Economic Value Of Ecosystems Research Articles

Valuing Natural Ecosystems: The Case of National Park Kotychi-Strofilia in Peloponnese, Greece

Ecosystem services are among the environmental goods that are not directly included in the market mechanism, hindering their integration in the framework of cost-benefit analysis. To fill this gap, environmental valuation techniques can provide useful insights as regards the economic value of ecosystems, facilitating their integration in decision-making processes. The present work values an extremely sensitive and protected ecosystem in the Southern Peloponnese, namely the National Park of Waterfalls of Kotychi – Strofilia, which comprises one of the largest pine forests in Europe (Strofilia) and several important wetlands and lagoons (Kotychi). The Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) has been implemented for valuing the ecosystem services of the park in question and depicting how the results of the analysis can be used for decision making. The analysis was supported by a survey of the residents of the wider area, through the completion of an appropriately designed questionnaire, with a view to estimate the expenditures that are socially acceptable to be allocated for its restoration and protection. The results showed that the mean willingness to pay per household to protect the national park under consideration ranges between 5.5-9.5 EURs/semester for a period of 4 years, leading to a total value of the ecosystems in question of 14.7-25.5 million EURs.

Scientific approaches to assessment of the ecosystem services of the nature protected areas

Relevance of research topic. Assessing ecosystems in terms of their contribution to the human well-being is one of the ways to achieve the goals of sustainable development, namely within the implementation of goals 14 and 15, therefore, it is an extremely important task in developing strategies for the development of local communities. Formulation of the problem. There is no official methodology for assessing ecosystem services and its integration into the management system in Ukraine. Analysis of recent research and publications. Currently, approaches to the assessment of ecosystems and their services are being developed, which are presented in the leading international documents: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA), The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), System of Environmental-Economic Accounting – Ecosystem Accounting. Final Draft. Version 5. Selection of unexplored parts of the general problem. The issues of forming methodological approaches to the assessment of ecosystem services of protected areas of communities remain little studied. Setting the task, the purpose of the study. In this study, the task is to assess the ecosystem services of the protected area of the community basing on the example of cultural services (recreation and tourіsm) and services for biodiversity conservation. Method or methodology for conducting research. To assess the cost of ecosystem services in the protected area, a methodological approach to estimating the overall economic value of ecosystems is used. Presentation of the main material (results of work). On the example of the protected area of NPP "Bug Guard" within Blagodatnenskaya OTG Pervomaisky district of Mykolayiv region calculated the cost of direct and indirect use of ecosystem services (considered cultural services) and the cost of its existence (considered services to preserve biodiversity), as well as the total economic value. The field of application of results. The calculations are of great practical importance for territorial management. Conclusions according to the article The paper proves that the cost of indirect use of ecosystem services of the protected area and the cost of its existence significantly outweigh the cost of direct use.

Habitat value of Sydney rock oyster (Saccostrea glomerata) reefs on soft sediments

Estimates of the ecological and economic value of ecosystems can provide important information for the prioritisation of conservation and restoration actions. Oyster reefs that were once common in temperate coastal waters have now been largely degraded or lost. Oyster reefs provide a suite of ecological services, including habitat and a food supply for a range of other species. In Australia, there is growing interest in oyster reef restoration, but there are knowledge gaps with regard to their structure and habitat value. Here, we describe the structure of eight remnant Sydney rock oyster (Saccostrea glomerata) reefs and estimate the density, biomass, productivity and composition of mobile macroinvertebrate and infaunal communities associated with them. The oyster reefs had a distinct assemblage of macroinvertebrates, with fivefold higher density of larger (≥2mm) macroinvertebrates, fivefold higher biomass and almost fivefold higher productivity, than that of adjacent bare sediments. The productivity of infaunal communities was twice as high under oyster reefs than in adjacent bare sediments. Therefore, S. glomerata reef restoration is likely to provide important habitat for macroinvertebrate communities and boost local secondary production.

Tropical Peat Swamp Management Options: A Case Study Using System Dynamic in Southern Aceh

Tropical peat forest ecosystems have multiple benefits as regulating hydrological system, carbon storage, timber and non-timber products, and protecting the biodiversity. Lack of understanding of these functions, short-term economic benefits is more preferable despite reducing its ecological benefits. This study proposed a system dynamics model of tropical peat forest ecosystem in determining its optimum management for extractive utilizations (timber and non-timber forest products), environmental services, and biodiversity. A dynamics model was used to describe changes in peatland and forest cover, biomass accumulation and carbon storage, and total economic value of tropical peat forest ecosystem in Trumon and Singkil, Southern Aceh. The projection showed that peat forest ecosystem benefits would decline in the long term if degradations continue at the same rate over last decade. Efforts to change the primary peat forest to plantation would reduce the total economic value of ecosystem and biodiversity values at level -19.63% and -26.28% from current conditions. Carbon emissions were increased at 117.32 tons CO2 eq ha-1 year-1, higher than average of carbon losses from peatland oxidation. Preserving 50% of forest vegetation on moderate depth and protection very deep peatlands would reduce emission -6.96% to -35.06% and increase forest carbon storage at significant rate +15.06% to +63.32%, respectively. These mitigation schemes would improve the biodiversity and hydrological function. Forest rehabilitation with agroforestry practices will enhance carbon uptake, especially on degraded lands.