Ecosystem Services and REDD: Estimating the Benefits of Non-Carbon Services in Worldwide Forests

Abstract

Summary Forest ecosystems are playing an increasingly important role in climate change mitigation through programs on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD), which targets carbon sequestration. However, decades of environmental valuation studies evidence the economic benefits of other forest ecosystem services different than carbon, and there is no evidence on how these economic benefits differ in countries where REDD is to be implemented. To respond to this question, we conduct a global meta-analysis of forest primary studies published over the past 30 years in which we estimate the economic benefits related to different forest ecosystem services in targeted REDD countries, and discuss the implications of considering these economic figures in REDD decision making. A systematic review of the scientific literature leads to the selection of 52 original studies to conduct a meta-analysis on 205 observations. We obtain that the economic benefits of forest ecosystem services in REDD countries are always greater than in other countries, and provide economic ranges of services to serve as a reference to REDD decision making in relation to co-benefits and opportunity costs. The results have implications for future avoided deforestation programs, which should take co-benefits into account in order to better articulate payments for ecosystems and create proper incentives for forest conservation and sustain local livelihoods.