Reviewing the dynamics of economic values and preferences for ecosystem goods and services

• Published in: Biodiversity and conservation 2010-09, Vol.19 (10), p.2855-2872
• Main Authors: Skourtos, M., Kontogianni, A., Harrison, P. A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis; Biodiversity; Biological diversity conservation; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Climate Change/Climate Change Impacts; Conservation biology; Conservation Biology/Ecology; Ecology; Economics; Ecosystems; Estimating techniques; Interdisciplinary research; Life Sciences; Original Paper; Protection and preservation; Social sciences; Social-ecological systems; Surveys; Values
• ISSN: 0960-3115; 1572-9710
• DOI: 10.1007/s10531-009-9722-3

The present paper addresses the issue of a dynamic approach to biodiversity conservation by focusing on published evidence on the dynamics of economic values and preferences for ecosystem goods and services. Empirical evidence referring to the dynamics of ecosystem values was identified as both demand-driven and supply-driven value dynamics. A survey of temporal reliability tests revealed considerable differences in the time span examined (2 weeks to 20 years). The evidence shows that ecosystem value estimates, as expressed through mean Willingness To Pay remain significantly stable in the time span of 2 weeks to 5 years, but this is not the case for time periods of 20 years. For longer periods, both a weak and strong version of preference evolution were examined; here the elements of cultural transmission and evolutionary approaches make the task of modelling the dynamics of preferences rather complex. Integrated models and dynamic bioeconomic models were examined as representative approaches to supply-driven dynamics. These approaches share a role in pushing our understanding of complex systems and alerting both researchers and policy makers to the dangers of oversimplification. The reviewed models are nevertheless normative in nature in the sense that they describe how the complex socio-ecological systems should evolve over time in order to fulfil the requirements of efficiency and sustainability. Mixing of methods and pooling of data seems the only way forward. In this respect, the potential of systematic and formalised interdisciplinary research lies in the integration of insights, methods and data drawn from natural and social sciences.