Ecosystem services valuation in developing countries: a review of methods and applicability approach

Urban growth has compromised the capacity of Ecosystem Services (ES), causing impacts such as degradation, urban heat islands, climate change, and floods. Valuing ES can help improve their condition and management through political and urban planning instruments. The present study was developed by reviewing the literature using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) disclosure guidelines to identify ES valuation methods based on the Total Economic Value (TEV) framework. The literature review included 117 articles that a) were based on the TEV framework and b) offered a quantitative result. The results show that: a) 52 studies evaluated more than one ES and that the regulation service is the most investigated, b) the contingent valuation method is the most used and the least used was the production function, and c) that 78 of the 117 studies conclude with proposals for the implementation of public policies, of which conservation, protection, and restoration policies are the most important and the method most used for public proposals was the contingent valuation method. It is essential to mention that implementing ES valuation in urban planning benefits users and ecosystems.