Linking GIS-based models to value ecosystem services in an alpine region

Topics

• Regional value added
• Policies and instruments

Abstract

Planning frequently fails to include the valuation of public goods and services. This can have long-term negative economic consequences for a region. Especially in mountainous regions such as the Alps in central Europe, which depend on tourism, land-use changes can negatively impact key ecosystem services such as landscape views, avalanche protection or habitats, and hence the economy. In this study, it is developed a semi-automatically procedure to value ecosystem goods and services. Several existing process-based models are linked to economic valuation methods and integrated into a Geographic Information System platform. It is illustrated the approach by valuing four ecosystem services including avalanche protection, wood production, scenic beauty, and habitat provided by the “Landschaft Davos”, a municipality in the Swiss Alps. It is compared the impacts of different human development and climate scenarios on the value of these ecosystem services. Urban expansion and tourist infrastructure developments have a negative impact on scenic beauty and habitats. These impacts probably outweigh the benefits of the developments in the long-term.

Journal / Publisher / Institution

Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design

Reference to the original publication

Hardcopy