Attitudes and Preferences towards Soil-Based Ecosystem Services: How Do They Vary across Space?

Soil ecosystem services (ES) provide multiple benefits to human well-being, but the failure to appreciate them has led to soil degradation issues across the globe. Despite an increasing interest in the threats to soil resources, economic valuation in this context is limited. Importantly, most of the existing valuation studies do not account for the spatial distribution of benefits that soil ES provide to the population. In this study, we present the results of a choice experiment (CE) aimed at investigating spatial heterogeneity of attitudes and preferences towards soil conservation and soil ES. We explored spatial heterogeneity of both attitudes and welfare measures via GIS techniques. We found that citizens of the Veneto Region (Northeast Italy) generally have positive attitudes towards soil conservation. We also find positive willingness-to-pay (WTP) values for soil ES in most of the study area and a considerable degree of heterogeneity in the spatial taste distribution. Finally, our results suggest that respondents with pro-environmental attitudes display a higher WTP based on the geographic pattern of the distribution of WTP values and attitudinal scores across the area.

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Economic valuation of ecosystem services in Africa

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/202018301002 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 183 ◽

pp. 01002

Author(s):

Aya Jamouli ◽

Khali Allali

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Choice Experiment ◽

Web Of Science ◽

Economic Valuation ◽

Market Price ◽

Well Being ◽

Future Research ◽

Valuation Methods ◽

The Past ◽

The Web

Ecosystems provide vital services that improve and support livelihoods and human well-being. Consequently, scientific research on ecosystem services (ES) has increased, over the past two decades globally, as well as in Africa. This study provides an overview of existing economic ES valuation methods in Africa using the Web of Science databases. The results highlighted that South Africa recorded the high number of ES valuation publications. The most evaluated ES category was provisioning then regulating services. In terms of economic valuation methods, the market price was the most popular, followed by the contingent valuation and the choice experiment methods. Recommendations are provided for future research in this filed.

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The Framework of Ecosystem Services for Economic Valuation Purposes: A Review

Vietnam Journal of Agricultural Sciences ◽

10.31817/10.31817/vjas.2019.2.3.04 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 434-449

Author(s):

Nguyen Minh Duc

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Resource Management ◽

Natural Resources ◽

Natural Resource Management ◽

Natural Resource ◽

Ecosystem Service ◽

Economic Valuation ◽

Well Being ◽

The Past

Although humans need ecosystems and ecosystem services for their survival and well-being, most of the global ecosystems and the services that they provide have declined and/or degraded rapidly over the past few decades. In order to find the ways to sustainably use natural resources, substantial efforts have been made to measure and value the ecosystem services. The term ‘ecosystem service’ was interpreted in different ways in the literature. For making correct decisions in natural resource management, a consistent way of defining and classifying ecosystem services is needed for valuation purposes. This paper argued for the need to divide ecosystem services into intermediate and final services.

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The development of the concept of ecosystem services: A review of foreign Publications

Dokuchaev Soil Bulletin ◽

10.19047/0136-1694-2015-80-26-49 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 26-49 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

D. E. Konyushkov

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Systems Approach ◽

Local Level ◽

Economic Valuation ◽

Recent Decade ◽

Well Being ◽

Economic Activities ◽

Market Values ◽

Valuation Of Ecosystem Services ◽

Number Of Publications

Foreign publications devoted to the problems of determination and valuation of ecosystem services and their practical application in planning economic activities are under review. This direction of studies is being rapidly developed. It was clearly shaped after the global Millennium Ecosystem Assessment performed in 2005 on the initiative of the United Nations. In the recent decade, this direction has got an official status; specialized journals have been founded; regular conferences and workshops have been conducted. The number of publications in this field has increased considerably. The contribution of soil scientists to the valuation of ecosystem services remains modest. It is argued that the assessment and valuation of the ecosystem services of soils is a promising direction for soil science. Ecosystem services are subdivided into the groups of provisional, regulating, cultural, and supporting services. The latter group is considered the natural basis ensuring the efficient performance of other ecosystem services with their direct or indirect impact on human well-being. The assessment of ecosystem services implies three major directions: ecological, economic (monetary), and social. For each of the groups of ecosystem services, specific methods of their economic valuation are applied. Thus, provisional services are mainly assessed according to their market values. The contribution of provisional services to the total value of ecosystem services is relatively small. Regulating services are often estimated by the avoided cost and replacement cost methods, and cultural services (recreation, inspiration source, aesthetic value, spiritual value) are valued by the travel cost method. The methods of nonmarketable valuation are essentially based on the willingness-to-pay approach. Upon valuation of ecosystem services at the local level, a systems approach should be applied; it is necessary to taken into account cooperation bonus obtained by the particular stakeholders. It should also be noted that the removal of additional pressures from ecosystems in a given place might result in the increase of the anthropogenic loads on ecosystems in other places. The separation, mapping, and valuation of ecosystem services are performed with an ultimate goal to ensure sustainable development of the society and human well-being. The ecological and economic approaches in this field are actually aimed at strengthening of the role of market mechanisms in the environmental protection policy.

