Understanding and Accounting for the Spatial Geography of Ecosystem Goods and Services: An Example f

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Understanding and Accounting for the Spatial
Geography of Ecosystem Goods and Services An
Example from the National Science Foundation
Baltimore Ecosystem Project
BES National Science Foundation L.T.E.R. Annual
Science Meeting 10/21/04 Matthew A. Wilson PhD.
Treg Christopher School of Business
Administration And The Gund Institute for
Ecological Economics University of Vermont 211
Kalkin Hall [phone] wilson_at_bsad.uvm.edu
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Ecosystem services represent the benefits human
populations derive, directly or indirectly, from
functioning ecosystems
Advantages

• Helps to bring together ecological and economic
  concepts
• Makes use of available economic tools and
  methods to place values on ecological systems
• Can be used to by scientists and politicians to
  evaluate tradeoffs between land use development
  and conservation alternatives.

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Collaborators and Partners
New Book Chapter
Wilson, Matthew A, Austin Troy, and Robert
Costanza 2003. The Economic Geography of
Ecosystem Goods and Services Revealing the
Monetary Value of Landscapes through Transfer
Methods and Geographic Information Systems. In
Dietrich and Van Der Straaten (eds.) Cultural
Landscapes and Land Use. Kluwer Academic
Publishers (In Press).
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The Ecosystem Service Concept
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Typology of Ecosystem Goods and Services

• The MA (2003) provides a useful way of grouping
  services into four basic categories based on
  their functional characteristics
• Regulating Services ecosystems regulate
  essential ecological processes and life support
  systems through bio-geochemical cycles and other
  biospheric processes. These include things like
  climate regulation, disturbance moderation and
  waste treatment.
• Provisioning Services the provisioning function
  of ecosystems supply a large variety of ecosystem
  goods and other services for human consumption,
  ranging from food and raw materials to energy
  resources and genetic material.
• Cultural Services ecosystems provide an
  essential reference function and contribute to
  the maintenance of human health and well being by
  providing spiritual fulfillment, historic
  integrity, recreation and aesthetics.
• Supporting Services ecosystems also provide a
  range of services that are necessary for the
  production of the other three service categories.
  These include nutrient cycling, soil formation
  and soil retention.

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Framework for Integrated Assessment and Valuation
of Ecosystem Functions, Goods and Services

Historical Land Use

• Land Use
• Management Policy

• Individuals
• Social Institutions

Ecosystem Goods Services
Ecosystem Structures Processes
Human Value Goals

• Income Maximization,
• Life Expectancy,
• Health,
• Recreational Opportunities
• Aesthetic Needs etc.

Biophysical Drivers
Adapted from DeGroot, Wilson and Boumans 2002 A
typology for the description, classification, and
valuation of ecosystem functions, goods and
services Ecological Economics 41(3) pp. 393-420.
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Value Transfer Methodology
Value transfer is a methodology which obtains an
estimate for the economic value of goods or
services through the analysis of a published
study, or group of studies, that have been
previously carried out. The transfer applies
economic values and other information from the
original study site to a policy site. The
underlying assumption is that the economic value
of ecosystem goods or services at the study site
can be inferred with sufficient accuracy from the
analysis of existing valuation studies.
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Total Value of Ecosystem Services ( ha-1 per
year)
V(ESk)
Where A(LUi) Area of iln (Land Use in hectares)
and V(ESki) Annual value of kln ES (Ecosystem
Services) for each iln LU (in /ha/yr).
Once we have selected empirical valuation
studies, inputted them into the relational
database, and standardized estimates for value
transfer, we assign the resulting value estimate
to the appropriate land cover categories in a
spatially explicit manner.
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Relationship Between Land Cover and Ecosystem
Services
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The EcoValue WebSite
http//ecovalue.uvm.edu

• BES Synthesis Concepts Used
• Ecosystem Services
• Watersheds

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Welcome Portal
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The Maryland Module
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The Query Window
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Query Results for Patapsco River(ES x Land Cover)
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Query Results for Gwynns Falls(ES x Land Cover)
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Products and Outcomes To Date

• 2003 LTER All Science Meeting Workshop and
  Synthesis Planning Report
• Wilson, Matthew A., Roelof Boumans, Steve
  Carpenter, Dan Childers, Robert Costanza, Ted
  Gragson, Morgan Grove, Craig Harris, Steve
  Hamburg, Chuck Hopkinson, Steward Pickett, and
  Austin Troy. (2003). Understanding and Accounting
  for Ecosystem Goods and Services Synthesizing
  Research across the LTER Network. A Report to the
  LTER Network Office Executive Planning Grant
  Committee. October, 2003.

• 2004 LTER Network Planning Grant Funded
• Wilson, MA. And Childers, D. Performing
  Network-level Synthesis by Quantifying Ecosystem
  Goods and Services at LTER Sites Representing a
  Range of Engineered and Designed Ecosystems
  National Science Foundation, Long Term Ecological
  Network. 01/04-01/05.

• 2004 Book Chapter Published
• Wilson, Matthew A, Austin Troy, and Robert
  Costanza 2004. The Economic Geography of
  Ecosystem Goods and Services Revealing the
  Monetary Value of Landscapes through Transfer
  Methods and Geographic Information Systems. In
  Dietrich and Van Der Straaten (eds.) Cultural
  Landscapes and Land Use. Kluwer Academic
  Publishers.

• June 2004 National Center for Ecological
  Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) Working Group
  Meeting.
• Understanding, Valuing and Managing ecosystems
  under stress Synthesizing across the LTER
  network.

5. 2004 Participate in forthcoming LTER
Group of 100 in Cocoa Beach, Florida for
Network-Level Synthesis Planning.
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Thank You!
Matthew A. Wilson PhD The Gund Institute for
Ecological Economics School of Business
Administration Email Wilson_at_bsad.uvm.edu EcoV
alue Website http//ecovalue.uvm.edu