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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Article
Concept and Evaluation of Ecosystem Intrinsic Value
Author(s)
Luo Ping Zhang, Hong Ni Xu, Hua Xia Sheng, Wei Qi Chen and Qin Hua Fang
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DOI:10.17265/2161-6264/2015.06.005
Affiliation(s)
The College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China
ABSTRACT
Ecosystem valuation can serve as a basis of scientific support for
decision-making. So far, the most popular
methods for ecosystem valuation are ecosystem service
valuation (ESV), which is based on the utility of ecosystem to human
beings rather than on the objective value of
the ecosystem. After more than 10 years’ application, it has been found that all losses of ESV were about 10% of the benefits of human activities. In this
paper, the ecosystem intrinsic value (EIV) is defined. EIV is an objective
value that emerges from the existence, structures, functions and processes of
ecosystem, but independent with man, man’s will and preferences. The valuating approach
and methods used for EIV were developed by using energy approach and the methods of emergy analysis and eco-exergy
analysis. The EIV calculated by emergy from the substance, energy and
information of ecosystem and by eco-exergy from the structure and function of
ecosystem represents the existent value
and the externally working capacity of ecosystem, respectively. The approach
and methods of EIV evaluation were applied to Xiamen Bay, China. The results
showed that the marine EIV in Xiamen Bay was 209 billion RMB, including 116 billion
RMB of emergy and 92.4 billion RMB of eco-exergy in 2010, nearly 30 times of
ESV and 8.5 times of the GDP of
Xiamen marine industry in 2010. The EIV in unit area of Xiamen Bay is more than 10 times higher than
the average global ESV in estuaries. It implied a potential undervaluation to ecosystem value by ESV calculation, which
may mislead decisions-making processes.
KEYWORDS
Ecosystem intrinsic value, concept, evaluation, approach, methods.
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