AbstractValuing ecosystem services (ES) is helpful for effective ES management. However, there are many limitations in traditional ES valuation approaches, including theoretical challenges and practical difficulties. To overcome these limitations, we proposed a dual value system (DVS). And then, we presented a case study of valuing the water provision in Zhujiang River Basin (Pearl River Basin) based on DVS. DVS follows the axioms that (1) human life would end if we lose any of vital ES which is indispensable to human being’s survival (such as oxygen, freshwater) and (2) ES cannot provide any value to people without human activities. Correspondingly, DVS includes two types of value: the output support value (OSV) of a vital ES refers to the total value produced by human being’s economic and social activities (TVPH) supported by the ES consumption; the optional capacity value (OCV) of a vital ES refers to the optional capacity of supporting TVPH provided by total ES volume. The OCV provided by a vital ES is calculated by using the product of multiplying the OSV (TVPH) by the freedom of choosing the consumption from the total volume of this ES, valued in non-monetary units. Based on DVS, the OSV and OCV of water provision in Zhujiang River Basin were analyzed in river basin scale and sub-basin scale, and the values variation of water provision from 2006 to 2015 was analyzed in sub-basin scale. And then, based on this case study, we discussed the new insights into ES provided by DVS. Results proved that DVS and its assessment scheme overcame the limitations on current ES valuation approaches and provided an innovative quantitative framework to understand and value ES which will help to make good decisions in ES management.
Analysis of the uncertainty in the monetary valuation of ecosystem services — A case study at the river basin scale
