You are here:
Biophysical Measures to Support Analysis and Communication of Existence Values
Citation:
Boyd, J., R. Johnson, AND P. Ringold. Biophysical Measures to Support Analysis and Communication of Existence Values. International Review of Environmental and Resource Economics. Now Publishers Inc., Norwell, MA, 17(2-3):153-230, (2023). https://doi.org/10.1561/101.00000152
Impact/Purpose:
The formulation of policy is improved when the benefits of a policy option can be quantified. One category of benefits that has been difficult to quantify is the benefit associated with existence values. Since these values can be quite large specification of the benefits is important. The purpose of this paper is specify the ecosystem features that are associated with existence values. This is important because it improves that availability of data and models useful for decision makers on it’s own and for economists who assign a dollar value to incremental changes in the ecosystem feature.
Description:
A recent focus of ecosystem services research has been on the definition of biophysical outcomes and measures that are most closely linked to social welfare. Various terms are used for these commodities, including “ecological endpoints,” “final ecosystem goods and services,” and “linking indicators.” This paper reviews economic and ecological evidence to answer the questions: (1) What are ideal characteristics of linking indicators for existence values?; (2) What types of ecosystem outcomes or services are most likely to be associated with significant existence values?; and (3) What measures tracked by natural scientists are most likely to serve as valid linking indicators for these outcomes and services? We begin with a brief introduction to the concept of existence value. This is followed by a discussion of relationships between existence values and linking indicators, focusing on the foundational question: The existence of what? We then explore the interdisciplinary literature related to different categories of ecosystem outcomes and services often associated with existence values. Using examples from the literature, we attempt to draw general conclusions regarding the types of indicators most likely to facilitate quantification of biophysical outcomes related to these values.
