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Ecosystem Valuation

Valuation can be a useful tool that aids in evaluating different options that a natural resource manager might face. Because ecological resources and services are so varied in their composition, it is often difficult to examine them on the same level. However, after they are assigned a value, an environmental resource or service can then be compared to any other item with a respective value. Ecosystem valuation is the process by which policymakers assign a value ? monetary or otherwise ? to environmental resources or to the outputs and/or services provided by those resources. For example, a mountain forest may provide environmental services by preventing downstream flooding.

Environmental resources and/or services are particularly hard to quantify due to their intangible benefits and multiple value options. It is almost impossible to attach a specific value to some of the experiences we have in nature, such as viewing a beautiful sunset. Problems also exist when a resource can be used for multiple purposes, such as a tree ? the wood is valued differently if it is used for flood control versus if it is used for building a house. The quantity of a resource must also be taken into consideration because value can change depending how much of a resource is available. An example of this might be in preventing the first ?unit? of pollution if we have a pristine air environment. Preventing the first unit of pollution is not valued very highly because the environment can easily recover. However, if the pollution continues until the air is becoming toxic to its surroundings; the value of preserving clean air by preventing additional pollution is going to be increasingly valued.

Within economics, value is generally defined as the amount of alternate goods a person is willing to give up in order to get one ?additional unit? of the good in question. An individual's preference for certain goods may either be stated or revealed. In the case of stated preferences, the amount of money a person is willing to pay for a good determines the value because that money could otherwise be used to purchase other goods. However, value may also be determined by simply ranking the alternatives according to the amount of benefit each will produce. Revealed preferences can be measured by examining a person's behavior when it is not possible to use market pricing.

There are typically two ways to assign value to environmental resources and services ? use and non-use ? and there are approaches to measuring environmental benefits based on these defined values. When environmental resources or services are being used, it is easier to observe the price consumers are willing to pay for the conservation or preservation of those resources. Market or opportunity cost pricing can be used when there are tangible products to measure, such as the amount of fish caught in a lake. Replacement cost can also be used, calculated based on any expenses incurred to reverse environmental damage. Hedonic pricing will measure the effect that negative environmental qualities have on the price of related market goods. When evaluating non-use value, contingent valuation is employed through the use of surveys that attempt to assess an individual's willingness to pay for a resource that they do not consume.

The process of environmental resource or service valuation provides a way to compare alternative proposals, but it is not without problems. All valuation techniques encompass a great deal of uncertainty: flaws can exist in the methods of assigning value accurately due to a wide number of variables and it is difficult to compartmentalize and measure environmental and natural resources and/or services withing an ecosystem that functions as an interconnected web. Yet challenging, it allows policymakers to make decisions based on specific comparisons (typically monetary) rather than some other arbitrary basis. The government has placed increasing emphasis on cost-effective laws and projects; therefore, establishing a common measure by which to evaluate alternatives is essential.

Updated by Dawn Anderson


Professors Dennis King from the University of Maryland and Marisa Mazzotta from the University of Rhode Island created a site for non-economists with clear, non-technical explanations of ecosystem valuation concepts, methods, and applications.

Environmental Valuation
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provides a thorough explanation of how we determine the value of our environmental resources.

Ecosystem Valuation
An excellent summary by Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Introduction to Economic Models of Natural Resource Utilization
Richard Kazmierczak, Jr., an Associate Professor at Louisiana State University, compiled this information based on his class in Natural Resource Economics.

Ecological Benefits Assessment Strategic Plan (EBASP)
The Environmental Protection Agency developed the EBASP to identify the ecological benefits of environmental policy. This webpage provides an overview of the EBASP, the topics covered by the plan, why it is important, access to a copy of the plan, and where to find further information.


Ecosystem Services - Water Purification
This MarcoPolo Education Foundation Science NetLinks lesson shows students how ecosystems provide essential services by using water purification as an example. [Grades 6-8] 

EconEdLink: There is Something in the Water
This lesson will teach students to analyze and debate the tradeoffs and discuss the economic factors involved in making decisions about draining wetlands versus protecting them to retain their value as a natural resource. [Grades 6-8]

EconEdLink: The Economics of Income: Which ?Wood' You Choose
This activity looks at the principle of sustainable economic growth that depends on the implementation of a long term vision of a nation's resources (natural, human, technological, etc.) as inputs for producing outputs as efficiently as possible. [Grades 9-12] 


Ecosystem Valuation from Wikipedia.com


King, Dennis M. (University of Maryland) and Marisa Mazzotta (University of Rhode Island), Ecosystem Valuation.


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This page was last updated on March 30, 2008.
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