TY - JOUR
T1 - The ecosystem service value of maintaining and expanding terrestrial protected areas in China
AU - Chen, Haojie
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2021/8/10
Y1 - 2021/8/10
N2 - Maintaining and expanding protected areas (PAs) can benefit humans and the rest of nature, but also has direct management and opportunity costs. Assessing this trade-off can benefit from valuing ecosystem services (ESs). The gross value of a subset of ESs provided by China's existing terrestrial PAs, which cover 18% of China's land, was conservatively estimated at $2.64 trillion/yr (US$2017). This is 15 and 14 times the basic conservation costs (for preventing current ESs and biodiversity from deteriorating) and optimised conservation costs (for potentially improving ESs and biodiversity), respectively. China is committed to drawing an ‘eco-redline’ (the natural terrestrial space that has important ESs, biodiversity, vulnerable and sensitive ecosystems, and enforced strict conservation) to protect 25% of its lands. If the ‘eco-redline’ was to conserve 25% of China's terrestrial water retention, soil retention, sandstorm prevention, carbon sequestration and oxygen release, the gross value of those conserved regulating ESs would be $4.83 trillion/yr. This is 20 and 18 times the basic and optimised conservation costs, respectively. These results indicate that, the arguments that conservation constrains economic development and increases ecosystem disservices are not tenable. The results make clear the interconnections between conservation and the economy, and that true economic development is improvement of sustainable wellbeing - not merely growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
AB - Maintaining and expanding protected areas (PAs) can benefit humans and the rest of nature, but also has direct management and opportunity costs. Assessing this trade-off can benefit from valuing ecosystem services (ESs). The gross value of a subset of ESs provided by China's existing terrestrial PAs, which cover 18% of China's land, was conservatively estimated at $2.64 trillion/yr (US$2017). This is 15 and 14 times the basic conservation costs (for preventing current ESs and biodiversity from deteriorating) and optimised conservation costs (for potentially improving ESs and biodiversity), respectively. China is committed to drawing an ‘eco-redline’ (the natural terrestrial space that has important ESs, biodiversity, vulnerable and sensitive ecosystems, and enforced strict conservation) to protect 25% of its lands. If the ‘eco-redline’ was to conserve 25% of China's terrestrial water retention, soil retention, sandstorm prevention, carbon sequestration and oxygen release, the gross value of those conserved regulating ESs would be $4.83 trillion/yr. This is 20 and 18 times the basic and optimised conservation costs, respectively. These results indicate that, the arguments that conservation constrains economic development and increases ecosystem disservices are not tenable. The results make clear the interconnections between conservation and the economy, and that true economic development is improvement of sustainable wellbeing - not merely growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
KW - Conservation costs
KW - Eco-redline
KW - Economic development
KW - Ecosystem disservices
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85103653295&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146768
DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146768
M3 - Article
SN - 0048-9697
VL - 781
JO - Science of the Total Environment
JF - Science of the Total Environment
M1 - 146768
ER -