Astrid Zabel , Raushan Bokusheva , Martina Bozzola
{"title":"Dealing with negative monetary ecosystem services values in environmental and economic accounting","authors":"Astrid Zabel , Raushan Bokusheva , Martina Bozzola","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoser.2024.101602","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The concept of exchange values refers to the theoretical notion of an exchange happening for ecosystem services between an ecosystem asset and an economic agent. The United Nations System of Environmental Economic Accounting recommends using market prices as exchange values whenever possible, or otherwise, exchange value estimates that conceptually come close to market prices. However, in countries with highly regulated access to natural resources, the observable market prices or exchange value estimates for ecosystem services may often be distorted or even negative. When exchange values are used for decision support or as evidence base for policy making, negative values can be misleading.</p><p>To address this issue, we present ideas on how to include the institutional resource regime that governs ecosystem services into the computation of exchange values. This analysis can help identify policy interventions that increase or decrease exchange values from free-market levels and can provide guidance on how to correct for distorted value estimates. Further it can help to better understand negative exchange value estimates as well as reasons why society may be willing to accept, and eventually, compensate for them. We argue that the insurance value of ecosystems can be one such reason. To exemplify the application of the extended framework, we present a case study on the monetary valuation of water for hydropower production in Switzerland.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51312,"journal":{"name":"Ecosystem Services","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.1000,"publicationDate":"2024-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212041624000081/pdfft?md5=4838a0013d17eb2445e022f5fe94f433&pid=1-s2.0-S2212041624000081-main.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Ecosystem Services","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212041624000081","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ECOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The concept of exchange values refers to the theoretical notion of an exchange happening for ecosystem services between an ecosystem asset and an economic agent. The United Nations System of Environmental Economic Accounting recommends using market prices as exchange values whenever possible, or otherwise, exchange value estimates that conceptually come close to market prices. However, in countries with highly regulated access to natural resources, the observable market prices or exchange value estimates for ecosystem services may often be distorted or even negative. When exchange values are used for decision support or as evidence base for policy making, negative values can be misleading.
To address this issue, we present ideas on how to include the institutional resource regime that governs ecosystem services into the computation of exchange values. This analysis can help identify policy interventions that increase or decrease exchange values from free-market levels and can provide guidance on how to correct for distorted value estimates. Further it can help to better understand negative exchange value estimates as well as reasons why society may be willing to accept, and eventually, compensate for them. We argue that the insurance value of ecosystems can be one such reason. To exemplify the application of the extended framework, we present a case study on the monetary valuation of water for hydropower production in Switzerland.
期刊介绍:
Ecosystem Services is an international, interdisciplinary journal that is associated with the Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP). The journal is dedicated to exploring the science, policy, and practice related to ecosystem services, which are the various ways in which ecosystems contribute to human well-being, both directly and indirectly.
Ecosystem Services contributes to the broader goal of ensuring that the benefits of ecosystems are recognized, valued, and sustainably managed for the well-being of current and future generations. The journal serves as a platform for scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and other stakeholders to share their findings and insights, fostering collaboration and innovation in the field of ecosystem services.