chapter 3 Flashcards
The value of biodiversity
“By destroying biodiversity we are truly losing something of value”.
But what exactly are we losing?
Idea of voluntary transaction
Monetary transaction takes place only whet it is beneficial to both parties involved
externality
Externalities: Hidden cost or benefits that result from a economic activity to individuals or a society not directly involved in that activity.
ex: environmental damage as a consequence of human economic activity ex: dumping sewage into river as a by product of manufacturing. externalities=polluted drinking water, fish not safe to eat.
Market failure:
Misallocation of resources in which certain individuals or businesses benefit from using a common resource, such as water, the atmosphere, or a forest, but other individuals, businesses or the society at large bears the cost.
occurs when resources are misallocated allowing a few individuals or business to benefit at the expense of a larger society.
where externalities exist-> market fails to benefit
ex: using underdeveloped land and turning into a neighborhood
ecological economics
integrates economics environmental science, ecology, public policy that includes valuations of biodiversity in economic analyses.
common property resource
resources collectively owned by society at large or owned by no one, with open access to every one
-rarely assigned monetary value
ex: air, clean water, soil quality
Open-access resources:
Open-access resources: Natural resources that are not controlled by individuals but are collectively owned by society: water, air, soil.
Tragedy of the commons:
Tragedy of the commons: The value of the open-access resource is gradually lost to all of the society (Lant et al. 2008).
precautionary principle
may be better not to approve a project that has risk associated with it and instead on the side of doing no harm to the environment than to do harm unintentionally or unexpectedly
Ecological Economics and
Environmental Economics
-Environmental impact assessment
-Cost-benefit analysis
-Calculation of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
-Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI)
-Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI)
Environmental impact assessment-
considers the present and future effects of the projects on the environment
Cost-benefit analysis-
compares values gained against the cost of the project or resource use (hard to measure)
Calculation of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
measures the economic activity in a county without accounting for all the costs of unsustainable activities
-GDP may be positive but it could mean that it is generally destructive to long-term economic wellbeing
Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI)
-suggest that many modern economies are achieving their growth only through the unsustainable consumption of natural resources.
several types of values of biodiversity all used to
calculate total economic value of biodiversity
Direct use values-assigned to products harvested by people: timber, seafood
Indirect use values-benefits provided by biodiversity that do not involve harvesting or destroying the resource, “public good”-> water quality, soil protection, education
—-option value-prospect of future benefits to human society ex: new medicine
Existence value-value that can be assigned to biodiversity, measure how much are people willing to protect a species from extinction
—-bequest value-how much are they willing to pay to protect something for the future
Consumption use value is considered what kind of value?
Direct economic value:
Consumption use value can be calculated by considering how much people would have to pay to buy an equivalent product if their local source were no longer available. Do not appear in GDP, not bought or sold
possibly forced to relocate
Productive use value is considered what kind of value?
Direct economic value:
Productive use value: natural resources are sold commercially and have enormous total market value.
Forest products
The natural pharmacy
exported at a rapid rate to earn foreign currency.
-harvested from wild and should out
2 ways to assign $:
1. price paid at first point of sale-cost incurred up that point
2. or at final retail price of product
Indirect economic values
aspects of biodiversity-environmental process and ecosystem services
Nonconsumption use value: services not consumed.
-enormous value exceeding the direct use value of biodiversity
-ecosystem services: marine ecosystem-plays an important role in energy cycles water and nutrient cycles.
Ecosystem productivity: -e.g., use of solar energy, estuaries, etc.
Ecosystems with reduce biodiversity are less able to adapt to the altered conditions associated with rising CO2 and global climate change.
-estuaries-our impact decreases biodiversity when will ecosystem stop productivity that rely on for business?
