Environmental Valuation (Economics)

Forest ecosystems deliver valuable services to humanity. However, many forests are being degraded and their services have been undervalued. The main problem lies in the inadequate institutional arrangements for forest governance. This paper aims to assess the effects of alternative forest governance arrangements on the provision and economic values of forest ecosystem services (FES) in Vietnam. The study presents a framework for mapping land use and land cover (LULC) change stemming from actual and hypothetical changes in forest governance regimes, quantifies the resulting changes in the provision of FES, and estimates the associated economic values. In the context of the study site in the North Western uplands of Vietnam, we test three alternative forest gov-ernance scenarios: business as usual, with a dominant government role; a community-based governance regime; and a private, individual-based forestry governance regime. Scenarios are based quite closely on the way these regimes are (or might be expected to be) implemented in Vietnam. For each forest governance scenario, we map LULC changes based on land suitability analysis and transition likelihood for the period 2010 − 2020. The resulting maps are used as inputs into the InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Environmental Services and Tradeoffs) model, which is used to estimate the quantity of three specific FES: carbon storage/sequestration, sediment yield, and water yield. We apply economic valuation methods to value these services: the social cost of carbon is used to estimate the economic values of carbon storage/sequestration; the cost of removing sediment deposited in reservoirs is applied for valuing the reduction of sediment yield, and the residual value of water supply for hydropower generation is used for valuing water yield. The results show that forest governance regimes have a significant effect not only on forest LULC, but also on the quantity and values of FES derived from forests. The FES are differentially affected by alternative forest governance regimes: some FES increase in quantity and value under some governance regimes and decrease under others. Of the three forest governance regimes examined, there is no one regime that will always be 'better' than the others in terms of provisioning all considered FES. For the specific context of Vietnam, we find that the private forest governance scenario is inferior to the community-based governance scenario, as an alternative to the current state-based governance. Because our results pertain to the scenarios as constructed, rather than generally to broad categories of gov-ernance regimes, there remains the possibility that regimes can be constructed that outperform all of those examined here.

Nature is perceived and valued in starkly different and often conflicting ways. This paper presents the rationale for the inclusive valuation of nature's contributions to people (NCP) in decision making, as well as broad methodological steps for doing so. While developed within the context of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), this approach is more widely applicable to initiatives at the knowledge-policy interface, which require a pluralistic approach to recognizing the diversity of values. We argue that transformative practices aiming at sustainable futures would benefit from embracing such diversity, which require recognizing and addressing power relationships across stakeholder groups that hold different values on human naturerelations and NCP.

Urban green spaces could bring cities and their inhabitants with vitality in terms of ecological, social, and economic benefits. Recognising and estimation of economic values of parks is important for their sound management and for justification of the current use over various alternative uses. Non recognition of values of the services of such green spaces may lead to unsound management and degradation resulting in depriving urban communities of those benefits. Viharamahadevi Urban Park is the oldest and largest park in Colombo which offers recreation and green space to the inhabitants and visitors of the city. The purpose of this study is to estimate the recreational value of the Park using Individual Travel Cost Method (ITCM). Visitors of Viharamahadevi Urban Park selected using purposive sampling method were interviewed with a structured questionnaire. Data on visitation frequencies, preferences for park characteristics and socio economic parameters were collected using face-to-f...

This work presents how the traditional economy and the ecological economics treat the environment and which tools they use to integrate the environmental problem into the economical context. In this context, the present work evaluates the valuation techniques and the possibility of application of those techniques is tested and discussed in a case study accomplished at the municipal district of Ilhabela, at the coast of São Paulo, with the objective of evaluating the potential of its use in real situation involving economical damages caused by oil spills in the tourist economy of coastal areas.
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.3436.5204

The forms of application of the different valuation techniques were analyzed and the necessary data were colleted in field trips and in bibliography to test the application of these techniques at the proposed case study. The data show the discrepancy among the values paid as compensations for the spills and the values calculated with the valuation. These could vary from 2,59% of the total cost of the spill (without the application of the valuation) up to 52,94% of the total cost when considered the results of the valuation, totalizing a amount of R$ 4.933.606,20. This study concludes that the valuation techniques can be used in a restricted way and in specific situations, being its application in the situation studied limited by the availability of data, the perception that the local community has of the problem of the spill and by logistic difficulties in the use of some of the tested techniques

This paper discusses the potential environmental valuation methods that could be utilized for placing a monetary value for cases such as the Central Catchment Nature Reserve in Singapore. The paper is produced as one out of 3 masters' level assignment (max. 1500 words) for the course PP5269 conducted by Professor Dodo J. Thampapillai at LKYSPP, National University of Singapore. The paper was submitted on 26 September 2011 (Student ID: A0086231L). The duration of the assignment was 2 weeks.

“The inventory and valuation of customary land resources in Fiji – case study on Naitaleira village, Dawasamu, Northern Tailevu 2013”
Abstract
The customary land resources inventory and valuation is offered as an overview and selective description of the natural significance of the Nataleira Village land resources boundary. The analysis identifies a rich array of most important sites and leads to specific recommendations for action and decision making for potential economic wealth to the customary landowners which can be derived from these land resources.
The purpose of the inventory study is thus five-fold:
● to reveal the natural features and systems of the subject land resources boundary which contribute to the understanding of national cultural landscape values;
● to recommend strategies for protection, restoration, management (SLM), or acquisition;
● to provide a framework for local and regional decision-making;
● to provide an initiative for landowners to systematically store data base of their land resources; and
● to understand their economic values and how they (land resources) could improve livelihood 
By better understanding the role of customary land resources in our history, in our present environment and in our daily well-being, we as individuals and communities will make better decisions for the future. Building on past and on-going efforts to remedy environmental problems, protect land and water for enjoyment and health of generations, and unlock the potential of recreational resources, communities in the rural parts of Fiji are actively living their history and shaping their environment.

A solid waste management (SWM) system includes the generation of waste, storage, collection, transportation, processing and final disposal. India is the second largest nation in the world, with a population of 1.21 billion (census 2011), accounting for nearly 18 percent of world"s human population, but it does not have enough resources or adequate system in place to treat its solid wastes. Its urban population grew at a rate of 31.8 percent during the last decade to 377 million, which is greater than the entire population of US. India is facing a sharp contrast between its increasing urban population and available services and resources. Solid waste management is one such service where India has an enormous gap to fill. Proper municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal system to address increasing amount of waste is absent. Improper solid waste management deteriorates public health, causes environmental pollution, accelerates natural resources degradation, causes climate change and greatly impacts the quality of life of citizens. Therefore, in this research work an attempt has been made to analyze the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generation rates in different urban centers in India and also to study the effect of economic growth and changing lifestyle on composition and generation of MSW in India. This research work is mainly descriptive in nature and simple statistical tools have been used.

Nghiên cứu này sử dụng phương pháp thí nghiệm lựa chọn để lượng giá những thay đổi trong việc tự đánh giá của người nông dân đối với rủi ro sức khỏe liên quan đến việc sử dụng thuốc trừ sâu trong canh tác nông nghiệp. Một cuộc khảo sát được tiến hành trên 90 hộ nông dân canh tác lúa tại huyện Tam Bình, tỉnh Vĩnh Long. Kết quả nghiên cứu cho thấy tất cả những thuộc tính đưa vào đều là những yếu tố quan trọng để xác định việc đánh giá của người nông dân liên quan đến việc sử dụng thuốc trừ sâu trong sản xuất lúa. Những thuộc tính này bao gồm: thông tin về hậu quả sức khỏe, mức rủi ro ban đầu, quy mô giảm rủi ro cũng như chi phí sản xuất tăng thêm hằng năm.
(Chi tiết vui lòng tải về hoặc truy cập URL của bài báo)
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Trích dẫn:
Nguyễn Phương Duy, Tống Yên Đan & Vũ Thùy Dương (2018). Lượng giá rủi ro sức khỏe do sử dụng thuốc trừ sâu trong sản xuất nông nghiệp tại huyện Tam Bình, tỉnh Vĩnh Long: phương pháp thực nghiệm lựa chọn. Tạp chí Khoa học Trường Đại học Cần Thơ, 54(7D), 164-171.

Groundwater in Dumoy Aquifer is the major source of drinking water in both urban and rural areas in Davao City. It is also an important source of water for agricultural, industrial and commercial purposes. It plays a crucial role not only in sustaining streamflow during dry season, but also as erosional agents. These services offered by groundwater in Dumoy aquifer are not fully understood and considered in mining the resource. How best to manage groundwater in Dumoy aquifer has become a growing concern for local government policy makers, interest groups and the public due to the increasing demand for water and the greater awareness and understanding of the social and economic implications of indiscriminate withdrawal of and polluting the groundwater. Several attempts are now being made to rationalize the decision making process with respect to the mining of groundwater in Dumoy aquifer. If the goods and services of this resource are to be maximized over the long term, then groundwater in Dumoy aquifer has to be managed sustainably. And in order to make a sustainable management decision, more reliable information on environmental, social and economic value of groundwater in Dumoy aquifer is needed. Traditional project evaluation procedures do not incorporate the full range of environmental and social costs associated with groundwater use options. Due to the omission, the decision on groundwater use has been biased in favor of development, in which some proved to be economically unjustifiable once the relevant environmental costs are accounted for.

Urban green spaces could bring cities and their inhabitants with vitality in terms of ecological, social, and economic benefits. Recognising and estimation of economic values of parks is important for their sound management and for justification of the current use over various alternative uses. Non recognition of values of the services of such green spaces may lead to unsound management and degradation resulting in depriving urban communities of those benefits. Viharamahadevi Urban Park is the oldest and largest park in Colombo which offers recreation and green space to the inhabitants and visitors of the city. The purpose of this study is to estimate the recreational value of the Park using Individual Travel Cost Method (ITCM). Visitors of Viharamahadevi Urban Park selected using purposive sampling method were interviewed with a structured questionnaire. Data on visitation frequencies, preferences for park characteristics and socio economic parameters were collected using face-to-f...

Most services and values of heritage asset are not traded in the market. Thus, determination of its value requires economic valuation of non-market goods. There are two types of economic valuation namely stated preference (SP) method and revealed preference (RP) method. The SP dominates heritage asset valuation literature with contingent valuation method (CVM) being the most popular method. However, over the past two decades this method has received many criticisms regarding the bias in value estimation. This paper highlights the need to improve the methodological aspect of CVM method for cultural heritage
asset.

This study is the first meta-regression analysis of the economic value of regulating ecosystem services at the global level. Most of the regulating ecosystem services have not been properly estimated in terms of economic value and are also ignored in the everyday decision-making process. This study has reviewed 100 publications and included 275 economic value estimates. This study includes explanatory variables in the meta-analysis to account for these influences on the estimated economic value of regulating ecosystem services. This study has estimated the economic value of regulating ecosystem services at US$29.085 trillion for 2015. This study also has found that the values of climate and water regulations are the highest contributors to the total value of regulating ecosystem services. This study indicates that the results of meta-analysis might be helpful to decision-making with respect to three aspects: first, planning and management of urban green cover for sustainable cities; second, integration of the economic value of all the regulating ecosystem services; third, budget allocation for conservation and improvement of regulating ecosystem services for the present and future generations.

Should we reject money when we value nature? Like most environmentalists, ecological economists are increasingly divided on this question. Synthesizing political ecology with ecological economics, we argue that this way of framing the question is limited. We propose a reformulation of the question into "when and how to value with money?" and "under what conditions?" We recommend four criteria for a sound choice: environmental improvement; distributive justice and equality; maintenance of plural value-articulating institutions; and, confronting commodification under neo-liberalism. We call for due attention to the socio-political context within which a valuation is placed and the political goals it serves. The relevance of this framework is demonstrated by applying it to three practical cases: pollution damages, water pricing and payments for ecosystem services.

Labac River Watershed LRW is one of the six major rivers of Cavite traversing 62 barangays within two cities and four municipalities of the Province. It serves as a major source of domestic water services in the area. The study determined the sources of domestic water and assessed its economic value. Survey questionnaires and interview schedules were used to determine the rate of water utilization of the 95 participants; quota sampling technique was used for the selection of participants. It was determined that the communities in LRW are using local water districts as source of water for domestic water uses followed by using spring or river. The communities in the Municipality of Naic are dependent on a communal and a private deep-wells. In the municipality of Indang, springs were used as secondary source of water. Some of the water supply of local water district was obtained by installing pipe in the springs. The Municipality of Mendez is dependent on using a local water district system for their household water consumption. Labac River has an average water consumption of 13.33 m3 equivalent to P 247.10/household/month which is above 10 m3 minimum water consumption per month. Labac River Watershed has an estimated economic value of P 8,628,484.9/month for domestic water consumption (obtained using direct revealed method). The results of the study would serve as a baseline data in monitoring the trend of water consumption and its economic value in the study site.

To study the present status of the iron/ferrous scrap industry in Sri Lanka and to observe whether the given duty concession has impact on present freezing status in the entire ferrous scrap recycling industry in Sri Lanka.


The study was applied baseline survey for a data collection and used several instruments of data collection such as formal questionnaires, interview guide, participatory appraisal techniques, document perusal and direct observations. In order to get more insight into the organizational and practical aspects of current status of iron scrap industry in Sri Lanka , a number of interviews were hold  with Government Officials, Scrap metal recycling companies, collectors, exporters and billets importer

Ethiopia has many lakes, the greater part of which is found in the Rift-valley, that are central for the development of economy of the country. One of these Lakes is Lake Koka, which is found inside the Ethiopian Rift Valley, and is an artificial lake built in 1960 to generate hydroelectric power. In spite of different advantages provided by Lake Koka, absence of powerful administration, uncontrolled irrigation, intensive agriculture and different human made activities has prompted to the degradation of the wetland. Human made activities such as, using wetland as waste disposal, over grazing, etc. aggravate the problems of the lake.. To assign monetary values for the multi-functions and services offered by this Lake wetland ecosystem, this study applied choice experiment valuation method by identifying five attributes i.e. fish stock, biodiversity, water quality, availability of water and monetary payment.  Multinomial logit, random parameter logit and latent class models were used to analyze the data collected from a sample of 200 respondents. The marginal willingness to pay for the improvement of water availability attribute is the highest which is birr 55 and it is significant at 1% level.  Respondent’s willingness to pay for an increase in the level of water quality of Lake Koka and biodiversity from current situation of the lake, other things being constant, is birr 42 and birr 12 annually respectively. Respondents gave more value to the availability of water than biodiversity and water quality attributes.
Keywords: Koka Lake; Choice experiment, multinomial logit, mixed logit; random parameter logit; latent class model

