The Economic Valuation of Ecosystem Services of Biodiversity Components in Protected Areas: A Review for a Framework of Analysis for the Gargano National Park

Abstract

Protected areas play an important role in the conservation and protection of biodiversity of particular territories, especially of ecosystems that provide resources for living organisms, including human beings. Different studies highlight the importance of biodiversity and its associated benefits in terms of ecosystem services of protected areas. The economic assessment of ecosystem services and biodiversity becomes a viable solution to help the policy maker to make decisions on the environmental preservation of these areas according to the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. Nonetheless, very few studies provide an economic evaluation of the benefits of protected areas. To advance the current debate on the economic evaluation of the benefits provided by protected areas, the present paper purposes an integrated approach. It presents an overview of main ecosystem services’ mapping techniques currently available to researchers and policy makers and offers a systematic review carried out for the period 2015–2020 at an international level. The main findings are particularly attractive for the Gargano National Park (GNP) in the south of Italy, which is recognised as being a biodiversity hot spot at global level. The current study provides useful guidance for the assessment of trade-offs, the support to policy makers, and the provision of efficient allocation of public resources for protected areas.

Методологічні Особливості Оцінювання Послуг Лісових Екосистем У Межах Природно-Заповідних Територій

“…Дуже мало досліджень зосереджено на методологічних питаннях оцінювання послуг екосистем природоохоронних територій. Зокрема, дослідження [17] свідчать про відсутність у міжнародній літературі публікацій з економічної оцінки та біорізноманіття на заповідних територіях. Оцінка ефективності управління до та після впровадження платежів за екосистемні послуги продемонструвала, що інтеграція послуг екосистем в управління природоохоронними територіями може підвищити ефективність управління ними та сприяти регіональному розвитку.…”

After Wildfires and Rewetting: Results of 15+ Years’ Monitoring of Vegetation and Environmental Factors in Cutover Peatland

“…The location of the survey sites within a specially protected area provides protection against human disturbance, except for authorised restoration of disturbed ecosystems, thus ensuring the duration and continuity of observations. A comprehensive assessment of biodiversity and ecosystem services is needed [65]. The sites in Meshchera National Park have been used in developing a methodology for assessing the effectiveness of rewetting for peatland revegetation [22][23][24].…”

Geohistorical dataset of ten plant species introduced into Occitania (France)

“…They combine two issues of major ecological, socio-cultural and economic concern: biological invasions and the decline of pollinator populations. The main objective of this project is to better identify the links between plant invasions and changes in ecosystem services ( Vaz et al 2017a ; Pisani et al 2021 ) so as to better understand the potential or constraints of invasive alien plants in connection with pollinators and try to apprehend invasive processes through the most systemic approach, by taking several dimensions into account (human, spatial, historical, ecological and ethological) and by carefully considering the practices, perceptions and representations that the various stakeholders in the territory have manifested over time ( Vaz et al 2017b ). This systemic approach is also found in the project's method itself, since it brings together several disciplines and tools and also has a diachronic dimension over several time-scales.…”