scholarly journals Potential of the economic valuation of soil-based ecosystem services to inform sustainable soil management and policy

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e8749
Author(s):  
Bartosz Bartkowski ◽  
Stephan Bartke ◽  
Katharina Helming ◽  
Carsten Paul ◽  
Anja-Kristina Techen ◽  
...  

The concept of ecosystem services, especially in combination with economic valuation, can illuminate trade-offs involved in soil management, policy and governance, and thus support decision making. In this paper, we investigate and highlight the potential and limitations of the economic valuation of soil-based ecosystem services to inform sustainable soil management and policy. We formulate a definition of soil-based ecosystem services as basis for conducting a review of existing soil valuation studies with a focus on the inclusion of ecosystem services and the choice of valuation methods. We find that, so far, the economic valuation of soil-based ecosystem services has covered only a small number of such services and most studies have employed cost-based methods rather than state-of-the-art preference-based valuation methods, even though the latter would better acknowledge the public good character of soil related services. Therefore, the relevance of existing valuation studies for political processes is low. Broadening the spectrum of analyzed ecosystem services as well as using preference-based methods would likely increase the informational quality and policy relevance of valuation results. We point out options for improvement based on recent advances in economic valuation theory and practice. We conclude by investigating the specific roles economic valuation results can play in different phases of the policy-making process, and the specific requirements for its usefulness in this context.

Author(s):  
Zuzana Sarvašová ◽  
Miroslav Kovalčík ◽  
Zuzana Dobšinská ◽  
Jaroslav Šálka ◽  
Vilém Jarský

AbstractThis literature review deals with the understanding of ecosystem services related to the question of their applicability and appropriate methods for their valuation. We distinguish between ecological valuation methods that aim to assess the significance of landscape characteristics, conventional economic, i.e. monetary valuation and non-monetizing valuation or assessment. Ecological evaluation methods derive values by following a cost of production approach which neglects consumer preferences. Economic valuation methods focus on the exchange value of ecosystem services, i.e. they are based on consumer preferences, but do not adequately take into account the complex internal structure of ecosystems. We conclude that – from the view of implementation of ecosystem services for policy support and consulting – successful valuation approaches should particularly consider the relationships between economic, ecological and social aspects of ecosystem services’ provision.


2020 ◽  
Vol 96 ◽  
pp. 104636
Author(s):  
Jane Lusardi ◽  
Timothy John Sunderland ◽  
Andrew Crowe ◽  
Bethanna Marie Jackson ◽  
Glyn Jones

2020 ◽  
Vol 183 ◽  
pp. 01002
Author(s):  
Aya Jamouli ◽  
Khali Allali

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.


2015 ◽  
pp. 108-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark J. Koetse ◽  
Roy Brouwer ◽  
Pieter J. H. van Beukering

2019 ◽  
Vol 157 ◽  
pp. 109-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jón Örvar G. Jónsson ◽  
Brynhildur Davíðsdóttir ◽  
Nikolaos P. Nikolaidis ◽  
Georgios V. Giannakis

Author(s):  
Shubhechchha Sharma ◽  
Jennifer Hodbod ◽  
Emma Tebbs ◽  
Kristofer Chan

Given the cross-scale interactions of agricultural ecosystems, it is important to collect ecosystem service data at the multiple spatial scales they operate at. Mapping of ecosystem services helps to assess their spatial and temporal distribution and is a popular communication tool of their availability and value. For example, maps can be used to quantify distance between areas of available ecosystem services and their beneficiaries and how services fluctuate with changes in land use patterns over time, allowing identification of synergies and trade-offs. However, a lack of local context and too large a resolution can reduce the utility of these maps, whilst masking heterogeneities in access due to equity dynamics. This review identifies and summarizes eight main methods of ESS mapping found in the literature—remote sensing, biophysical modelling, agent based modelling, economic valuation, expert opinion, user preference, participatory mapping, and photo-elicitation. We consider what spatial scales these methods are utilized at and the transferability of data created by each method. The analysis concludes with a methodological framework for mapping ecosystem services, intended to help researchers identify appropriate methods for a multi-scale research design. The framework is exemplified with an overview of a research project in Ethiopia.


Author(s):  
Bengt Kriström ◽  
Per-Olov Johansson

Economic valuation methods for non-market goods and services comprise a range of empirical approaches to estimate a monetary value for the trade-off a person would be willing to make to increase the amount or the quality of a good or service for which there exists no market. After a period of more than fifty years of improvement, the approaches have reached a certain degree of maturity and professional acceptance; for example, they are routinely used in US court cases as a starting point for oil-spill damage assessments (which can run into several billions of US dollars). There are probably more than 10,000 papers published, covering a range of issues about economic valuation methods. While environmental and health studies dominate, an increasing number of applications appear in, inter alia, cultural economics. Since the number of things people care about is virtually without limits, the set of applications for measuring these types of trade-offs is very large; e.g., how much would students be willing to pay to reduce campus crime risk? What is the value of telecare programs that make it possible for elderly people to live independently? Is there an extra-market value of the Tour des Flandres (a cycling race)? How much would you pay to avoid the consequences of spam mail? We will divide our exposition into two parts, covering the most used stated-preference and revealed-preference methods. The stated-preference methods are based on what respondents state in interviews/questionnaires, generally targeting a person’s choices for a proposed change in a well-defined object of choice (such as one’s health status or some aspect of environmental quality). A revealed-preference method uses observed decisions for private goods related to the non-market good and theoretical assumptions to create the equivalent of surrogate markets, such as property markets, to measure values. There are two general lines of development; an increased focus on heterogeneity and an increased understanding of how to deal with the discrete/continuous type of consumer behavior that is common in the cases studied.


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