Spatial Distribution of Forest Ecosystem Service Benefits in Germany: A Multiple Benefit-Transfer Model

Peter Elsasser,Kerstin Altenbrunn,Jürgen Meyerhoff,Martin Lorenz,Margret Köthke

doi:10.3390/f12020169

Abstract

We investigate the economic benefits of fundamental forest ecosystem services (FES) for the population in Germany at national level in monetary terms and estimate the spatial distribution of these benefits at county level. Specifically, we consider the benefits of timber production, of global climate protection due to carbon sequestration, of recreation for local residents, and of services for nature protection and landscape amenity. Combining information from official statistics and data from valuation studies that are compatible with economic demand theory, we identify spatial drivers of FES benefits and derive generic valuation functions for each of the services. Using a Geographic Information System, these valuation functions are applied to the conditions in the Local Administrative Units (municipalities), resulting in Benefit Function Transfer estimates for each service and each municipality. Afterwards, results are aggregated to NUTS-3 level (counties) and mapped. Aggregate annual benefits of timber production to society as a whole, of climate protection and of recreation services together exceed the ten billion Euro mark—far more than what is reflected in market statistics. Scenarios illustrate the potential for enhancing nature protection benefits particularly by restoring forest biodiversity, as measured by an avifaunistic indicator. The spatial analysis reveals distinct distributional patterns for each of the services. We conclude that a spatially explicit valuation for an entire country is possible even with limited data, which can help policy makers improve the institutional setting in a way that the protection and use of the forests become more sustainable and efficient. After pointing at several caveats, we finally suggest various possibilities for further model development.

Highlights

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment of the United Nations (MEA) has highlighted how extensively human societies benefit from the services provided by biodiverse ecosystems in general and by forests in particular [1,2]
In this article we investigated the economic of fundamental forest ecosystem in the example scenarios demonstrate that the German society profits considerably from services for the population in Germany at national level and estimated the spatial distrithe ecosystem services of its forests—far beyond what is reflected in the statistics
While services for timber production and climate protection are most prominent in the low ecosystem services of its forests—far beyond what is reflected in the market statistics

Summary

Introduction

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment of the United Nations (MEA) has highlighted how extensively human societies benefit from the services provided by biodiverse ecosystems in general and by forests in particular [1,2]. In the subsequent studies on the “Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity” (TEEB), the manifold interdependencies between economy and nature and their influence on human well-being were demonstrated from an international perspective [3,4,5] as well as for individual countries, including Germany [6,7,8,9]. Both MEA and TEEB take global threats to biodiversity and to the sustainable use of natural resources as their starting point. The TEEB studies illustrate how benefits of virtually all ecosystem services can be valued in monetary units with methods grounded in economic welfare theory and provide a wealth of examples [5]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion