What ecosystem services do forests provide? Why might it be useful to put a dollar value on these services?
Why You Should Care
Some of the most productive terrestrial biomes in the world are forests. This means that forest trees and non-woody plants together undergo a lot of photosynthesis, which takes a lot of CO2 out of the atmosphere. Not only do they remove CO2 from they atmosphere, they store it long term, mostly in the form of wood and soil organic matter. So, slash-and-burn agriculture, in which forests are cut down and the wood that isn’t harvested burnt to turn them into fields, deals a double blow by reducing the global capacity to absorb CO2 and releasing stored CO2 back to the atmosphere.
These are just two of many ecosystem services provided by forests. Since these services are "free," at least in that no one pays for them, we are less inclined to assign them worth. This is compounded by the fact that it may take years for all of the negative effects of deforestation to become apparent. Although convincing people of the natural benefits of maintaining healthy forest is important, real efforts to conserve forest probably won’t happen unless people are made aware of the monetary benefit.
Question 1 of 8
1.
Click the category under which the following situation best fits: Each year, hundreds of hikers attempt to complete the Appalachian Trial.
Click the category under which the following situation best fits: The Redwoods National and State Park protects many of the remaining old-growth redwoods (some of the largest and oldest organisms on Earth) from logging.
Thought Question: Raw materials are listed as the third most monetarily important forest resource. Is this a cause for concern or controversy?
Potentially yes. The example of Haiti demonstrates that valuing the raw materials in forests over the services provided by them is done at one’s peril. Therefore, the demands for raw materials from forests must be met in a sustainable fashion if the other resources provided by the forest are to be maintained.
10.
Thought Question: Which of the following resources do you think is the most likely to provide incentive for concerned citizens and lawmakers to conserve and manage forest resources sustainably? Atmospheric services, biodiversity/genetic resources (think back to Chapter 10), raw materials, or sociocultural and recreational benefits?
Your answer will, of course, vary, but the best answers will provide both a monetary and a social rationale for why a particular resource will be perceived as the most important. For example, although genetic resources are not the top resources listed, since they may represent potential sources of medicines or food for people, you could make a case that preserving them is the most important reason to manage resources.
