Direct use values of forest ecosystem have been recognized apparently due toits easy and convenient assessment, while indirect use values are usually neglected because they arenot easy to be recognized by the public. ...Direct use values of forest ecosystem have been recognized apparently due toits easy and convenient assessment, while indirect use values are usually neglected because they arenot easy to be recognized by the public. For a nature reserve with forest ecosystem, the mostimportant economic values are the indirect use values, which provide human beings and other livingthings with beneficial services through ecological processes and functions. In this case study, aquantifying framework to estimate the annual indirect use values of forest ecosystem has beenestablished in Yaoluoping National Nature Reserve based on alternative cost method and opportunitycost method. The ecological functions assessed in the study relate to six aspects: soil protection,water conservation, CO_2 fixation, nutrient cycling, pollutant decomposition and disease and pestcontrol. These ecological functions provide an economic value of 86.1xl0~6 yuan (RMB) per year(US$10.37xl0~6), which is 25 times higher than the opportunity cost for regular timber production.This study can contribute to the monetary assessment of indirect use values of forest biodiversityand to the conservation and sustainable use of nature reserves.展开更多
文摘Direct use values of forest ecosystem have been recognized apparently due toits easy and convenient assessment, while indirect use values are usually neglected because they arenot easy to be recognized by the public. For a nature reserve with forest ecosystem, the mostimportant economic values are the indirect use values, which provide human beings and other livingthings with beneficial services through ecological processes and functions. In this case study, aquantifying framework to estimate the annual indirect use values of forest ecosystem has beenestablished in Yaoluoping National Nature Reserve based on alternative cost method and opportunitycost method. The ecological functions assessed in the study relate to six aspects: soil protection,water conservation, CO_2 fixation, nutrient cycling, pollutant decomposition and disease and pestcontrol. These ecological functions provide an economic value of 86.1xl0~6 yuan (RMB) per year(US$10.37xl0~6), which is 25 times higher than the opportunity cost for regular timber production.This study can contribute to the monetary assessment of indirect use values of forest biodiversityand to the conservation and sustainable use of nature reserves.