ABSTRACT
By: Aschalew Shiferaw
email: [email protected]
The objectives of this study was to identify the determinants of farmers’ decision to undertake climate change adaptation measures and their preferences for adaptation strategies in Ethiopia using a case study in Adola Rede Woreda. The data was collected from 250 sample households using a survey questionnaire and was analyzed using both descriptive statistics and econometric methods. The logit model was used to identify the determinants to climate change adaptation decision. In addition, the Rank-Ordered Logit model was used to identify the preference as well as the determinants to preferences for climate change adaptation strategies.

Results of the logit regression model show that educational level, farm size owned, number of livestock owned, access to credit, and farmers-to-farmers’ extension service are among the factors which are positively and significantly affecting the  farmers adaptation decision. However, non farm income and fertility level of the farm negatively and significantly affect farmers’ adaptation decision to climate change. Besides, the results of ROLM show that improved crop and livestock variety, Agroforestry, Changing of planting date, Soil and Water Conservation, Small Scale Irrigation and Temporary Migration are the adaptation strategy preferred by the farmers in Adola Rede in that order from the most preferred to the least preferred. The ROLM indicate that demographic, socio-economic and institutional factors determine the preferences for adaptation strategies. Therefore, the government should first understand the farmers’ preferences for climate change adaptation together with demographic, socio-economic and institutional factors in designing and implementing appropriate policy response to reduce the impacts of climate change and variability in the study area. In addition, addressing the barrier to climate change adaptation is also very important.
Key words: climate change, adaptation, agroforestry, rank ordered logit model, Adola Rede

Ecosystems are degrading rapidly due to human activities and expensive investments are needed to prevent further degradation and meet regulation targets. However, the effectiveness of these investments is contested. The concept of ecosystem services (ES) is widely accepted to link ecology and society which can help to quantify and value the impact of environmental policy and evaluate the effectiveness of investments. An ecosystem services (ES) assessment has the ability to demonstrate and compare the impact of human actions on nature and to translate scientific language into a common language for policy and the public. However, many challenges still exist in fully integrating the ES-concept in decision making processes. The overall objective of this thesis is to improve the evaluation of the impact of human activities and environmental policy actions on nature and the consequences for society.
Part 1 shows the large variety of methods that are being used to assess ES and reveals knowledge gaps in the ES field in general and the quantification of ES in particular. Part 2 demonstrates the possibilities and challenges in incorporating an ES assessment into a cost-benefit analysis to evaluate the ecological and socio-economic consequences of a diverse set of human activities (e.g. global soybean trade, mowing to manage rivers, tidal marsh restoration). The analysis of three very different cases enabled the evaluation and improvement of this method with a special focus on global flows, the distribution of costs and benefits among different stakeholders, and the impact of ecological succession on ecosystem functioning and ES delivery. Part 3 illustrates how an ES assessment can be combined with a cost-effectiveness approach to select an optimal set of management measures which are ecologically effective and cost-efficient in managing an ecosystem. This method contributes to the development of a holistic approach that enables integrated management for multiple targets and stakeholder interests.
This thesis contributes to the operationalisation of the ES tool by reviewing current methods and assessing the usability of this method for the evaluation of human activities and improvement of integrated environmental management. Remaining challenges and concerns for a successful application of an ES assessment are recognised and discussed. The applicability of the outcome of an ES assessment is discussed from the perspective of policy makers, project managers and researchers. Overall, this thesis shows that the application of ES enables the evaluation of human activities and environmental policy decisions in a balanced and integrated way with respect to ecological, social and economic interests.

Kota Langsa terletak pada koordinat 04º24'35,68" -04º 33'47,3" LU dan 97º53'14,59"-98º04'42,16" BT dengan ketinggian antara 0-25 m di atas permukaan laut dan luas 262,41 km² (BPS, 2014). Salah satu potensi yang dimiliki oleh Kota Langsa terdapat di bidang kelautan dan perikanan serta wisata. Kegiatan kelautan dan perikanan di Kota Langsa berpusat di Kuala Langsa yang didukung dengan adanya pelabuhan, TPI, dan tambak seluas 2.374 Ha. Kota Langsa menjadikan hutan mangrove di Kuala Langsa sebagai objek ekowisata dengan luas 20,8 Ha ( Huda, 2000). Kuala Langsa merupakan wilayah perairan di Kota Langsa yang terletak pada koordinat 04º31'25" LU dan 98º10'9" BT.

