Potentials of quantitative and qualitative approaches to assessing ecosystem services

Busch, Malte; Notte, Alessandra La; Laporte, Valérie; Erhard, Markus

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2011.11.010

Cited by 155 publications

(78 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…In other words, ES are linked to the spatial dimension of the defi ned zone in which those services are provided (Busch et al 2012). The quantifi cation and mapping of ES is considered a fundamental requirement for planning at the landscape scale (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping the value of ecosystem services: A case study from the Austrian Alps

et al. 2015

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. Ma-pping the value of ecosystem services: a case study from the Austrian Alps. Ann. For. Res. 58(1): 157-175.Abstract. Ecosystem services (ES) are considered the conditions and processes through which natural ecosystems sustain and fulfil human life. In the decision making process related to the natural resources management, two key-aspects must be taken into account: the economic value of the benefits provided by ES (provisioning, regulating and cultural services) and the spatial distribution of these benefits. The purpose of the paper is to develop a method aimed to capture the economic value of the benefits provided by ES, in order to support the decision makers in the natural resources management. ES are not homogeneous across landscapes nor in space. Consequently, gaining knowledge on the spatial distribution of the economic relevance of ES is a fundamental information to target management actions. This method was tested in a case study in the Austrian Alps (Leiblachtal area in Vorarlberg region), characterized by a high importance of forests and grasslands. The results show that the highest economic values could be achieved for the provisioning services with a range between 200 €/ha year and 1,400 €/ha year. The regulating services have also important economic values, but strongly localized in specific areas (i.e. protective forests against natural hazards). The economic values of the cultural services are influenced by the preferences of tourists and varies between 5 €/ha year to 60 €/ha year. The method allowed us to reveal the spatial heterogeneity of provisioning, regulating and cultural ES, depending on the ecological characteristics of the site.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping the value of ecosystem services: A case study from the Austrian Alps

et al. 2015

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“…The approaches to the assessment of the ESs belonging to this category can be possibly identified by those suggested by the MA [46] and by Busch et al [45] aimed at estimating direct or indirect willingness to pay, since supporting ESs is intrinsically a public good, and as such, their values cannot be determined in terms of their market prices, since they are non-rivalrous and non-excludable, and so, they are not priced. In our view, estimates based on techniques related either to hedonic models (direct willingness to pay) [47][48][49] or to contingent valuation (indirect willingness to pay) [45,50,51] may possibly be adequate and effective in order to address this complex issue, which should be an important development of the research discussed so far.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed, there are several studies in the current literature related to the economic evaluation of agricultural and cattle-farming ESs. The evaluation is usually based on the market value of the implied agricultural production and cattle [37,44,45].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation Measures and Loss of Ecosystem Services: A Study Concerning the Sardinian Natura 2000 Network

Leone

Zoppi

2016

Sustainability

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Abstract:The seeming dichotomy between the protection of biodiversity and the supply of ecosystem services (ESs) represents an outstanding field of research that requires a structured and detailed analysis. The paper analyzes and discusses the role of ESs within spatial planning and strategic environmental assessment (SEA) procedures through the content analysis methodology and a logical framework (LF) implemented into the SEA of municipal masterplans (MMPs). We discuss the role of ESs as factors that improve the effectiveness of SEA-based processes related to management plans (MPs) of sites that belong to the Sardinian Natura 2000 Network with reference to their positive impacts on environmental quality. The empirical outcomes put in evidence the inconsistencies between MMPs and MPs in terms of sustainability-oriented objectives and potential losses of the ESs productive output due to measures adopted by the MPs in order to protect habitats and species. The scant attention paid to ESs in the operational context of MMPs, MPs and SEA reports, particularly as regards their regulative framework, entails that the issue of the protection of ESs has to be carefully taken into account within the process of the definition and establishment of MPs through an SEA report that integrates the MPs and MMPs LFs.

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“…En otras palabras, los servicios ecosistémicos están relacionados con la dimensión espacial de una zona definida en la cual dichos servicios son proporcionados (Busch et al 2012). Por lo tanto, para una planificación a escala local, es fundamental un conocimiento sólido de la importancia económica y de la distribución espacial de los servicios ecosistémicos.…”

Section: Introductionunclassified