14 February 2024 | L.M. Brander, R. de Groot, J.P. Schägner, V. Guisado-Goñi, V. van 't Hoff, S. Solomonides, A. McVittie, F. Eppink, M. Sposato, L. Do, A. Ghermandi, M. Sinclair, R. Thomas
This paper presents a global synthesis of economic values for ecosystem services provided by 15 terrestrial and marine biomes, based on over 1,300 studies and 9,400 value estimates in monetary units. The Ecosystem Services Valuation Database (ESVD) has been significantly expanded since its initial description in 2012, providing a comprehensive resource for exploring developments in valuation methods and contexts. The paper provides summary values for 23 ecosystem services from 15 biomes, standardized to a common currency (tuna/ha/year at 2020 price levels). Despite global coverage, the data are not evenly distributed, with a higher representation of European ecosystems and less information for Russia, Central Asia, and North Africa. The distribution of data across ecosystem services is also uneven, with some services well represented and others with few value estimates.
The demand for information on the economic value of ecosystem services has increased, driven by efforts to improve the conservation and management of natural capital. The literature is evolving to meet this demand, but targeted and refined valuation research is needed to ensure data certainty, comparability, and representativeness. The paper identifies avenues for future development, including expanding data coverage, improving data quality, and enhancing the database's functionality to support decision-making in various policy contexts.This paper presents a global synthesis of economic values for ecosystem services provided by 15 terrestrial and marine biomes, based on over 1,300 studies and 9,400 value estimates in monetary units. The Ecosystem Services Valuation Database (ESVD) has been significantly expanded since its initial description in 2012, providing a comprehensive resource for exploring developments in valuation methods and contexts. The paper provides summary values for 23 ecosystem services from 15 biomes, standardized to a common currency (tuna/ha/year at 2020 price levels). Despite global coverage, the data are not evenly distributed, with a higher representation of European ecosystems and less information for Russia, Central Asia, and North Africa. The distribution of data across ecosystem services is also uneven, with some services well represented and others with few value estimates.
The demand for information on the economic value of ecosystem services has increased, driven by efforts to improve the conservation and management of natural capital. The literature is evolving to meet this demand, but targeted and refined valuation research is needed to ensure data certainty, comparability, and representativeness. The paper identifies avenues for future development, including expanding data coverage, improving data quality, and enhancing the database's functionality to support decision-making in various policy contexts.