the highest EV (26.90%) with NT$891.44 yearly, followed by supporting services (25.39%) with NT$841.73. Regulating services are valued at NT$831.79 (25.10%), while cultural services are the least valued, with NT$748.94 (22.61%). These findings inform strategies for optimizing ecosystem service management in the region. Policymakers may prioritize high-value services, such as provisioning (e.g., sustainable harvesting) and supporting functions (e.g., habitat conservation), in line with public preferences. Concurrently, efforts should address lower-valued services, including regulating and cultural functions, through awareness initiatives or balanced investment across different service types.

Water allocation using ecological and agricultural value of water

Optimization of land use structure to balance economic benefits and ecosystem services under uncertainties: A case study in Wuhan, China

Background. Ecosystem services (ES) generated within agricultural landscapes, including field boundaries, are vital for the sustainable supply of food and fibre. However, the value of ES in agriculture has not been quantified experimentally and then extrapolated globally.Methods. We quantified the economic value of two key but contrasting ES (biological control of pests and nitrogen mineralisation) provided by non-traded non-crop species in ten organic and ten conventional arable fields in New Zealand using field experiments. The arable crops grown, same for each organic and conventional pair, were peas (Pisum sativum), beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), barley (Hordeum vulgare), and wheat (Triticum aestivum). Organic systems were chosen as comparators not because they are the only forms of sustainable agriculture, but because they are subject to easily understood standards.Results. We found that organic farming systems depended on fewer external inputs and produced outputs of energy and crop dry matter generally less than but sometimes similar to those of their conventional counterparts. The economic values of the two selected ES were greater for the organic systems in all four crops, ranging from US$ 68–200 ha−1 yr−1 for biological control of pests and from US$ 110–425 ha−1yr−1 for N mineralisation in the organic systems versus US$ 0 ha−1yr−1 for biological control of pests and from US$ 60–244 ha−1yr−1 for N mineralisation in the conventional systems. The total economic value (including market and non-market components) was significantly greater in organic systems, ranging from US$ 1750–4536 ha−1yr−1, with US$ 1585–2560 ha−1yr−1 in the conventional systems. The non-market component of the economic value in organic fields was also significantly higher than those in conventional fields.Discussion. To illustrate the potential magnitude of these two ES to temperate farming systems and agricultural landscapes elsewhere, we then extrapolate these experimentally derived figures to the global temperate cropping area of the same arable crops. We found that the extrapolated net value of the these two services provided by non-traded species could exceed the combined current global costs of pesticide and fertiliser inputs, even if utilised on only 10% of the global arable area. This approach strengthens the case for ES–rich agricultural systems, provided by non-traded species to global agriculture.

Abstract. Sondak CFA, Kaligis EY, Bara RA. 2019. Economic valuation of Lansa Mangrove Forest, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 20: 978-986. Mangrove forest gives many benefits and services to human and environment. Even though it contributes many benefits and services, coastal ecosystems threatened as one of the most critical ecosystems in the world. The study aims to estimate the economic value of ecosystem services provided by Lansa mangrove forest, Wori Sub-district, North Minahasa District, North Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. Here, we describe the use value (direct and indirect value) and non-use value (option and existence value), and emphasize the components of ecosystem services fish resources, firewood, coastal protection, biodiversity, carbon (C) removal and mangrove sustainability because these directly influence human welfare. Their market price calculated fish and C removal value. Coastal barrier and firewood were approached using the replacement cost method. Biodiversity value was calculated using Indonesia mangrove forest biodiversity value. Contingent Valuation method was used to find out people willing to pay for the sustainability of mangrove forest. Lansa mangrove forest total economic value (TEV) was IDR 4,431,197,603 or equal to US$ 305,600 (US$ 1,959 ha-1). The success of this mangrove valuation has potentially large implications for future policy-making of its’ ecosystem service values.
 