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Spatial analysis, local people’s perception and economic valuation of wetland ecosystem services in the Usumacinta floodplain, Southern Mexico

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.8395 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. e8395 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Vera Camacho-Valdez ◽

Andrea Saenz-Arroyo ◽

Andrea Ghermandi ◽

Dario A. Navarrete-Gutiérrez ◽

Rocío Rodiles-Hernández

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Economic Valuation ◽

Rapid Assessment ◽

Well Being ◽

Spatially Explicit ◽

Biodiversity Indicators ◽

Southern Mexico ◽

Rural People ◽

Wetland Ecosystems ◽

Local Perception

The Usumacinta floodplain is an exceptional area for biodiversity with important ecosystem services for local people. The main objective of this paper was to estimate reference values and define local perceptions of ecosystem services provided by wetlands and overlapping them with spatially explicit socioeconomic and biodiversity indicators. We used the Usumacinta floodplain as an example of a territory where high dependence of rural people on ecosystem services is confronted with development projects that threat the flow of ecosystem services, thus affecting rural people well-being. With a combination of data from remote sensing, global databases of ecosystem service values, local perception of ecosystem services and socioeconomic and biodiversity richness indicators in a spatially explicit framework, we develop a policy-oriented approach for rapid assessment to manage wetlands and maintain people’s livelihoods. Regulating and provisioning services are identified as the most relevant ecosystem services in terms of their monetary value and local perceived importance. In a spatially explicit manner, this approach highlights the most valuable wetlands and identifies rural societies that are highly dependent on ecosystem services. Our approach can be replicated elsewhere and could provide valuable information for policymakers to design policies that can contribute to conserve wetland ecosystems where under threat of development.

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Economic valuation of environmental attributes of the Yanachaga–Chemillén National Park via contingent valuation and choice experiment

World Journal of Engineering ◽

10.1108/wje-09-2020-0407 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Pedro Manuel Amaya ◽

Doris Esenarro Vargas ◽

Ciro Rodriguez Rodriguez ◽

Violeta Vega ◽

Jorge López Bulnes

Keyword(s):

Contingent Valuation ◽

Choice Experiment ◽

National Park ◽

Economic Valuation ◽

Well Being ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Natural Ecosystem ◽

Content Type ◽

Environmental Attributes ◽

Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the first economic valuation of four environmental attributes of the Yanachaga–Chemillén National Park (PNYCH – Parque Nacional Yanachaga-Chemillén) in Peru. Design/methodology/approach This study included households in three cities adjacent to the PNYCH and assessed the willingness to pay (WTP) for preservation efforts of these natural services to avoid the predicted loss in forest area by 2030 (currently 143,425 hectares per year). Findings The results showed that the average WTP was US$0.695 (2.3197 soles) per household annually. Added to all households in Peru (9 million), this is equivalent to approximately 6.255 million dollars annually. Practical implications The economic valuation of these attributes is complementary to the contingent valuation and can have a significant impact, as this data influences decision-making and public policies focused on conserving forests and biodiversity. Social implications Upon using the choice experiment (CE) model, the attributes that have the most significant impact on inhabitants’ well-being were economic benefits. The flora and fauna coverage attributes were beneficial for the inhabitants of the place because they valued the proposed recovery and conservation program in a positive and differential way. Originality/value From the collection of valuable economic data, the novelty lies in using the CE method, which has not yet been applied in valuations of natural ecosystem services in Peru.

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The mismeasure of nature: the political ecology of economic valuation of Tiger Reserves in India

Journal of Political Ecology ◽

10.2458/v26i1.23194 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 652 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ajit Menon ◽

Nitin D Rai

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Political Ecology ◽

Key Words ◽

Economic Valuation ◽

Economic Value ◽

Ways Of Knowing ◽

Well Being ◽

The Political ◽

Indian State ◽

Institutional Contexts

The Indian state has conserved tigers by establishing reserves that are governed as a form of fortress conservation. Residence and local uses in these tiger reserves are often criminalized. It is in this context that we critique recent neoliberal attempts to estimate the economic value of ecosystem services from tiger reserves. Proponents of valuation argue that it will not only provide a justification for the reserves, but also recognize the importance of ecosystem services for human well-being. We use a political ecology approach to argue that economic valuation is never a benign tool, but is situated in wider institutional contexts that favor certain actors over others. In India, protected areas are being valued even as people living within them are being evicted and their use of the forest restricted. We draw from fieldwork in the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Hills of Karnataka and conversations with Soligas. We ask how nature is made legible and who benefits from such legibility? We suggest that economic valuation can hide complex human-nature relationships and undermine different ways of knowing and 'valuing' landscapes.Key Words: tiger reserves, Karnataka, economic valuation