KEY FACTS AND FIGURES
• Mexico’s protected areas provide economic benefits and save economic costs worth almost $3.4 billion every year through storing carbon, protecting water supplies and supporting the tourism industry alone. If all their benefits were to be valued, the total figure would be far higher than this.
• This represents the equivalent of an economic return of $52 for each dollar invested in protected areas from the federal budget.
• Mexico’s protected areas save the global community around $2.5 billion each year by storing carbon, add water worth between $130 million and $260 million to the national economy, and bring tourist spending of $555 million and more than 25,000 jobs into local economies

Concept of ecosystem services has been gaining enormous popularity after the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA), 2005. Identification of ecosystem services is crucial to estimate economic values of ecosystems and calculate monetary benefits or loses against its destruction, modification or restoration. Payment for Ecosystem Service (PES) scheme for certain ecosystem service is being used as a mechanism to provide incentive to supplers of the services by the beneficiaries. In Nepal, PES like schemes are in practice since a long time; though the discussions on formal PES schemes have recently been started.
This study has been carried out at Begnas Lake Watershed (BWS), a Ramsar site, at Pokhara-Lekhnath Metropolitan of Nepal. It aims to identify the principle types of ecosystem services on the categories of ecosystem services provided by MEA i.e. provisioning, regulating, supporting and cultural services and prioritize them. It also aims to fulfill the knowledge gap on total economic value of Begnas Lake Watershed by estimating it and ouline key components of PES for the watershed. Market Price Method (MPM), Travel Cost Method (TCM), Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) and Benefit Transfer Method (BTM)  has been used to estimate its economic value. The study identifies variety of provisioning, regulating, supporting and cultural services of BWS. Recreation and ecotourism service has been prioritized most important followed by erosion control, fishing and irrigation, ground water recharge and discharge and habit for worldlife. The total economic value of BWS has been calculated to be US$ 9,744,539 year-1 and potential economic value of US$ 89,586,772. Recreational and aesthetic service is valued highest with annual value of US$ 8,592,863.
The key components of PES have been outlined based on perception of upstream and downstream communities. The willingness to pay (WTP) of watershed residents and beneficiary groups suggests the potential of PES in BWS.  The study outlines major stakeholders, existing PES mechanism, funding mechanism, SWOT analysis of priorized ES as potential PES scheme and roles of key stakeholders in PES development. The study recommends for development of PES mechanism for conservation and sustainable management of ecosystem resources for which ‘Begnas Watershed PES Advisory and Coordination Committee’ is to be formed to initiate PES mechanism development.

En la búsqueda de una respuesta al origen de la degradación
ambiental que cada vez se agudiza más en todo el planeta, salen a relucir dos causas principales -la alta densidad de población y la diferencia de ingresos entre las personas. Si en la actualidad hubiese poca población en el planeta, el medio ambiente debería estar en capacidad de biodegradar y reciclar por sí (a través de procesos naturales) todos los contaminantes generados por los seres vivientes. El número de personas que habitan el medio ambiente lo saturan, haciendo que sea incapaz de sostenerse por sí mismo, es así como aparecen los problemas de degradación ambiental que comprometen la existencia de una serie de recursos naturales y ambientales que sirven de base para los bienes y servicios que demanda la sociedad .

Por otra parte, el nivel de ingreso es también importante no
solamente debido a que la gente con altos ingresos tiende a
consumir más y por lo tanto a contaminar más. Sino también
debido a que el medio ambiente es visto como un bien suntuario.

Para la gente con bajos niveles de ingreso, que tratan de sobrevivir dentro de sus restricciones presupuestarias, es prioridad la compra y consumo de bienes básicos (de subsistencia), dejando así de un lado la compra y el consumo de bienes ambientales. De todas maneras, en la actualidad, todos los habitantes del planeta están tomando conciencia acerca del problema de la degradación ambiental y las serias consecuencias que puede representar para la
existencia y preservación de la vida en el planeta. Todo esto
conduce a que a través del tiempo las personas aprendan a valorar más al medio ambiente, tomando en cuenta sus restricciones presupuestales, las funciones de utilidades del resto de individuos en la sociedad y sus estándares de calidad de vida.

This study is part of a research project conducted to estimate environmental service value of the mangroves in Thanh Phu ward, Ben Tre province, South Vietnam to inform policy makers in applying the Payment for Forest Environmental Services program. The study set out to measure recreational value of the forest through ecotourism activities using Contingent Valuation Method with double bounded dichotomous choice model. The result shows that willingness to pay is affected by income and whether respondent thinks that environmental issues in Vietnam are properly addressed. Mean WTP calculated using parametric and nonparametric method is US $15.62 and US $12.61 respectively, which yields aggregate WTP at US $2,656,204 with a lower bound of US $2,146,273.