Ecosystem services

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

Sea-buckthorn, with high economic value, is one of the important tree species for windbreak, sand fixation and conservation of water and soil. Based on this, an equilibrium analysis method for ecological and economic benefits of sea-buckthorn was proposed. After analyzing the ecological function and economic value of sea-buckthorn, based on the system theory, the utilization benefit equilibrium model of sea-buckthorn was constructed from economy and ecology two dimensions. The equilibrium of sea-buckthorn utilization benefit in an evolutionary cycle was divided into low-level symbiosis, coordinated development, limit development and regeneration development four stages. In order to comprehensively reflect the overall situation of sea-buckthorn utilization benefits, an index system including two major systems of social economy and ecological environment was designed, and 12 indicators in the ecological function and economic value analysis results of sea-buckthorn were selected to judge the interaction balance between economic benefits and ecological benefits. Taking Liaoning Province as the research object, the comprehensive economic and ecological benefits of sea-buckthorn utilization between 2004 and 2017 shows that during this period, the growth rate of ecological benefits was slower than that of economic benefits and had fluctuations. From the evolution curve of the equilibrium of utilization benefits, the sea-buckthorn in Liaoning Province is in the coordinated development stage, but the coupling degree has been increasing in recent years, indicating that the utilization benefits of sea-buckthorn in Liaoning Province may enter the limit development stage. According to the research results, this method can effectively analyze the balance of ecological and economic benefits of sea-buckthorn, which is conducive to the maximum value of sea-buckthorn.

Recent interest in the economics of biodiversity and wider ecosystem services has been given empirical expression through a focus upon economic valuation. This emphasis has been prompted by a growing recognition that the benefits and opportunity costs associated with such services are frequently given cursory consideration in policy analyses or even completely ignored. The valuation of biodiversity and ecosystem services is therefore increasingly seen as a crucial element of robust decision making and this has been reflected in a growing body of related research. We provide a critical review of some of this research, considering the valuation methods applied to date and focussing upon their limitations in respect to certain categories of ecosystem services (particularly cultural services) and the applicability of the extant literature to new settings. Substantial questions also remain at the interface of natural science and economics and we consider the potential contribution of the conceptualization of ecosystems as assets as a response to this challenge. As part of this review we also highlight the role which large scale ‘ecosystem assessments’ have played as an impetus to extending the valuation evidence base and the way in which frameworks and assessments of how ecosystems contribute to human wellbeing might be translated into policy thinking and decision analyses.

Land degradation is a global problem that seriously threatens human society. However, in China and elsewhere, ecological restoration still largely relies on a traditional approach that focuses only on ecological factors and ignores socioeconomic factors. To improve the effectiveness of ecological restoration and maximize its economic and ecological benefits, a more efficient approach is needed that provides support for policy development and land management and thereby promotes environmental conservation. We devised a framework for assessing the value of ecosystem services that remain after subtracting costs, such as the opportunity costs, costs of forest protection, and costs for the people who are affected by the program; that is, the net value of ecosystem services (NVES). To understand the difference between the value of a resource and the net value of the ecosystem service it provides, we used data on VES, timber sales, and afforestation costs from China's massive national afforestation programs to calculate the net value of forest ecosystem services in China. Accounting for the abovementioned costs revealed an NVES of ¥6.1 × 1012 for forests in 2014, which was 35.9% less than the value calculated without accounting for costs. As a result, the NVES associated with afforestation was 55.9% less than the NVES of natural forests. In some regions, NVES was negative because of the huge costs of human‐made plantations, high evapotranspiration rates (thus, high water opportunity costs), and low forest survival rates. To maximize the ecological benefits of conservation, it is necessary to account for as many costs as possible so that management decisions can be based on NVES, thereby helping managers choose projects that maximize both economic and ecological benefits.

In the last two decades different methodologies for assessing the economic implications of protected areas have been developed within the framework of "Total Economic Value", taking into account not only goods and services that have a price and a market but also those not priced or marketed. The present paper, by using a number of recognized methodologies applied by environmental economists around the world, estimates the economic value of ecosystem services of Piatra Craiului National Park, in one of the first attempts to frame ecosystem services valuation in Romania. The approach and results include a benefit distribution analysis, for both the economic sectors and the groups of beneficiaries. Even if the data are not comprehensive and depend on several assumptions, the paper provides very important practical and policy-relevant information on the economic value of Piatra Craiului National Park, in an attempt to stimulate increasing of the budgetary allocation and economic policy priority for protected areas in Romania.

Valuation of Ecosystem Services & Benefits of Son Beel Wetland in Assam, India: A Case Study of Natural Solutions to Climate Change & Water

Mechanism of action of marine ecological restoration on ecological, economic, and social benefits—An empirical analysis based on a structural equation model

Economic valuation of ecosystem services fails to capture biodiversity value of tropical forests