Understanding the economic value of nature and the services it provides to humanity has become increasingly important for local, national and global policy and decision making. However, problems arise in that it is difficult to obtain meaningful values for goods and services that ecosystems...

1. Introduction -- 2. The ecosystem services approach to natural resource management -- 3. Policy appraisal perspectives and socio-economic appraisal approaches -- 4. The ecosystem services approach : valuation of multi-functional wetlands -- 5. Economic valuation of wetland ecosystem services...

The conservation of biodiversity is a major environmental issue, one that promises to remain at or near the top of the environmental agenda for the foreseeable future. The loss of biodiversity affects human welfare as well as being lamentable for its own sake. Humans depend on natural systems to...