Ethiopia is endowed with various cultural and natural attractions from the tops of the rugged Simien Mountains to the depths of the Danakil Depression. About 14% of the total land area of country is covered by officially defined protected areas and national parks for wildlife and forest. National parks play an integral role in the conservation and preservation of biodiversity and the provision of other benefits associated with the maintenance of ecological integrity currently the most crucial policy poser in Ethiopia is sustainability and conservation of environmental resources, for their economic valuation is an effective operational tool for designing policies in relation to their sustainable use. When a market for a certain good is suitably competitive, economic behavior can be studied all the way through the market-pricing instruments but in the case of natural resource and environmental goods and services, non-marketing approach like travel cost method and willingness to pay are particular methods of economic valuation of national parks. In Ethiopia 6.8% national GDP gain by tourism and consecutively Ecotourism is on the progresses of development for the nation. The core aim of this review to provides analytical opportunities from the perspectives of conserving national park and the development tourism industry and tourism entrepreneurship. Therefore, both government and non government organization of Ethiopia has recognized development and promotion of ecotourism and provided consultancy services for conserve and potentially developers of ecotourism sites. Increasing the awareness of local communities and around attraction area towards ecotourism or nature tourism is very important.

In assessing the maladministration of property rating policies, much of the revenue losses can be traced to problems in the system of recording and valuing property. In order to identify, assess, and collect the tax on a property, a record identifying the location of the property, its characteristics to be used for valuation and the co-operation' of the owners is required. This paper details the procedures necessary for an accurate inspection and recording of the data required for rating valuation and highlights a means of ensuring acceptability of the final result only an acceptance of such results will ensure a success in the rating system.

En quarante ans, la Bretagne a subi en moyenne un naufrage de pétrolier tous les cinq ans. A chaque marée noire, le dommage écologique génère des mobilisations massives, des controverses
sur la scène publique et la remise en cause des dispositifs de régulation. Malgré son évidence sensible, ni le régime international d'indemnisation (FIPOL) ni le Droit national n'intègrent l'atteinte environnementale comme motif supplémentaire de responsabilité financière pour les opérateurs. Les dommages de la pollution sont pris en compte à travers, d'un côté, les préjudices économiques et matériels et, de l'autre, les dommages purs à la biodiversité, sous la forme d'actions de restauration des milieux naturels. Les critiques pointent la faiblesse de la dissuasion : les coûts d'une marée noire pour les acteurs du transport maritime pétrolier sont considérés
dérisoires au vu des profits et donc peu incitatifs à des comportements plus prudents. Elles réclament également la reconnaissance des dommages écologiques par le Droit, qui ouvrirait la possibilité de conséquences juridiques et économiques concrètes aux faits de pollutions et l'indemnisation des atteintes à l'environnement.
Cette recherche s'intéresse aux processus de changement vers la reconnaissance des dommages écologiques des marées noires. Il ne s'agit pas de questionner l'efficacité de la prise en compte des
dégradations environnementales par le dispositif de gestion ou les voies juridiques susceptibles de soutenir son intégration dans le Droit - déjà largement explorées - mais d'étudier les réalités du
dommage écologique et d'analyser les actions de changement mises en oeuvre par des acteurs pour susciter leur reconnaissance. Cette analyse est conduite à partir de deux cas d'étude, la marée noire de l'Amoco Cadiz (1978) et celle de l'Erika (1999).
Nous explorons une voie alternative et élargie de compréhension des atteintes de la marée noire, en considérant que la marée noire endommage aussi des relations plurielles entre hommes et
environnement. Grâce à la sociologie pragmatique développée par Thévenot dans L'action au pluriel (2006) nous montrons les réalités plurielles du dommage écologique en termes d'attachements d’hommes à des non humains, que ni la description des écologues, ni celle des attachements de type marchand ne parviennent à saisir. Par ailleurs, à partir d'une analyse stratégique de la gestion de l'environnement (Mermet et al., 2005), nous étudions la manière dont
les acteurs élaborent l'action de changement et comment celle-ci porte le dommage écologique.
Nous nous intéressons tout particulièrement à la manière dont les enjeux de l'action induisent certains choix de qualification du dommage au tribunal. La recherche propose ainsi de nouvelles connaissances sur le dommage écologique, qui pourraient en renouveler la définition (intérêt théorique). Questionner les atteintes aux attachements pourrait
également ouvrir une voie intéressante pour soutenir de nouvelles formes de justification sur la scène publique et favoriser la reconnaissance juridique des dommages écologiques (intérêt
opérationnel). Enfin, elle articule deux cadres de pensée jusque-là disjoints en sciences humaines et qui se révèlent complémentaires. En donnant à voir les réalités plurielles, individuelles et collectives, des dynamiques environnementales, cette recherche propose d'enrichir la compréhension de la mise en oeuvre d'une action de changement au-delà des analyses de l'action collective (Cefaï, 2007).

