Pimachiowin Aki World Heritage Project Area Ecosystem Services Valuation Assessment

This 2008 report estimates the economic value of ecosystem services in the 40,000 km2 Pimachiowin Aki area of Manitoba and Ontario. It finds a conservative annual value of CDN$121.35 to $130.30 million, driven largely by fishing, water treatment, and carbon sequestration, while noting a massive carbon stock value of up to CDN$17.5 billion. The report argues that the ecosystem benefits are 28 times higher than the CDN$4.48 million in annual public expenditures used for its conservation.

• The total annual conservative economic value of ecosystem services provided by the Pimachiowin Aki is estimated between CDN$121.35 million and $130.30 million. The primary contributors to this value are fishing (CDN$35 million/year), pure water (CDN$32 million/year), and carbon sequestration (between CDN$12 million and $21 million/year).
• The report identifies significant potential economic values that were excluded from the conservative annual total. These include water supply from major rivers (CDN$0.27 to $5.55 billion per year), air filtration by trees (CDN$350 to $600 million per year), and flood prevention by wetlands (CDN$380 million per year).
• The carbon stock stored within the peatlands and forests of the WHP area is estimated to have a total value of approximately CDN$2.7 to $17.5 billion. This figure is reported as a stock value rather than annual revenue.
• Annual public expenditures for the preservation of natural environments in an area the size of Pimachiowin Aki are estimated at CDN$4.48 million, covering provincial parks and forest fire management. The estimated ecosystem service benefits are approximately 28 times greater than these expenditures.
• The valuation distinguishes between resident and non-resident populations, noting that First Nations people living within the site derive different values from the land than visitors. For example, the spiritual value for residents was conservatively estimated at CDN$160,000 per year based on compensation for traditional healers.
• The assessment utilized 2000 Landsat imagery with a 25-metre resolution to map 20 land cover classes across the 40,000 km2 area. Major land covers include water bodies (5,133.52 km2), dense coniferous forest (9,150.72 km2), and shrub wetlands (7,110.66 km2).

APA

Voora, V., & Barg, S. (2008). Pimachiowin Aki World Heritage Project Area Ecosystem Services Valuation Assessment. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ecosystem_valuation.pdf

Chicago

Voora, Vivek, and Stephan Barg. Pimachiowin Aki World Heritage Project Area Ecosystem Services Valuation Assessment. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2008. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ecosystem_valuation.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Voora |first1=Vivek |last2=Barg |first2=Stephan |title=Pimachiowin Aki World Heritage Project Area Ecosystem Services Valuation Assessment |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=November 2008 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ecosystem_valuation.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{voora2008pimachiowin, author = {Voora, Vivek and Barg, Stephan}, title = {{Pimachiowin Aki World Heritage Project Area Ecosystem Services Valuation Assessment}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2008}, month = nov, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ecosystem_valuation.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }