Coastal resource planning system: Integrating evaluation of ecological integrity and ecosystem services valuation

Efficient and effective coastal management decisions rely on knowledge of the impact of human activities on ecosystem integrity, vulnerable species, and valued ecosystem services—collectively, human impact on environmental quality (EQ). Ecosystem-based management (EBM) is an emerging approach to address the dynamics and complexities of coupled social-ecological systems. EBM “is intended to directly address the long-term sustainable delivery of ecosystem services and the resilience of marine ecosystems to perturbations” (Rosenberg and Sandifer, 2009). The lack of a tool that integrates human choices with the ecological connections between contributing watersheds and nearshore areas, and that incorporates valuation of ecosystem services, is a critical missing piece needed for effective and efficient coastal management. To address the need for an integrative tool for evaluation of human impacts on ecosystems and their services, Battelle developed the EcoVal™ Environmental Quality Evaluation System. The EcoVal system is an updated (2009) version of the EQ Evaluation System for Water Resources developed by Battelle for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Dee et al., 1972). The Battelle EQ evaluation system has a thirty-year history of providing a standard approach to evaluate watershed EQ. This paper describes the conceptual approach and methodology of the updated EcoVal system and its potential application to coastal ecosystems. (PDF contains 4 pages

Ecosystem services valuation for improved water resource management under climate change in Africa.

188 p.The present thesis is entitled "Ecosystem services valuation for improved water resource management under climate change in Africa". Through four chapters, ecosystem services valuation is used as a tool to inform water resource management. After a first chapter at continent-level, the geographic focus of the remainder chapters shifts to Ghana and its northern region.The research draws links to the existing literature on ecosystem based adaptation, smallholder farmers' livelihoods strategies and risk coping, poverty alleviation, nature based-solutions, climate change adaptation and the political economy of water resource management.Given the pressures water related ecosystem are under, ES valuation can play a role in providing economic evidence to policy-makers. The main objective of the present work is to apply ES valuation and use its results to produce tailored evidence that is of value in specific policy contexts

New methodological perspectives on the valuation of ecosystem services: toward a dynamic-integrated valuation approach.

The main objective of this paper is to present what is considered as methodological perspectives in the field of valuation of ecosystem services. The contributions presented here are based on the general assumption that if, on the one hand, we can recognize the inadequacy of the isolated use of the valuation methods, on the other we assume that efforts to refine and expand the scope of ecosystem services valuation should consider the progress already made, not ignoring altogether methods already used. Based on the stance that there should be a joining of efforts to improve the accuracy of ecosystem services valuation and starting from the assumption that the complexity and uncertainty surrounding ecosystem services require a trans-disciplinary analysis, the contribution beckons an approach referred to here as dynamic-integrated. It is dynamic because it considers the trajectory of ecosystem services over time in terms of its main drivers of change (land use dynamic, for example), and integrated in that it takes into account not just the economic values but other dimensions of ecosystem services values

Ecosystem Services Valuation for Estuarine and Coastal Restoration in Florida

This study reviews the available ecosystem-service valuation literature for a number of Florida\u27s coastal natural communities including oyster reefs, beach dunes, mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and salt marshes. We summarize the services provided by these five commonly restored natural communities in Florida and provide an analysis intended to support two main objectives: 1) to enumerate the range of ecosystem services provided by coastal natural communities as a way to educate stakeholders and support prioritization of habitat restoration; and 2) to inventory ecosystem measurements from the literature for each of the five natural communities and provide specific metrics for their measurement. This document is a reference to facilitate the quantification of ecosystem services to provide a better measure of the full impact of restoration efforts