• A three-way split sample CV survey examines three different donation mechanisms • Individual contribution and PPM do not result in significantly different WTP values • WTP values estimated through PPM are not affected by project cost information • PPM has a positive effect on respon-dents' certainty level. In many instances, Contingent Valuation practitioners rely on voluntary monetary contributions, despite the fact that they are deemed to be neither incentive compatible in theory nor demand revealing in practice. The reason is that they are suitable for most field applications and offer benefits that may outweigh their drawbacks. This paper endeavors to contribute to the literature by exploring the effect of donation payments with differing incentive structures and information levels on contingent values and on respondents' uncertainty regarding the donations declared. To this end, a field survey was conducted using a sample of 332 respondents who were randomly assigned to one of three different mechanisms: (1) individual contribution (hereinafter CVM treatment); (2) individual contribution with provision point mechanism (PPM), where the total cost of the project is unknown (hereinafter PPM treatment); and (3) individual contribution with PPM, where the total cost of the project is known (hereinafter PPM-INF treatment). The results indicate that there are no statistically significant differences in willingness to pay (WTP) estimates between the CVM and PPM treatments nor between the PPM and the PPM-INF treatments. The results also indicate that the PPM has a positive effect on respondents' certainty level, but there is no evidence that the certainty level is affected by the project information cost. The results are mixed compared to previous research efforts. Thus, further tests are necessary in field comparisons and under different information environments before any definite recommendations can be made.

The only zoo of Nepal, Central Zoo, receives over 800,000 visitors annually.  Economic valuation of the zoo was conducted to identify contributions made by the zoo to the economy as well as environmental awareness level of the visitor. The relevant information was collected using questionnaire survey, key informant interview, direct observation, direct count and focus group discussion. Several economic tools, including
travel cost method, were employed for analysis.

The combination of climate change and urbanization projected to occur until 2050 poses new challenges for land-use planning, not least in terms of reducing urban vulnerability to hazards from projected increases in the frequency and intensity of climate extremes. Interest in investments in green infrastructure (interconnected systems of parks, wetlands, gardens and other green spaces), as well as in restoration of urban ecosystems as part of such adaptation strategies, is growing worldwide. Previous research has highlighted the insurance value of ecosystems in securing the supply of ecosystem services in the face of disturbance and change, yet this literature neglects urban areas even though urban populations are often highly vulnerable. We revisit the insurance value literature to examine the applicability of the concept in urban contexts, illustrating it with two case studies: watersheds providing drinking water for residents of Vancou-ver, Canada; and private gardens ensuring con-nectedness between other parts of urban green infrastructure in London, UK. Our research supports the notion that investments in green infrastructure can enhance insurance value, reducing vulnerability and the costs of adaptation to climate change and other environmental change. Although we recommend that urban authorities consider the insurance value of ecosystems in their decision-making matrix, we advise caution in relying upon monetary evaluations of insurance value. We conclude by identifying actions and management strategies oriented to maintain or enhance the insurance value of urban ecosystems. Ecosystems that are themselves resilient to external disturbances are better able to provide insurance for broader social–ecological systems.

The study of moral reasoning in relation to sustainable development is an emerging field within environmental education (EE) and education for sustainable development (ESD). The vignette method was used to evaluate the perception of the relationship between environmental and social issues in the Dutch upper elementary school children. This case study is placed within two broad areas of tension, namely between the need to address urgent environmental problems and to promote pluralistic democratic learning; and between the value of environment as an economic asset and deep ecology perspective. Results of this study indicate that the children are able to critically think about the moral dilemmas inherent in sustainable development and distinguish between different values in relation to environment.

This review focuses on the assessment and economic valuation of ecosystem services from forest ecosystems—that is, our ability to predict changes in the quantity and value of ecosystem services as a result of specific forest management decisions. It is aimed at forest economists and managers and intended to provide a useful reference to those interested in developing the practice of integrated forest modeling and valuation. We review examples of ecosystem services associated with several broad classes of potentially competing forest uses—production of timber, sequestration of carbon, regulation of the quality and quantity of water, provision of residential and recreational amenities, and protection of endangered species. For each example considered, we briefly describe what is known about ecological production functions and economic benefits functions. We also highlight the challenges and best practices in the creation and use of this knowledge. In the final section, we discuss the process, strengths, pitfalls, and limitations of utilizing integrated models for benefit-cost analysis of proposed forest management activities.

En quarante ans, la Bretagne a subi en moyenne un naufrage de petrolier tous les cinq ans. A chaque maree noire, le dommage ecologique genere des mobilisations massives, des controverses sur la scene publique et la remise en cause des dispositifs de regulation. Malgre son evidence sensible, ni le regime international d'indemnisation (FIPOL) ni le Droit national n'integrent l'atteinte environnementale comme motif supplementaire de responsabilite financiere pour les operateurs. Les dommages de la pollution sont pris en compte a travers, d'un cote, les prejudices economiques et materiels et, de l'autre, les dommages purs a la biodiversite, sous la forme d'actions de restauration des milieux naturels. Les critiques pointent la faiblesse de la dissuasion : les couts d'une maree noire pour les acteurs du transport maritime petrolier sont consideres derisoires au vu des profits et donc peu incitatifs a des comportements plus prudents. Elles reclament egalement l...

