Assessing the Economic Value of Ecosystem Conservation

This paper seeks to clarify how valuation should be conducted to answer specific environmental policy questions. In particular, it looks at how valuation should be used to examine four distinct aspects of the value of ecosystems: 1) Determining the value of the total flow of benefits from ecosystems; 2) Determining the net benefits of interventions that alter ecosystem conditions: 3) Examining how the costs and benefits of ecosystems are distributed; and, 4) Identifying potential financing sources for conservation. These four approaches are closely linked, and build on each other. They represent four different ways to look at similar data regarding the value of an ecosystem: its total value, or contribution to society, the change in this value if a conservation action is undertaken, how this change affects different stakeholders. Each of these approaches to valuation uses similar data, yet in very different ways, that is, sometimes at a subset, sometimes looking at a snapshot, and sometimes looking at changes over time. Each approach has its uses and its limitations.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Pagiola, Stefano, von Ritter, Konrad, Bishop, Joshua
Language:	English en_US
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2004-10
Subjects:	AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION, AGRICULTURE, AIR QUALITY, ATMOSPHERE, BIODIVERSITY, BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY, BIOMASS, BIOSPHERE, CARBON, CIVIL SOCIETY, COMMUNITIES, CONSERVATION, CONSERVATION DECISIONS, CONSUMERS, CONTINGENT VALUATION, CORAL REEFS, CROP YIELDS, DEMAND CURVE, DIRECT PAYMENTS, DIRECT USE, DIRECT USE VALUE, DROUGHT, ECOLOGICAL SERVICES, ECONOMIC ACTIVITY, ECONOMIC ANALYSIS, ECONOMIC BENEFITS, ECONOMIC VALUE, ECONOMICS LITERATURE, ECOSYSTEM, ECOSYSTEM CHANGE, ECOSYSTEM CONSERVATION, ECOSYSTEM PROCESSES, ECOSYSTEM SERVICES, ECOSYSTEMS, ENDANGERED SPECIES, ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS, ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS, ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES, FARMERS, FARMING, FISHING, FOOD PRODUCTS, FOREST ECOSYSTEMS, FORESTRY, FORESTS, GDP, GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT, HUMAN CAPITAL, INDIRECT USE VALUES, INTRINSIC VALUE, LAND USE, LOGGING, MANGROVE, MANGROVES, MARGINAL VALUE, MEDIA, MORTALITY, NATIONAL INCOME, NATURAL INSURANCE, NATURAL RESOURCES, NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS, NON-USE VALUES, NUTRIENT CYCLING, OPPORTUNITY COSTS, PARK RANGERS, PARKS, PASSIVE USE, PASSIVE USE VALUE, PESTICIDES, PESTS, PROTECTED AREAS, RAINWATER, RECHARGE, REFORESTATION, RIPARIAN, RIPARIAN AREAS, SMOKE, SOILS, SOLID WASTE, TEMPERATURE, TOTAL ECONOMIC VALUE, ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION, UNDERESTIMATES, URBAN AREAS, WATER POLLUTION, WATER SERVICES, WATERSHED, WATERSHEDS, WELFARE ECONOMICS, WETLANDS,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2004/10/5493359/assessing-economic-value-ecosystem-conservation-assessing-economic-value-ecosystem-conservation https://hdl.handle.net/10986/18391
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