Methods for economic assessment of forest resource degradation: A systematic review

Abstract

Forest degradation is one of the challenges facing the planet today. Several methods have been used to measure forest degradation, including spatiotemporal model analysis, satellite analysis, remote sensing, time series data, geospatial techniques, and most recently aerial drone imagery. However, few studies have used economic valuation methods to assess forest degradation. Therefore, this research aimed to identify the methods used the economic assessment of forest degradation. This systematic review was carried out using PRISMA guidelines. Research articles on the economic valuation of forest resource loss, published from 2015 to 2022, were electronically collected from three databases. Three independent reviewers, with the third acting as referee, inventoried articles, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias in the articles included in the study. A total of 10,095 articles were identified, including one article from the grey literature. Only five articles met the eligibility criteria. A qualitative content analysis was performed on the extracted data. The selected articles used various methods. However, only a few articles used the contingent valuation method, even though this is indicated for estimating the highest economic value of forests. Based on forest functions, the articles evaluated erosion due to the absence of trees, wood loss, recreation areas and externalities due to forest loss, air quality, water regulation, food supply, and wildlife. The main limitation of this review was the small number of studies included, which may have affected the findings. The study protocol is registered in PROSPERO under the number CRD42021223242