The costs of increasing precision for ecosystem services valuation studies

Ecosystem services valuation (ESV) is increasingly used to provide the impetus to sustainably manage and restore ecosystems. When undertaking an ESV study, the available resources, desired scope, and necessary precision must be considered before determining the most appropriate approach. A broad range of techniques exist to support valuation studies, requiring a range of financial, time, and personnel resources. We surveyed authors that completed 56 responses around valuation studies regarding their total costs (including personnel costs) and the perceived precision of their results. Results show that the perceived precision of their results is statistically significant and increases with the cost of a study (adjusted R2 = 0.29, p = 0.018) and the number of person years required to complete it (R2 = 0.31, p = 0.22). Understanding the trade-offs between the costs of the study and the precision of the results allows policymakers and practitioners to make more informed decisions about which ESV methods are most cost effective for their needs. For example, basic value transfer techniques require minimal resources to implement but lack precision in the final estimates, while integrated modelling techniques provide dynamic, spatially explicit, and more precise estimates but are significantly more expensive and time consuming to implement. However, these techniques are not mutually exclusive. A quick, inexpensive initial analysis may support and motivate more elaborate and detailed studies

Examining Methods of Ecosystem Services Valuation to Better Inform Watershed Policy

Determining use and non-use values of ecosystem services is a task the field of ecological economics has strived to achieve through various methodologies (Adamowicz, et al. 1998; Alpizar, et al. 2003; Carson & Czajkowski, 2012; Garmendia & Gamboa, 2012; Proctor & Drechsler, 2003; Randhir & Shriver 2009). However, there is concern that different methodological approaches result in different values obtained, skewing the results to show either more or less value than the stakeholder actually has toward an ecosystem service (Bateman et al., 2006; Boxall et al. 1996; Stevens et al., 2000). The implication of this is that current use/non-use values may not be accurately reflecting stakeholders’ preferences and therefore misguiding ecosystem services policy. Through examining different methodologies of collecting use and non-use values of ecosystem services held by stakeholders in the Great Bay watershed, we intend to test whether different methodologies result in significantly different values obtained (Bateman et al., 2006; Boxall et al, 1996). All work shown is preliminary research as this study will take place in the fall of 2017

Methodical aspects of soil ecosystem services valuation

Ecosystem Services Valuation is an important tool for dialogue in the decision-making process and to highlight the society’s dependence on the biosphere for well-being. Soil is the primary source of ecosystem services such as the production of food and regulating the climate, however the methodological alternatives for valuing soil ecosystem services remain poorly studied. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate methodical aspects of ecosystem services valuation, with the special attention to soil services within agricultural context. We introduce frameworks specific for soil ecosystem services. Then, we present a case study where soil ecosystem services were evaluated within agricultural context. We conclude that such valuation represents the newest trend in soil science wherein soil resources are treated in the wider context of impacts on human well-being

Framing the Valuation of Ecosystem Services: A Theoretical Discussion of the Challenges and Opportunities Associated with Articulating Values that Reflect the Economic Contributions of Ecological Phenomena

This paper presents a theoretical discussion concerning possibilities for designing environmental value articulation procedures that respect the basic non-economic character of ecological phenomena. The question of how to estimate the economic value of ecosystem services contributions is a particularly important issue for agricultural economics because of the dependence of agricultural production on the life cycles and biological viability of ecosystems (sic Georgescu-Roegen, 1966). Distinguishing between two basic types of ecosystem services values – demand vs supply based – this paper aims to describe a theoretical context within which it may be possible to develop recommendations regarding procedures and associated institutional structures that can support the expression of economically relevant measures of the economic worth of a given ecological phenomena that are also ecologically sound. Finally it is proposed that there are strong synergies between the problem structure of this issue and the theoretical contributions of Herbert Simon, concerning bounded rationality and further work on the details of these links is recommended.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

