Abstract
The Valdivian Rainforest Ecoregion (35°–48° S) in southern South America is among the ecosystems with highest conservation priority worldwide due to its rich diversity, degree of endemism, and critical conservation status. Temperate rainforests in this vast area are essential as source of biological resources and to maintain different ecosystem services which remain largely unmeasured and unvalued. Consequently, the benefits they provide are not reflected in decision-making regarding forest management and conservation. Based on existing studies and results from ongoing research we describe selected ecosystem services and provide estimates of their economic value. Timber benefits for secondary forests expressed as net present stumpage values were US$ 3742 ha−1 and US$ 3093 ha−1 for sustainable forest management (SFM) and unsustainable harvesting, respectively. Timber benefits for old growth forests␣equaled US$ 4546 ha−1 and US$ 5718 ha−1, for SFM and unsustainable harvesting, respectively, using an 8% discount rate. Annual benefits from recreation were US$ 1.6 ha−1 and US$ 6.3 ha−1 for the two most important national parks located in the study area. The annual value of maintaining soil fertility was US$ 26.3 ha−1 using the replacement cost of nutrient losses due to soil erosion. The annual economic value of water supply for human consumption using the production function method was US$ 235 ha−1. These results provide valuable information on the kind and magnitude of values that could be relevant in decision-making concerning conservation and management of native forests in the Valdivian Rainforest Ecoregion.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adger W., Brown K., Cervigni R., Moran D., 1995, Total economic value of forests in Mexico Ambio 24: 286–296
Arnold, F., Ojeda, G. and Sepúlveda, C.: 1999, Monitoreo forestal: informe sobre actividades de monitoreo forestal independiente, WWF Project No FC 92, CODEFF, Santiago, Chile
Ataroff M., Rada F., 2000, Deforestation impact on water dynamics in a Venezuelan Andean cloud forest Ambio 29: 440–444
Baker J., 1986, The Crossett Farm Forestry Forties after 41 years of selection management Southern Journal of Applied Forestry 10: 233–237
Baker, J.B., Cain M.D., Guldin J.M., Murphy P.A., and Shelton M.G.: 1996, Uneven-aged silviculture for the loblolly and shortleaf pine forests cover types. US For. Serv. Gen. Tech. Rep. SO-34
Bann, C.:1997, An Economic Analysis of Alternative Mangrove Management Strategies in Koh Kong Province, Cambodia, Research Report, Environment and Economy Programme for South East Asia, International Development Research Centre, Ottawa
Bann C., 1998, The Economic Valuation of Tropical Forest Land Use Option: A Manual for Researchers Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia, Singapore, pp.117–126
Barreto P., Amaral P., Vidal E., Uhl C., 1998, Costs and benefits of forest management for timber production in eastern Amazonia Forest Ecology and Management 108: 9–26
Bishop, J.: 1999, Valuing Forests: A Review of Methods and Applications in Developing Countries, IIED, Environmental Economics Program International Institute for Environment and Development, http://www.worldbank.org
Calder I., Rosier P., Prasanna K., Parameswarappa S. 1997, Eucalyptus water use greater than rainfall input-a possible explanation from southern India Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 1: 249–256
Ceballos-Lascuráin H. 1996, Tourism, Ecotourism and Protected Areas: The State of Nature-Based Tourism Around the World and Guidelines for its Development IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, UK
CONAMA: 2005, Plan de Acción de País para la Implementación de la Estrategia Nacional de Biodiversidad 2004–2015, http://www.conama.cl/portal/1255/article-33717.html
CONAF: 2005, Estadísticas SNASPE 1978–2004, http://www.conaf.cl
Corcuera E., Sepúlveda C., Geisse G., 2004, Conserving land privately: spontaneous markets for land conservation in Chile In: Paggiola S., Bishop J., Landell-Mills N. (eds), Selling Forest Environmental Services. Earthscan, London, pp. 125–149
Corti D. 1997, Caracterización y crecimiento de un renoval de roble, lingue y radal en la comuna de Loncoche, IX region Facultad de Ciencias Forestales. Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Undergraduate Theses
Costanza R., Folke C., 1997, Valuing ecosystem services with efficiency, fairness and sustainability as goals In: Daily G. (eds), Nature’s Services: Society Dependence on Natural Ecosystems. Island Press, Washington, DC