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Economic Valuation of Green Island, Taiwan: A Choice Experiment Method

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11020403 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 403 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Han-Shen Chen ◽

Chu-Wei Chen

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Choice Experiment ◽

Economic Valuation ◽

Economic Value ◽

Environmental Resources ◽

Island Conservation ◽

Conservation Policies ◽

Integrated Operation ◽

Island Ecosystem ◽

Green Island

The evaluation of ecological security and ecosystem services is now a core issue in the field of natural and environmental resources. Quantifying the economic value of island ecosystem services can inform policy decisions that affect the island and help justify expenditures on ecosystem service improvements. This study investigates the preferences of residents and tourists regarding Green Island and estimates willingness-to-pay (WTP) values for island ecosystem services using a choice experiment. The results indicate significant differences between the preferences of residents and tourists regarding island environmental resources. Therefore, based on the multiple attributes and ecosystem services, this study formulated three assessment schemes: “environmental protection”, “recreational development”, and “integrated operation and management”. Based on our analysis of the problems reflected in the aforementioned valuation models, we recommend that policy makers refer to environmental attribute preferences to create statements or advertisements targeting relevant audiences when planning island development. This paper contributes to the literature by demonstrating how the economic valuation of island ecosystem services can help design and target island conservation policies in order to maximize welfare.

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Current overview and potential applications of the soil ecosystem services approach in Brazil

Pesquisa Agropecuária Brasileira ◽

10.1590/s0100-204x2016000900002 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 51 (9) ◽

pp. 1021-1038 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Rachel Bardy Prado ◽

Elaine Cristina Cardoso Fidalgo ◽

Joyce Maria Guimarães Monteiro ◽

Azeneth Eufrausino Schuler ◽

Fabiane Machado Vezzani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Environmental Sustainability ◽

Management Practices ◽

Public Policies ◽

Well Being ◽

Soil Ecosystem ◽

Interdisciplinary Approaches ◽

Challenges And Opportunities ◽

Soil Ecosystem Services ◽

Land Use And Management

Abstract Human pressure on ecosystems has undesirable impacts on human well-being. After the Millennium Project, much interdisciplinary research has been developed worldwide aiming to understand these impacts on ecosystem flows and processes, and to learn about the costs and the benefits of ecosystem services for production. Soil provides many ecosystem services, since its multi-functionality is the basis for food production, water filtration, nutrient cycling, and other goods essential to life. This article presents the main concepts and classifications of soil ecosystem services and of its functions; the indicators and the methods for assessment, modeling, and valuation of ecosystem services; some recent applications to assess and evaluate impacts of agricultural management practices on soil ecosystem services; as well as challenges and opportunities for research and for development of public policies related to agro-environmental sustainability in Brazil. Although the role of soil in supplying ecosystem services is yet undervalued, scientists are gradually recognizing soil processes and functions as fundamental to assess ecosystem services and the effects of land use and management on them. Interdisciplinary approaches to integrate science and public policies are necessary to build governance based on ecosystem services.

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From studying the properties and functions of land and soil to assessing their ecosystem services: a review

Journal of the Belarusian State University. Geography and Geology ◽

10.33581/2521-6740-2019-2-3-14 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 3-14

Author(s):

Valentin M. Yatsukhno ◽

Evgeny V. Tsvetnov

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Life Support ◽

Natural Capital ◽

Management Practice ◽

Economic Value ◽

Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽

Well Being ◽

Soil Ecosystem Services ◽

Analytical Review

The content of the article is based on the results of an analytical review of foreign and domestic scientific and applied research, as well as the author’s own developments on the specific features and the role of land and soil in the provision of ecosystem services. The latter are the benefits and goods that people receive as a result of the functioning and economic use of soil and land resources, contributing to the improvement of their well-being, as well as the sustainable existence of terrestrial ecosystems. The dualist role of land and soil performing, on the one hand, economic, environmental, sanitary and hygienic, territorial-organizational and other functions, on the other hand, being a recognized form of natural capital with an accumulated stock of value, is considered. It is proposed despite the physical unity of land and soil, when valuing them, be considered separately, determining the value of soil from the standpoint of their ecological functions, and the land – the spatial basis, life support and habitat, and also as an integral part of utility and profitability of land use. The possibilities of assessing land and soil ecosystem services are analysed on the basis of the concept of their common economic value and the prospects for applying its results in environmental management practice and statistical accounting of the natural capital.

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