Valuing Ecosystem Services

Valuing Ecosystem Services
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 291
Release: 2005-05-14
Genre: Science
ISBN: 030909318X

Nutrient recycling, habitat for plants and animals, flood control, and water supply are among the many beneficial services provided by aquatic ecosystems. In making decisions about human activities, such as draining a wetland for a housing development, it is essential to consider both the value of the development and the value of the ecosystem services that could be lost. Despite a growing recognition of the importance of ecosystem services, their value is often overlooked in environmental decision-making. This report identifies methods for assigning economic value to ecosystem servicesâ€"even intangible onesâ€"and calls for greater collaboration between ecologists and economists in such efforts.

A Primer on Nonmarket Valuation

A Primer on Nonmarket Valuation
Author: Patricia A. Champ
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 508
Release: 2017-02-08
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9400771045

This is a practical book with clear descriptions of the most commonly used nonmarket methods. The first chapters of the book provide the context and theoretical foundation of nonmarket valuation along with a discussion of data collection procedures. The middle chapters describe the major stated- and revealed-preference valuation methods. For each method, the steps involved in implementation are laid out and carefully explained with supporting references from the published literature. The final chapters of the book examine the relevance of experimentation to economic valuation, the transfer of existing nonmarket values to new settings, and assessments of the reliability and validity of nonmarket values. The book is relevant to individuals in many professions at all career levels. Professionals in government agencies, attorneys involved with natural resource damage assessments, graduate students, and others will appreciate the thorough descriptions of how to design, implement, and analyze a nonmarket valuation study.

Valuing Environmental and Natural Resources

Valuing Environmental and Natural Resources
Author: Timothy C. Haab
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 343
Release: 2002-01-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1843765438

Non-market valuation has become a broadly accepted and widely practiced means of measuring the economic values of the environment and natural resources. In this book, the authors provide a guide to the statistical and econometric practices that economists employ in estimating non-market values. The authors develop the econometric models that underlie the basic methods: contingent valuation, travel cost models, random utility models and hedonic models. They analyze the measurement of non-market values as a procedure with two steps: the estimation of parameters of demand and preference functions and the calculation of benefits from the estimated models. Each of the models is carefully developed from the preference function to the behavioral or response function that researchers observe. The models are then illustrated with datasets that characterize the kinds of data researchers typically deal with. The real world data and clarity of writing in this book will appeal to environmental economists, students, researchers and practitioners in multilateral banks and government agencies.

Determining the Economic Value of Water

Determining the Economic Value of Water
Author: Robert A. Young
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 359
Release: 2014-07-23
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1135040524

Water provides benefits as a commodity for agriculture, industry, and households, and as a public good such as fisheries habitat, water quality and recreational use. To aid in cost-benefit analysis under conditions where market determined price signals are usually unavailable, economists have developed a range of alternative valuation methods for measuring economic benefits. This volume provides the most comprehensive exposition to-date of the application of economic valuation methods to proposed water resources investments and policies. It provides a conceptual framework for valuation of both commodity and public good uses of water, addressing non-market valuation techniques appropriate to measuring public benefits - including water quality improvement, recreation, and fish habitat enhancement. The book describes the various measurement methods, illustrates how they are applied in practice, and discusses their strengths, limitations, and appropriate roles. In this second edition, all chapters have been thoroughly updated, and in particular the coverage of water markets and valuation of ecosystem services from water has been expanded. Robert Young, author of the 2005 edition, has been joined for this new edition by John Loomis, who brings additional expertise on ecosystem services and the environmental economics of water for recreational and other public good uses of water.

Markets and the Environment, Second Edition

Markets and the Environment, Second Edition
Author: Nathaniel O. Keohane
Publisher: Island Press
Total Pages: 328
Release: 2016-01-05
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1610916077

"A clear grasp of economics is essential to understanding why environmental problems arise and how we can address them. ... Now thoroughly revised with updated information on current environmental policy and real-world examples of market-based instruments .... The authors provide a concise yet thorough introduction to the economic theory of environmental policy and natural resource management. They begin with an overview of environmental economics before exploring topics including cost-benefit analysis, market failures and successes, and economic growth and sustainability. Readers of the first edition will notice new analysis of cost estimation as well as specific market instruments, including municipal water pricing and waste disposal. Particular attention is paid to behavioral economics and cap-and-trade programs for carbon."--Publisher's web site.

Environmental and Resource Valuation with Revealed Preferences

Environmental and Resource Valuation with Revealed Preferences
Author: Nancy E. Bockstael
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 385
Release: 2007-03-31
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1402053185

This book provides a systematic review of those economic approaches for valuing the environment and natural resources that use information on what people do, not what they say. The authors have worked on models of revealed preferences for valuing environmental and natural resources for several decades. The book provides a candid review of the major conceptual challenges and an exploration of neglected issues in the literature.

Valuing Environmental Amenities Using Stated Choice Studies

Valuing Environmental Amenities Using Stated Choice Studies
Author: Barbara J. Kanninen
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 344
Release: 2007-05-31
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1402053134

This book provides practical, research-based advice on how to conduct high-quality stated choice studies. It covers every aspect of the topic, from planning and writing the survey, to analyzing results, to evaluating quality. There is no other book on the market today that so thoroughly addresses the methodology of stated choice. Chapters are written by top-notch academics and practitioners in an accessible style, offering practical, tough advice.

Economic Valuation with Stated Preference Techniques

Economic Valuation with Stated Preference Techniques
Author: Ian Bateman
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 490
Release: 2002
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

This manual offers a detailed, up-to-date explanation of how to carry out stated preference techniques. The techniques use surveys to ask individuals how much they would be willing to pay or willing to accept in compensation for gains or losses of non-market goods and services. Applications of the technique include changes in air and water quality; noise nuisance; health care; risk; recorded heritage; cultural assets; habitats; Landscape and so on. It shows how to choose the most appropriate technique and how to design the questionnaires. Detailed advice on econometric analysis is provided, as well as explanation of the pitfalls that need to be avoided.

Benefit Transfer of Environmental and Resource Values

Benefit Transfer of Environmental and Resource Values
Author: Robert J. Johnston
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 583
Release: 2015-06-02
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 940179930X

This book provides a comprehensive review of environmental benefit transfer methods, issues and challenges, covering topics relevant to researchers and practitioners. Early chapters provide accessible introductory materials suitable for non-economists. These chapters also detail how benefit transfer is used within the policy process. Later chapters cover more advanced topics suited to valuation researchers, graduate students and those with similar knowledge of economic and statistical theory and methods. This book provides the most complete coverage of environmental benefit transfer methods available in a single location. The book targets a wide audience, including undergraduate and graduate students, practitioners in economics and other disciplines looking for a one-stop handbook covering benefit transfer topics and those who wish to apply or evaluate benefit transfer methods. It is designed for those both with and without training in economics

The Choice Modelling Approach to Environmental Valuation

The Choice Modelling Approach to Environmental Valuation
Author: Jeff Bennett
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2001-01-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9781781956601

'. . . a very useful single source for those interested in environmental evaluation using choice models.' - David A. Hensher, Australian Journal of Environmental Management '. . . this book can serve as a firm basis to start understanding what CM is about. . .' - Jesús Barreiro Hurlé, European Review of Agricultural Economics Choice Modelling is a technique that has recently emerged as a means of estimating the demand for environmental goods and the benefits and costs associated with them. The aims of the book are fourfold: * to introduce the technique in the environmental context * to demonstrate its use in a range of case studies * to provide insights into some methodological issues * to explore the prospects for the technique.