Costanza R., D’Arge R., De Groot R., Farber S., Grasso M., Hannon B., Limburg K., Naeem S., O’Neill R., Paruelo J., Raskin R., Sutton P., Van den Belt M., 1997, The value of the world’s ecosystem services and natural capital Nature 387: 253–260
Daily G., 1997. Nature’s Services: Societal Dependence on Natural Ecosystems Island Press, Washington, DC
De Groot, R.: 1994, ‘Environmental functions and the economic value of natural ecosystems’, in A.␣Janson (ed.), Investing in natural capital: the ecological economics approach to sustainability, International Society for Ecological Economics, Island Press, pp. 151–168
De Groot R., Wilson M., Boumans R., 2002, A typology for the classification, descriptions and valuation of ecosystem functions, goods and services Ecological. Economics 41: 393–408
De la Maza C., Duke C., 1996, Modeling willingness to pay in six Chilean wildland protected areas Parks Review 16: 34–39
Donoso C., 1993, Bosques templados de Chile y Argentina Variación, estructura y dinámica. Editorial Universitaria, Santiago, Chile
Donoso C., Donoso P., González M., Sandoval V., 1999a, Los Bosques Siempreverdes, In: Donoso C., Lara A., (eds), Silvicultura de los Bosques Nativos. Editorial Universitaria, Santiago Chile, pp. 297–367
Donoso, P.: 2002, Structure and Growth in Coastal Evergreen Forests as the Bases for Uneven-aged Silviculture in Chile, Ph.D. dissertation, Syracuse, New York, State University of New York
Donoso P., Cabezas C., Lavanderos A., Donoso C., 1999b, Estudio comparativo de la estructura y crecimiento de renovales de coihue (Nothofagus dombeyi) en la precordillera de la Costa y de los Andes de la provincia de Valdivia Bosque 20: 9–23
Donoso P., Monfil T., Otero L., Barrales L. 1993, Estudio de crecimiento de plantaciones y renovales de especies nativas en el área andina de las provincias de Valdivia y Cautín Ciencia e Investigación 7: 24–42
Grosse H., Quiroz I., 1998, Silvicultura de los bosques de segundo crecimiento de roble, raulí y coihue en la región centro-sur de Chile In: Donoso C., Lara A. (eds), Silvicultura de los Bosques Nativos de Chile. Universitaria, Santiago, Chile, pp. 95–128
Hanewinkel M., 2002, Comparative economic investigations of even-aged and uneven-aged sylvicultural systems: a critical analysis of different methods Forestry 75: 473–481
Hernández, O., Cobos, C. and Ortiz, A.:2002, Valoración ambiental del servicio ambiental de regulación hídrica, http://www.congresocuencas.org.pe/pdf/PONENCIAS/21.valoración-económica-RBSM-sur- final.pdf
Howarth R., Farber S., 2002, Accounting for the value of ecosystem services Ecological Economics 41: 421–429
Instituto de Asuntos Públicos de la Universidad de Chile: 2002, Informe país: estado del medioambiente en Chile, Colección Sociedad Estado y Políticas Públicas, Lom Ediciones, Santiago, Chile, 458 p
King R., 1966, Wildlife and man New York Conservationist 20: 8–11
Kumari K., 1996, Sustainable forest management: myth or reality?’, Exploring the prospect for Malaysia Ambio 25: 459–467
Lara, A., Donoso, C. and Aravena, J.: 1995, ‘La conservación del bosque nativo en Chile: Problemas y desafíos’, Ecología de los bosques nativos de Chile. Editorial Universitaria, Santiago, Chile, pp. 335–362
Lara A., Donoso C., Donoso P., Núñez P., Cavieres A., 1999, Normas de manejo para raleo de renovales del tipo forestal Roble-Raulí-Coigüe In: Donoso C., Lara A. (eds), Silvicultura de los bosques nativos de Chile. Editorial Universitaria, Santiago, Chile, pp. 129–144
Lara, A., Echeverría, C. and Reyes, R.: 2002, ‘Bosques Nativos’, in Instituto de Asuntos Públicos, Universidad de Chile (ed.), Informe País. Estado del Medio Ambiente en Chile 2002, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile, pp. 127–160
Lara A., Veblen T., 1993, Forest plantations in Chile: A successful model? In: Mather A. (eds), Afforestation Policies, Planning and Progress. Behaven Press, London, UK, pp.118–139
Mäller K., 1992, The production function approach in developing countries In: Vincent J., Crawford E., Hoehn J. (eds), Valuing Environmental Benefits in Developing Economies. Michigan State University, Graduate specialization in Resource Economics, East Lansing, Michigan. Seminar proceedings
Malmer, A.: 1993, Dynamics of Hydrology and Nutrient Losses as Response to Establishment of Forest Plantation. A case study on tropical rainforest land in Sabah, Malaysia, Ph.D Thesis, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umea, Sweden
