Recap: valuation of ecosystem services

• Show neglected values of nature, particularly to policy makers/economists

• Resolve trade-offs, or at least make them explicit• Valuation process way of exploring the ecosystem

service• Can create understanding across stakeholders

But:

• Controversial, responsible handling of method needed

TEEB India

TEEB India on urban areasFocused on forest ecosystems, inland wetland ecosystems and coastal and marine ecosystems.

Urban areas not dealt with in detail, but some interesting points.

“Currently [investigation of urban expansion] includes mostly morphological, physiological and biological information and a listing of drivers and pressures as a basis for identification of interventions. Integrating ecosystem services within these assessment protocols would enable collection of information on these aspects mandatory and lead to development of very useful and significant site level baselines.”

TEEB India Scoping Report p. 101

TEEB India on wetlandsEconomic valuation of wetland ecosystem services are particularly useful in three circumstances:

a) When there is a need to demonstrate the value of ecosystem services in terms of contribution to the local, regional or national economy

b) When there are policy trade-offs involved over use of wetlands

c) When multi-functional use of wetlands is being considered

Based on these criterions, candidate sites with the policy and decision making contexts which could be used for structuring economic valuation assessments are presented. Among those:

Deepor Beel, Assam. Role in flood mitigation; impacts of urban development on ecosystem services

Ritesh Kumar, Wetlands International South Asia, New DelhiEJ James, Karunya University, Coimbatore

TEEB India, p. 105

VALUATION METHODS Preferences

Direct methods

Indirect methods

Market prices

Production value

Avoidance cost

Compensation cost

Surrogate markets

Travel cost

Estate values

A few cases from South Asia:On the value of an urban forest in Bhopal

On the cost of air pollution

On the value of wetlands in Vientiane, Laos

On the value of wetlands in Vientiane, Laos

www.naturalcapitalproject.org

Discussion

• What ecosystem services should we value in more details (qualitatively, quantitatively or in monetary terms)?

• How can we do it?