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Economic Valuation of Wetlands: Overview

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The Wetland Book

Abstract

The continued loss and degradation of wetlands and the role of economic drivers therein, urgently call for communicating the diverse values of wetlands, and the consequences of loss of vital ecosystem services, in the language of the world’s dominant economic and ecological paradigms. Economic valuation helps bridge this communication gap by enabling expression of the impact of public and private decisions on ecosystem service values in comparable metrics. A fuller and meaningful application of economic valuation assessments merits can be enabled by understanding of why valuation is needed, whose and what values are important, how to derive values and ultimately ensure integration in decision making processes. As akin to various assessment tools, economic valuation is also associated with uncertainty of various forms and levels, which need to be understood for a meaningful application. Valuation in general, and economic valuation in particular, is an evolving field, and needs to be continually enriched with better understanding of ecosystem functioning and plurality of values.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wetlands International South Asia, Defence Colony, New Delhi, 110024, India

    Ritesh Kumar

Authors
  1. Ritesh Kumar
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ritesh Kumar .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, Australia

    C. Max Finlayson

  2. International Water Security Network, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK

    Mark Everard

  3. UNESCO-IHE, Institute for Water Education, Delft, The Netherlands

    Kenneth Irvine

  4. RM Wetlands and Environment Ltd., Littleworth, Oxfordshire, UK

    Robert J. McInnes

  5. U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Lafayette, LA, USA

    Beth A. Middleton

  6. Aquatic Ecosystems Group, Department of Water Science and Engineering, UNESCO-IHE, Institute for Water Education, Delft, The Netherlands

    Anne A. van Dam

  7. Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, Australia

    Nick C. Davidson

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Kumar, R. (2018). Economic Valuation of Wetlands: Overview. In: Finlayson, C.M., et al. The Wetland Book. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9659-3_296

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