Abstract
The lack of information on the value of ecosystems contributing to human well-being in urban and peri-urban setting is known to contribute to the degradation of natural capital and ecosystem services (ES). The purpose of this study was to determine the economic value of ES in Canada's Capital Region (Ottawa-Gatineau region), so that these values can be integrated in future planning decisions. Using the valuation methods of market pricing, cost replacement, and two benefit transfer approaches (with adjustment and with meta-analysis), the value of 13 ES from five ecosystems (forests, wetlands, croplands, prairies and grasslands, and freshwater systems) was measured. The annual economic value of these 13 ES amounts to an average of 332 million dollars, and to a total economic value of over 5 billion dollars, annualized over 20 years. The largest part of this value is generated by nonmarket ES, indicating that much more emphasis should be put on the management, preservation, and understanding of processes that make up these types of ES. The work generated as part of this study is a first step towards operationalizing the concept of ES in planning. More specifically, these results can be used to raise awareness, but also as a stepping stone to improve ecosystem-wide planning in the Canada's Capital Region.
Highlights
In 2014, 54% of the world’s population lived in cities, with this percentage expected to reach 66% by 2050 [1], making the management of urban areas one of the top development challenges of the 21st century [1]
The most important land uses in the National Capital Commission (NCC)’s Green Network are forests (72%) and agricultural lands which include pastures/forages and fallow land (10%), followed by urbanized areas (8%) and combined freshwater systems and wetlands (10%)
When compared to the entire National Capital Region (NCR)’s land cover, forests in the NCC’s Green Network are overrepresented (72% vs 49%), and urban and agricultural lands are underrepresented
Summary
In 2014, 54% of the world’s population lived in cities, with this percentage expected to reach 66% by 2050 [1], making the management of urban areas one of the top development challenges of the 21st century [1]. The management of urban areas involves many elements, ranging from transportation to health, and including justice and environmental issues. Urban sprawl is a side effect of the attraction of humans to urban centres, but the extent of the sprawl is a function of land-use controls, municipal fragmentation, housing prices, reliance of municipalities on property taxes to finance public services, and the percentage of public spending on infrastructure and transportation [2]. There are many definitions of urban sprawl, common elements of this definition in the North American context include low-.
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