Indirect economic values
Water and soil protection
Water and soil protection: watersheds
1980 New York; 1.5 millios
Water filtration plants; 8-9 billions
watersheds-biological communities are of vital importance in protecting watersheds and maintaining water quality. Roots increase water holding capacity, less floods with leaves
-paid 1.5 billion to a county and town gov. to maintain forests on the watershed to improve agricultural products
-it would cost 8-9 billions in water filtration plants if they hadn’t done 1980 New York
-more human activity->more floods->less land value
Indirect economic values
Wetland ecosystem services whose value is typically not accounted for in the current market system include
Wetland ecosystem services whose value is typically not accounted for in the current market system include waste treatment, water purification, and flood control - essential to healthy human societies
Climate regulation is what kind of economic value:
Species relationships and environemental monitors.
Indirect economic values
Climate regulation: reduction of plants results in reduction of the intake of CO2. Plants are the “green lungs” of the planet.
Species relationships and environemental monitors. Relationships between species are ofter essential for preserving biodiversity and provide value to people. For example, many insects pollinate the crops on which people depend for food.
-the species we harvested are important for other species to thrive-this will impact us and our economy
Amenity value:
Educational and scientific value
are what kind of values
Indirect economic values
Amenity value: recreational services for humans. E.g., natural experiences in a park = $7 dollars per hour.
Ecotourism
-hiking, birdwatching, photography
-ecotoursim- people rising places and spending money to experience unusual biological communities ex: everglades, African savannah, coral reefs. It is an immediate justification for conservation biology.
-Tourism- can also mean that tourist clad cause more damage by being destructive.
Educational and scientific value: increase human knowledge, enhance education, and enrich the human experience.
-nature used and intellectual content -employment for people to research for making books.
horseshore crabs
-important food source for shorebirds and costal fish-good tourism animals
-blood makes a chemical to detect bacterial contamination in medicines and vaccines. Only source
The long term View: Option Value
-Bioprospecting:
Option value: The potential of biodiversity to provide an economic benefit to human society at some point in the future.
-Bioprospecting: searching for new plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms that can be used to fight human
disease or to provide some other economic value.
(set out by gov. research)
-Costa Rica: National Biodiversity Institute (INBio): 1 million (collect products to facilitate research for new medicines and profit from these products)
-Glaxo Wellcome corporation and Brazil: 3 millions(to sample, screen, and investigate 40,000 plants, fungi, bacteria
if biodiversity decreases=ability of scientists to
locate and perhaps make use of a broad range of species decreases
biopiracy
unrestricted collection of material without a sharing of the profits
Existence Value
Existence value: The benefit people receive from knowing that a habitat or species exists and quantified as the amongt that peoeple are willing to pay to prevent species form being harmed or going extinct, habitats from being destroyed, and genetic variation from being lost (Zander and Garnet 2011). (amount people are willing to pay to protect life)
–Beneficiary or bequest value: benefit for children and descendants or future generations quantified as the amount people are willing to pay for this goal.
short term benefits most outweighs the environmental costs
charismatic megafauna
pandas, whales, elephants, manatees and many birds elicit strong responses in people
Environmental Ethics
Ethical arguments can complement economic and biological arguments for protecting biodiversity. Such ethical arguments are readily understood by many people.
- Each species has a right to exist-has its own intrinsic value unrelated to human needs.
- Species interact in complex ways in natural communities-they are interdependent-species interact in complex ways as part of natural communities
- People have a responsibility to act as stewards of the Earth-religion foundation. Gods creation should not be destroyed
- people have a responsibility to future generations-will pay the price for our damage
- respect for human life an concern for human interests are compatible with a respect for biodiveristy
- nature has spiritual and aesthetic value that transcends it economic value
-poets, writers, artists
7.biodiversity is needed to determine origin of life.
-articulates the ethical value of the natural world
-if our society adhered to principles of environmental ethics, the preservation of the natural environment and maintenance of bio diversity would be fundamental priority.
Deep Ecology
Environmental philosophy that advocates placing greater value on protecting biodiversity through changes in personal attitude, lifestyle, and even societies.
-Greenpeace
-Earth First!
—-green parties in Europe committed to using their knowledge of environmental issues to protect species and ecosystems.
Deep ecology-all species have value in themselves and humans no right to reduce this richness
-quality aesthetic, culture rather than environments economic values.
-shares many values with conservation biology
