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GIS-Based Mapping of Ecosystem Services: The Case of Coral Reefs

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Benefit Transfer of Environmental and Resource Values

Part of the book series: The Economics of Non-Market Goods and Resources ((ENGO,volume 14))

Abstract

This chapter illustrates the process of mapping ecosystem service values with an application to coral reef recreational values in Southeast Asia . The case study provides an estimate of the value of reef-related recreation foregone, due to the decline in coral reef area in Southeast Asia , under a baseline scenario for the period 2000–2050. This value is estimated by combining a visitor model , meta-analytic value function and spatial data on individual coral reef ecosystems to produce site-specific values. Values are mapped in order to communicate the spatial variability in the value of coral reef degradation. Although the aggregated change in the value of reef-related recreation due to ecosystem degradation is not high, there is substantial spatial variation in welfare losses, which is potentially useful information for targeting conservation efforts.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Reef Check is a volunteer survey program that has collected biophysical and visitor data at reef sites for more than 3000 survey sites in 80 countries globally since 1997 (see: www.reefcheck.org).

  2. 2.

    The software used is MLwiN version 2.0 (see Rasbash et al. 2003).

  3. 3.

    The conceptual basis of gross cell product (GCP) is the same as gross domestic product (GDP) as developed in national income accounts. The basic measure of output is gross value added in a specific geographical region. Gross value added is defined as total production of market goods and services less purchases from other businesses. Under the principles of national economic accounting, GCP will aggregate up across all cells within a country to GDP (Nordhaus et al. 2006). This variable is correlated with population, but not perfectly.

  4. 4.

    We test the influence of unobserved reef specific effects using a likelihood ratio test, for which the null hypothesis is that σ 2 u  = 0. We compare the estimated model with a model where σ 2 u is constrained to equal zero, i.e., a single level model. The value of the likelihood ratio statistic is 5157.32−4447.87 = 709.442. Comparing this to a chi-squared distribution on 1 degree of freedom, we conclude that there are significant unobserved differences between reef sites.

  5. 5.

    Including Hawaii.

  6. 6.

    http://data.worldbank.org/data-catalog/world-development-indicators.

  7. 7.

    The omitted category of reef-related recreation is a general category of “other” activities, including the viewing of coral reefs from boats. Our prior expectation is that the value of diving would be higher than other reef-related recreational activities. We do not, however, find evidence that the value of diving is different from recreational fishing or reef viewing. These activities can evidently also be of high recreational value.

  8. 8.

    The regional mean proportional changes in visitor numbers and value per visit are −6 and −12.5 % for a −27 % change in the area of coral cover.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Economics, Institute for Environmental Studies, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Luke M. Brander, Pieter J. H. van Beukering & Alfred Wagtendonk

  2. Kadoorie Institute, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong

    Luke M. Brander

  3. Landcare Research, Auckland, New Zealand

    Florian V. Eppink

  4. Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, Technical University Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Philipp Schägner

Authors
  1. Luke M. Brander
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  2. Florian V. Eppink
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  4. Pieter J. H. van Beukering
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  5. Alfred Wagtendonk
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Correspondence to Luke M. Brander .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Economics and George Perkins Marsh Institute, Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

    Robert J. Johnston

  2. School of Business and Law, CQUniversity, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia

    John Rolfe

  3. Dept. of Forest Ecosystems & Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA

    Randall S. Rosenberger

  4. Department of Environmental Economics, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Roy Brouwer

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Brander, L.M., Eppink, F.V., Schägner, P., van Beukering, P.J.H., Wagtendonk, A. (2015). GIS-Based Mapping of Ecosystem Services: The Case of Coral Reefs. In: Johnston, R., Rolfe, J., Rosenberger, R., Brouwer, R. (eds) Benefit Transfer of Environmental and Resource Values. The Economics of Non-Market Goods and Resources, vol 14. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9930-0_20

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