Services provided by ecosystems
Provisioning (such as water supply, clean air, agriculture)
Regulatory (such as regulation of water flows, climate)
Cultural (such recreation and aesthetic values)
Value of the world's ecosystem services
- Costanza et al. 1997
- based on 17 ecosystem services in 16 biomes
- published values and calculations
- outside what is currently considered in the economic calculations
- range of US$ 16 - 54 trillion, average $US 33 trillion
- world's gross national product is about US$ 18 trillion
How to establish a value for those services - the method
- not calculated at zero - zero natural capital would lead to zero human welfare
- marginal value - what an incremental addition or loss would be valued at
- willingness to pay studies
Table: 16 BIOMES by 17 ecosystem service values
| BIOME |
area
ha * 10^6 |
value per ha for each function |
tot val per ha |
total value
10^9 $ per year |
| gas reg |
climate |
distrub |
etc |
| Open ocean |
33,200 |
values |
go |
in |
|
252 |
8,381 |
| Coastal |
3,102 |
these |
cells |
|
|
4052
|
12,568 |
| Terrestrial |
15,323 |
|
|
|
|
804 |
12,319 |
| Wetlands |
330 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| etc |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| TOTAL |
51,625 |
|
|
|
|
|
$33,268 |
There is not an equal distribution of ecosystem services
from Costanza et al 1997
Examples of comparison for freshwater services
Portland area - Lents
- identify benefits from flood abatement project (which is expected to cost $35 million)
- costs from 10 year nusisance floods
- traffic problems and business losses ($500,000 per event)
- residential damage ($50,000 per event)
- utilities ($10,000 per event)
- road closures
- city costs for ($5000 per event)
- avoided flooding beneft - $15 million over 100 years
- identify benefits to ecosystem services (besides avoiding floods), including:
- thermal regulation of stream
- cleaner air
- carbon storage
- bird and fish habitat
- recreation
- ecosystem services benefits = $16 million
- sum these values - $31 million over the next 100 years
Water ecosystem services and poverty under climate change
- International Institute for Environment and Development (UK)
- water problems for poor people are exacerbated by the abuse of ecosystem services
- set a research agenda that provides information to manage these resources
- governance
- variability and vulnerability
- land use change
- hydrology
- market instruments
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