Incorporating environmental costs of ecosystem service loss in political decision making: A synthesis of monetary values for Germany.

ABSTRACT: Germany faces on-going degradation and biodiversity loss. As a consequence, goods and services provided by biodiversity for human well-being, so-called ecosystem services, are being lost. The associated economic costs and benefits are often unknown. To fill this gap, we conducted a literature review and developed a database of monetary values for the changes in ecosystem services that result from ecosystem change in Germany. In total, 109 monetary valuation studies of regulating and cultural ecosystem services were identified, with the majority focusing on forests and wetlands. In collaboration with valuation experts and the German Federal Environment Agency-Umweltbundesamt (UBA), we defined a set of criteria that economic valuation studies should meet in order to qualify for being used in

SUBMITTER: Forster J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6373920 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature