ÖKOSÜSTEEMITEENUSED ÜLEVAADE LOODUSE PAKUTAVATEST HÜVEDEST JA NENDE RAHALISEST VÄÄRTUSEST

This report provides a comprehensive overview of the ecosystem services concept, detailing the various benefits nature provides to humans and the methodologies used to assign them monetary value. It explores the classification of services into supporting, regulating, provisioning, and cultural categories, while also introducing the concept of 'ecosystem disservices'. The document offers guidance for integrating these values into policy-making at national, local, and corporate levels to promote sustainable development and biodiversity conservation.

• Ecosystem services are categorized into four primary groups based on the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005): supporting services (e.g., nutrient cycling, soil formation), regulating services (e.g., climate and water quality regulation), provisioning services (e.g., food, water, timber), and cultural services (e.g., aesthetic and spiritual benefits).
• The concept of 'ecosystem disservices' refers to functions of an ecosystem that are perceived as negative by humans, such as pests, allergies caused by pollen, or a perceived lack of safety in overgrown urban parks. These are based on human value judgments and can vary by context.
• Assigning monetary value to ecosystem services is presented as a tool to prevent the underestimation of nature in economic accounting. For example, Costanza et al. (1997) estimated the value of biosphere ecosystem services at 33 trillion USD per year, which is 1.8 times the global GDP.
• Economic valuation methods are divided into market-based and non-market-based approaches. Market-based methods include the market price method for goods like timber, and the 'avoided cost' method, which values a service by the cost of the damage it prevents (e.g., coral reefs providing coastal protection).
• Non-market valuation methods include 'revealed preferences' (such as the travel cost method for recreation or the hedonic price method for property values) and 'stated preferences' (such as contingent valuation using willingness to pay (WTP) or willingness to accept (WTA) surveys).
• Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) are voluntary transactions where a service provider is paid to manage an ecosystem to ensure the continued provision of a specific service. This differs from environmental subsidies, which are often criticized for not providing additional value or for encouraging harmful activities elsewhere.
• In Estonia, specific valuations have been conducted, such as for the Jägala waterfall, where the annual demand for the waterfall in its natural state was estimated at 10 million euros, which is approximately 35 times higher than its value for hydroelectric power production.
• The report suggests a 'smart mix' of policy instruments for governments, including national strategies, financial incentives (loans, tax breaks), the 'polluter pays' principle, and the creation of biodiversity credits (e.g., 'BioBanking' in Australia).

APA

-1, Sall, M., Uustal, M., & Peterson, K. (2012). ÖKOSÜSTEEMITEENUSED ÜLEVAADE LOODUSE PAKUTAVATEST HÜVEDEST JA NENDE RAHALISEST VÄÄRTUSEST. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4382.pdf

Chicago

-1, Marit Sall, Meelis Uustal, and Kaja Peterson. ÖKOSÜSTEEMITEENUSED ÜLEVAADE LOODUSE PAKUTAVATEST HÜVEDEST JA NENDE RAHALISEST VÄÄRTUSEST. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2012. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4382.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=-1 |last2=Sall |first2=Marit |last3=Uustal |first3=Meelis |last4=Peterson |first4=Kaja |title=ÖKOSÜSTEEMITEENUSED ÜLEVAADE LOODUSE PAKUTAVATEST HÜVEDEST JA NENDE RAHALISEST VÄÄRTUSEST |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2012 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4382.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{12012kossteemiteenused, author = {-1 and Sall, Marit and Uustal, Meelis and Peterson, Kaja}, title = {{ÖKOSÜSTEEMITEENUSED ÜLEVAADE LOODUSE PAKUTAVATEST HÜVEDEST JA NENDE RAHALISEST VÄÄRTUSEST}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2012}, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4382.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }