Global estimates of the value of ecosystems and their services in monetary units

TLDR

Over‑exploitation of ecosystems undermines the livelihoods of the poor and future generations, and the loss of positive externalities after land‑use conversion highlights the need for better accounting of ecosystem public goods to improve conservation decision‑making. This paper aims to provide an overview of the monetary value of ecosystem services across ten major biomes. The authors compiled 1,350 value estimates from more than 320 studies covering over 300 locations, stored them in the Ecosystem Service Value Database, and analyzed a subset of 665 estimates. The analysis shows that ecosystem services are worth between 490 and 350,000 international dollars per hectare per year, with most of this value lying outside the market and best regarded as non‑tradable public benefits.

Abstract

This paper gives an overview of the value of ecosystem services of 10 main biomes expressed in monetary units. In total, over 320 publications were screened covering over 300 case study locations. Approximately 1350 value estimates were coded and stored in a searchable Ecosystem Service Value Database (ESVD). A selection of 665 value estimates was used for the analysis. Acknowledging the uncertainties and contextual nature of any valuation, the analysis shows that the total value of ecosystem services is considerable and ranges between 490 int$/year for the total bundle of ecosystem services that can potentially be provided by an 'average' hectare of open oceans to almost 350,000 int$/year for the potential services of an 'average' hectare of coral reefs. More importantly, our results show that most of this value is outside the market and best considered as non-tradable public benefits. The continued over-exploitation of ecosystems thus comes at the expense of the livelihood of the poor and future generations. Given that many of the positive externalities of ecosystems are lost or strongly reduced after land use conversion better accounting for the public goods and services provided by ecosystems is crucial to improve decision making and institutions for biodiversity conservation and sustainable ecosystem management.