CHOICE EXPERIMENT METHOD IN FOREST ECOSYSTEM SERVICES VALUATION

Попри те, що необхідність інтеграції повного спектра вартостей послуг лісових екосистем (ПЛЕ) у практику прийняття управлінських рішень у лісовому господарстві сьогодні вже очевидна, методи визначення цих вартостей потребують глибокого обґрунтування та коректної апробації. Одним із методів, який дає змогу визначити такі вартості на основі висловлених переваг, є метод експерименту з вибором. Розглянуто його концептуальні положення, зокрема розкрито сутність, основні етапи застосування, а також визначено переваги та недоліки методу, які необхідно враховувати у процесі планування дослідження і трактування результатів оцінювання. Виявлено, що метод експерименту з вибором дає змогу оцінити граничну корисність окремих атрибутів лісових екосистем, які мають властивості суспільних благ, а також зміни їхнього рівня. Ця оцінка може бути представлена в різних одиницях виміру, зокрема у грошових. Водночас метод дає змогу уникнути прямих запитань щодо оцінювання вартості суспільних благ, пропонуючи респонденту вибір із кількох альтернативних пропозицій оцінюваних ознак. Отримані оцінки необхідні для прийняття управлінських рішень, оскільки зазвичай вони впливають тільки на зміни у рівнях цих ознак. На основі дослідження зарубіжного досвіду застосування цього методу для оцінювання зміни якості ПЛЕ обґрунтовано доцільність його використання в Україні для холістичного обґрунтування економічної діяльності та адаптивного управління лісами в умовах антропоцену.Несмотря на то, что необходимость интеграции полного спектра стоимости услуг лесных экосистем в практику принятия управленческих решений в лесном хозяйствеочевидна, методы определения этойстоимости требуют глубокого обоснования и корректной апробации. Одним из методов, который позволяет определить такие стоимости на основе высказанных предпочтений, является метод эксперимента с выбором. Рассмотрены его концептуальные особенности, в частности раскрыта его сущность, основные этапы применения, определены преимущества и недостатки метода, которые необходимо учитывать в процессе планирования исследования и трактовки результатов оценивания. Установлено, что метод эксперимента с выбором позволяет оценить граничную полезность отдельных атрибутов лесных экосистем, которые имеют свойства общественных благ, а также изменения их уровня. Эта оценка может быть представлена в разных единицах измерения, в том числе и в денежных. Вместе с этим, метод позволяет избежать прямых вопросов относительно оценивания стоимости общественных благ, предлагая респонденту выбор из нескольких альтернативных предложений оцениваемых характеристик. Полученные оценки необходимы для принятия управленческих решений, поскольку обычно они влияют только на изменения в уровнях этих характеристик. На основе изучения зарубежного опыта его применения для оценки изменения качества услуг лесных экосистем, обоснована необходимость использования этого метода в Украине для холистического обоснования экономической деятельности и адаптивного управления лесами в условиях антропоцена.The need to integrate value of forest ecosystem services (FES) into decision-making process is widely acknowledged. Nowadays economists propose two ways of uncovering the economic value attached to non-market goods and services: Revealed Preference methods and Stated Preference methods. One of the methods which allow determining the value of FES based on the Stated Preferences is the choice experiment method. This method was initially developed in marketing research and now is widely applied in the valuation of non-market goods and services. The choice experiment method relies on the Lancaster's theory that the utility of a good is derived from its attributes, and as a result of this, the value of the good is the sum of the values of all its attributes. The method combines this line of thinking with random utility theory which states that people choose the alternative with the highest expected utility. The aim of a choice experiment application in the field of FES valuation is to understand preferences and trade-offs within a particular population for a particular good or service. According to the logic of this method, a respondent is invited to choose the best of the list of alternatives, which differ in attributes and their levels. One of the alternatives is always status quo, or "I do not choose any one". This alternative is included in each set of choices, since one of the alternatives should be acceptable to the respondent. The advantages and disadvantages of the method are determined in this study, which must be taken into account in the process of study planning and interpretation of the valuation results. This method is useful from a policy and management perspective because the information it provides can be used in the design of multidimensional forest police, in cost-benefit analysis, and in litigation processes. Based on the study of this method application in FES valuation, the need of its application in Ukrainian forest decision-making is substantiated to enable holistic view on economic activity and adaptive forest management in the Anthropocene era