FEATURES OF THE METHODOLOGY FOR CALCULATING THE VALUATION OF ECOSYSTEM RESOURCES

Abstract

Valuation of natural resources, in particular ecosystem resources, occupies one of the leading places in modern economic theory. It should be noted that all methodological and methodical approaches used in world practice to determine the value of natural resources, in their economic essence evaluate each object of using the nature as a commodity that can be bought, sold, leased, etc. This approach is based on an economic point of view and does not take into account the ecological properties of this resource (for example, forest is evaluated exclusively as wood – raw material for the woodworking industry, and its assimilative and oxygen-producing properties are not taken into account). In the article we propose a methodological approach to the valuation of ecosystem assets of territorial communities that provide assimilation and oxygen production services to society, which is based on the ecological-economic point of view. The essence of this method is that the valuation of ecosystem resources is determined by the cost of their ecosystem services that they provide to society throughout its life cycle. Moreover, when carrying out a summary valuation of various ecosystem assets (forest, water, land), the latter must be valued by the same (identical) method. The paper proposes an algorithm and a specific mathematical apparatus that allows to determine the value of any ecosystem resource and on its basis to determine the complex value of ecosystems owned by local communities. Tables of data on the volumes of carbon dioxide absorption by plants of Ukraine, which most intensively assimilate carbon dioxide, on indicators of oxygen release by plants and on the duration of the life cycle of certain species of trees and shrubs. It is these indicators can be used as performance characteristics in the proposed mathematical apparatus in the valuation of ecosystem assets. It is noted that the availability of valuation of ecosystem assets will allow, both at the state and local levels, to make appropriate management decisions on their effective use.