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Partitioning Stakeholders for the Economic Valuation of Ecosystem Services: Examples of a Mangrove System

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Abstract

Although the importance of ecosystem services provided by natural forests, especially mangroves, is well known, the destruction of these environments is still ubiquitous and therefore protection measures are urgently needed. The present study compares the current approach of economic valuation of ecosystem services to a proposed one, using a study case of a mangrove system as an example. We suggest that a cost-benefit analysis for economically valuing environmental services should be performed with three additional modifications consisting of (i) a categorization of local stakeholders as demanders of particular ecosystem services, (ii) acknowledgement of the government as one of these demander groups, and (iii) the inclusion of opportunity costs in the valuation. The application of this approach to the mangrove area in the east portion of Great Abaco Island, the Bahamas, reveals that not only the ecosystem services received differ between demander groups, but the monetary benefits and costs are also specific to each of these groups. We show that the economic valuation of the ecosystem should be differentiated for each category, instead of being calculated as a net ‘societal value’ as it is currently. Applying this categorization of demanders enables a better understanding of the cost and benefit structure of the protection of a natural area. The present paper aims to facilitate discussions regarding benefit and cost sharing related to the protection of natural areas.

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Acknowledgments

We are deeply thankful for all help provided by Professor Peter Deegen who we acknowledge as essential for the production of this paper. Two anonymous reviewers provided insightful comments, which helped us to improve our manuscript substantially. We also would like to thank all the staff from Friends of the Environment NGO, especially Olivia Patterson, Kristin Williams and d’Shan Maycock, and the Bahamas National Trust, especially David Knowles, as this study would not have been possible without their help. Likewise, we would like to thank Jody E. Albury and Margo S. Albury, as well as Troy Albury from Diveguana and Theresa Albury from Froggies, and Mr. Cornish from the Department of Fisheries Office and the Tourism Office in Marsh Harbour. The scholarship provided for the first author by Erasmus Mundus/SUTROFOR Program was also essential for the completion of the present study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Forest Botany and Forest Zoology, TU Dresden Postfach 1117, 01735, Tharandt, Germany

    Tatiane Micheletti

  2. Institute for International Forestry and Wood Industry, TU Dresden Postfach 1117, 01735, Tharandt, Germany

    François Jost

  3. Institute of Forest Growth and Forest Computer Sciences, TU Dresden Postfach 1117, 01735, Tharandt, Germany

    Uta Berger

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  1. Tatiane Micheletti
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  2. François Jost
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  3. Uta Berger
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Correspondence to Tatiane Micheletti.

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Table 5 Numbers, explanations, and origins of the data used in the models
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Micheletti, T., Jost, F. & Berger, U. Partitioning Stakeholders for the Economic Valuation of Ecosystem Services: Examples of a Mangrove System. Nat Resour Res 25, 331–345 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-015-9284-x

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