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The Value of Biodiversity (Readings (Ecological and Environmental…
The Value of Biodiversity
Readings
Use Values
Direct use values
examples
Productive use value
resources that are harvested from the wild and sold in national/international commercial markets
Consumptive use value
local goods that do not leave an area
Indirect use values
examples
Water and soil protection
wetland ecosystem services include waste treatment, water purification, and flood control
Climate regulation
plants help regulate local climates
Ecosystem productivity
as species are lost, overall productivity declines
Amenity value
exerience of nature can be enjoyable and improve health
Educational and scientific value
Option Value
Bioprospecting
The search for new plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms that can provide some economic value in the future
The potential of biodiversity to provide an economic benefit to human society at some point in the future
Environmental Ethics
Ethical values
intrinsic value
each species has a right to exist
species/ecosystems are interdependent, so all parts of nature should be protected
Deep Ecology
"the intuition that all things in the biosphere have an equal right to live and blossom and to reach their own individual forms of unfolding"
Ecological and Environmental Economics
Cost-benefit analysis
precautionary principle
the risk of a project may be greater than the benefit
ex. wind turbines that could harm endangered birds
Compares the benefits gained against the costs of a project
Financing conservation
Cost-effectiveness analysis
How to get the most benefit with our budget
Ecosystem Services
Proisioning services
material/energy output of an ecosystem
Regulating services
regulate quality of air, water, and soil
Cultural services
inspiration for art, design, music, and other cultural expressions
Measuring an Economy
GDP
GPI
EPI
Non-use Values
existence value
Lecture
economic approaches inform conservation
GDP - gross domestic product
GPI - genuine progress indicator
ecosystem services are generally not considered in economic calculations, but are critically important
tragedy of the commons
The Tragedy of the Commons (TotC) is when unregulated use of a public resource leads to its ruination.
more unregulated land in the west
use and non-use values
use values
direct use
consumptive values
things we can eat
productive values
things we can sell
indirect uses
regulating ecosystem services
services such as clean air, water, and climate
cultural ecosystem services
services such as recreation, education, and science
non-use values
option value
potential future benefits of biodiversity
existence values
benefits obtained from knowing biodiversity exists
ethical arguments in support of species/ecosystem conservation
Species have an intrinsic right to exist
Economic value not required
Don’t have to be pretty
Species are interdependent
The system as a whole is the appropriate survival unit
Moral obligation for stewardship
“If God created the world, then presumably the species God created have value.”
Moral obligation to future generations
“We are borrowing the Earth from future generations.”
Degradation of the Earth reduces quality of life
Degradation of the environment degrades human health
Disproportionate effects on economically disadvantaged & minority populations
Environmental justice
Biodiversity provides quality of life benefits
Aesthetics
Recreation
Knowledge