Ecological and resource economics as ecosystem management tools

Abstract

Economic pressures on ecosystems will only intensify in the future. Increased population levels, settlement patterns, and increased incomes will raise the demands for ecosystem resources and their services. The pressure to transform ecosystem natural assets into marketable commodities, whether by harvesting and mining resources or altering landscapes through development, is likely to be enormous. Ecosystem management must establish means of assuring that these natural assets are used in a manner that provides high returns to human welfare, and of sustaining their abilities to continue generating valuable product and service flows. Effective management requires understanding of the ecological processes underlying natural asset structures and processes, as well as the economic factors lying behind the values of these ecosystems under various use scenarios.

Keywords

Economic inefficiencies, measuring welfare improvements, valuing forest services, role of ecological economics, indicators of sustainable economic health, ecological economic management paradigm, correcting for inefficiencies, valuation

Citation

Farber, Stephen; Bradley, Dennis. 1999. Ecological and resource economics as ecosystem management tools. In: Sexton, W.T.; Malk, A.J.; Szaro, R.C.; Johnson, N.C., eds. Ecological stewardship: a common reference for ecosystem management. UK: Elsevier Science Ltd. p. 383-411.