Mancilla G., 1995, Erosión bajo cubiertas vegetales en la cordillera de Nahuelbuta Facultad de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile, Undergraduate Theses
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: 2003, Ecosystems and Human Well-being: A Framework for Assessment. World Resources Institute, Washington, DC
Myers, N.: 1997, ‘The world’s forests and their ecosystem services’, in G. Daily (ed.), Nature’s services: societal dependence on natural ecosystems, Island Press, Whashington, DC
Navarro C., Donoso C., Sandoval V., 1999, Los renovales de canelo In: Donoso C., Lara A. (eds), Silvicultura de los bosques nativos de Chile. Universitaria, Santiago, Chile
Neira E., 2005, Producción de agua en dos microcuencas de la Cordillera de Los Andes (San Pablo de Tregua) con diferente cobertura de renovales de Nothofagus spp. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile Master dissertation
Núñez D., 2004, Valoración económica del servicio ecosistémico de producción de agua, del bosque de la cuenca de Llancahue, Décima Región Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile, Master dissertation
ODEPA: 2004, Series de precios: precios de productos e insumos agropecuarios, http://www.odepa.cl
Odum, E. and Odum, H.: 1972, ‘Natural areas as necessary components of man’s total environment’, in Transactions of the 37th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference, Wildlife Management Institute 37, 178–189
OECD: 2005, Environmental Performance Reviews, Chile
Olson D., Dinerstein E., 1998, The Global 200: A Representation Approach to Conserving the Earth’s Distinctive Ecoregions World Wildlife Fund, Washington
Oyarzún C., 1997, Estudio a mesoescala de la erosión del suelo en una cuenca hidrográfica de montaña, Chile central Meridiano 5:23–28
Paggiola, S., von Ritter, K. and Bishop, J.: 2004, ‘Assessing the Economic Value of Ecosystem Conservation’, The World Bank Environmental Department, Paper No 101, 58 pp
Pearce D., 1993, Economic Values and the Natural World Earthscan, London
Pearce D., 2001, The Economic Value of Forest Ecosystems Ecosystem Health 7: 284–296
Pearce D., Markandya A., Barbier E., 1989, Blueprint for a Green Economy Earthscan, London
Pearce, D. and Pearce, C.: 2001, ‘The Value of Forest Ecosystems’, A Report to the Secretariat Convention on Biological Diversity
Peña, L., Carrasco, P., Figueroa, M., Oyarzún, C. and Lo Cascio, B.: 1993, ‘Pérdidas por erosión hídrica en suelos agrícolas y forestales de la cuenca del río Bío-Bío’, in Elementos cognoscitivos sobre el recurso suelo y consideraciones generales sobre el ordenamiento agroforestal, Serie Propuestas de Ordenamiento 4, 45–59
Pezoa L. 2003, ‘Recopilación y análisis de la variación de las temperaturas (período 1965–2001) y las precipitaciones (período 1931–2001) a partir de la información de estaciones meteorológicas de Chile entre los 33° y 53° de latitud Sur’ Facultad Ciencias Forestales, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile, Undergraduate Theses
Pimentel D., Wilson C., 1997, Economic and environmental benefits of biodiversity Bioscience 47: 747–758
Putuhena W.M., Cordery I., 2000, Some hydrological effects of changing forest cover from Eucalyptus to Pinus radiata Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 100: 59–72
Silva J., Donoso P., Lara A., Little C., 2004, Estudio de seis años de respuestas al raleo en renovales de roble (Nothofagus obliqua (mirb. oerst.) en el predio Aillapán, comuna de Loncoche, IX region. IUFRO Internacional Conference, Valdivia, Chile
Torras M., 2000, The total economic value of Amazonian deforestation, 1978–1993 Ecological Economics 33: 283–297
Villa F., Wilson M., De Groot R., Farber S., Costanza R., Boumans R., 2002, Designing an Integrated knowledge base to support ecosystem services valuation Ecological Economics 41: 445–456
Wadsworth, F.: 1997, Forest production for Tropical America, Agricultural Handbook 710 USDA
WRI, CODEFF, UACH.: 2002, Chile’s Frontier Forests: Conserving A Global Treasure, A global Forest Watch Report, Chile
WWF, APN, CEAN, CODEFF, FSD, FVSA, INTA, UACH, UNCOMA, ULAG, UDEC: 2003, Biodiversity vision for the Valdivian Temperate Rainforest Ecoregion of Chile and Argentina, http://www.wwf.cl/ingles/paginas/vision.htm
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
NAHUELHUAL, L., DONOSO, P., LARA, A. et al. VALUING ECOSYSTEM SERVICES OF CHILEAN TEMPERATE RAINFORESTS. Environ Dev Sustain 9, 481–499 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-006-9033-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-006-9033-8