The ecosystem services of urban forests are under threat in Ghana due to continuous conversion of urban green spaces into other land uses. The loss of urban forests is contributing to decreases in resilience and increases in vulnerability of urban dwellings to flooding and windstorms. Investing in management of urban forests and including them in urban development planning is critical and can only be pursued if economic value of urban forest services are properly assessed and appreciated. In this paper the Contingent Valuation Method is used to estimate the economic value of non-market benefits of an urban forest in Ghana. Using Cost–Benefit Analysis, the monetary value of the urban forest in the course of time was estimated. The stated monetary value of the urban forest was found to be US$694,765.50. The Net Present Value of the urban green space was US$2,786,620.65. The estimated economic value covered nine times the 10-year maintenance cost of the urban green space. As a seminal work on economic valuation of a standing urban forest in Ghana, it is envisaged that the results will inspire further research in this field, and demonstrate the need for investment in creation and management of urban forests.

Nature is perceived and valued in starkly different and often conflicting ways. This paper presents the rationale for the inclusive valuation of nature's contributions to people (NCP) in decision making, as well as broad methodological steps for doing so. While developed within the context of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), this approach is more widely applicable to initiatives at the knowledge-policy interface, which require a pluralistic approach to recognizing the diversity of values. We argue that transformative practices aiming at sustainable futures would benefit from embracing such diversity, which require recognizing and addressing power relationships across stakeholder groups that hold different values on human naturerelations and NCP.

Surely, ‘money is one of the most timeless, all-pervading, and arbitrary inventionsin human history’ (Haselgrove and Krmnicek 2012, 235), yet it is possible to differentiate three different stages of monetary use and the estimation of value. Exchange is considered as the key to assessing the precise value of commodities. Hence it is of primary importance to understand how exchange was conducted. During the first stage, which began at an uncertain date within the Stone Age, various substances were considered as valuables and could have functioned as some form of currency, yet their range was limited by many factors, not least by social constraints. This was still very much the case during the Copper Age, even if metals now offered new and fantastic possibilities for defining value and creating money. On present evidence it cannot
be established whether objects standardised by size (aes formatum) existed on a large scale at this period. A relationship between value and mass was apparently not yet established. Only in the Bronze Age did the invention of weights and scales enable such a nexus, marking the second stage. This step created a highly precise medium for exchange, as a method of payment and a standard of value. Metal was clearly now a currency. These innovations were more revolutionary than the appearance of coins in the Iron Age, the threshold of the third stage of fundamental monetary developments.

This paper discusses the research protocol adopted at the Leverhulme Centre for the Study of Value. The analytical power of the protocol’s concepts, influenced by Actor Network Theory, is weighed against Marxist theoretical contributions on value. The Centre’s focus on valuation processes is complemented by an investigation of the relation between valuation processes and the production of value. Theoretical considerations are interspersed with empirical ones relating to agricultural production and the valuation processes of land and water resources. The main argument is that valuation processes attached to the commodification of natural resources, such as land and water, are to be understood as ideological tools conferring an appearance of naturalness to capitalist conceptions of value. Because of that, the politics of the value relation are to be spelled out as a constitutive moment of the ideological function of the politics of property relations in capitalist society. From this derives that valuation processes are best understood in conjunction with the operations of the law of value, rather than as autonomous entities with a distinctive meaning; and that the labour theory of value is to be retained as the underlying theoretical principle which props up valuation processes. Under this light, valuation processes are understood beyond their material fixity in their uniquely ideological function. While they do not pertain directly to production and consumption, they mediate the extraction of rent - a deduction of value produced in the different sectors of the economy. On the basis of this theoretical anchoring, the paper concludes with a presentation of the research stream on African agriculture, value and valuation.

Arunachal Pradesh state of India has about twelve percent of its geographical area under
protected area network against the national average of five percent. Pakke Tiger Reserve (PTR)
forms an important portion of this network in the state. Tropical forest ecosystem of this reserve
provides a continual flow of vital life supporting ecological, economic, social and cultural
services at regional, national and global level. Economic valuation of these services can be used
as a tool to estimate true value of natural capital contained therein and help in framing
appropriate public policy emphasizing more investments in wildlife sector. An effort has been
made in the present paper to make a conservative estimate of major ecosystem services emanating
from this reserve. Annual flow benefits worth Rs 8.25 billion and stock worth Rs 144.30 billion
make it a unique asset in the North East region of the country. Nature based tourism has immense
potential in this reserve, which has not been explored yet fully to ensure livelihood and ecological security to local community