The Economic Valuation Of Non Marketed Forest Benefits In Saxony

Diploma Thesis from the year 2010 in the subject Economy - Environment economics, grade: 1,5, University of Bayreuth (Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research), language: English, abstract: This thesis investigates the potential and limitation of benefit transfer application for the economic valuation of non-marketed forest benefits in Saxony. This time- and cost saving valuation technique can support political and business decisions by transferring monetary costs and benefits from environmental changes from a studied to an unstudied site. As benefit transfer is currently not applied in Saxony, the question becomes how far it can contribute to a better-informed regional decision procedure. To elicit the methodological experiences of this application field, a literature review investigates the technical state of the art. From a methodological perspective, research and application manages spatial, temporal, and ecological site differences and accuracy tests very heterogeneously. The majority refines function transfer with varying models methodologically, drawing on primary valuation studies on forest recreation. A minor fraction concentrates on applications with simplistic unit transfer are of a likewise technically inconsistent manner. Absence of homogeneous ethodological performance and experiences suggest an application of unit transfer for Saxony following a guideline by Navrud (2010). In a compact manner it guides a benefit transfer application on forest benefits. A transfer of a WTP for forest biodiversity demonstrates income-adjusted unit transfer to be principally possible for contexts requiring knowledge gains. However, under current conditions it faces distinct limitations. Valuation is restricted to a small empirical pool on non-marketed forest benefits in such a way that most indirect use and non-use values remain unapproachable. Therefore, further primary valuation studies are fruitful additions to enlarge the number of appraisable benefits. If thorough benefit transfers are pursued in Saxony, incomeadjusted unit transfer is recommended according to Navrud’s (2010) guideline to enable a methodological homogeneous and well-reported valuation. Further, the literature should be collected from databases with empirical studies satisfying the criteria of site similarity. Facilitating a regular prospective application in Saxony, interest and demand needs to be raised to create a legal framework for the internalization of non-marketed forest benefits in political and business decisions.

Focuses on recent advances in the economic evaluation of forestry activities and, in particular, on how techniques for valuing non-timber forest benefits in monetary terms can assist the development of forest policy and management systems.

It is increasingly recognized that the economic value of forests is not merely the production of timber. Forests provide other key ecosystem services, such as being sinks for greenhouse gases, hotspots of biodiversity, tourism and recreation. They are also vitally important in preventing soil erosion and controlling water supplies, as well as providing non-timber forest products and supporting the livelihoods of many local people. This handbook provides a detailed, comprehensive and broad coverage of forest economics, including traditional forest economics of timber production, economics of environmental role of forests, and recent developments in forest economics. The chapters are grouped into six parts: fundamental topics in forest resource economics; economics of forest ecosystems; economics of forests, climate change, and bioenergy; economics of risk, uncertainty, and natural disturbances; economics of forest property rights and certification; and emerging issues and developments. Written by leading environmental, forest, and natural resource economists, the book represents a definitive reference volume for students of economics, environment, forestry and natural resource economics and management.