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2013 IUCNAEL EJournal 1 (2013)

handle is hein.journals/icnael2013 and id is 1 raw text is: 4 IUCNAEL EJournal IUCN ACADEMY OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAW eJOURNAL ~l ISSUE 4: 2013 A Word from the Editors: Ecosystem Services, Economic Valuation, and Environmental Equity: Complementary or Contradictory In this issue of the IUCNAEL eJournal we invite readers to explore the problems inherent in the valuation of and provision of ecosystem services. Increasing numbers of scholars and governments have begun to embrace ecosystem services as a means to protect the environment and provide financial rewards to those involved in habitat protection and restoration. The term ecosystem services refers to the important functions ecosystems provide, such as water filtration and purification, soil protection and creation, and food production. For most of the 20th Century, people have viewed environmental protection as economically disadvantageous when compared to natural resource exploitation and other habitat uses that convert natural capital to economic goods. The recognition and economic valuation of ecosystem services may provide a means by which habitat protection and restoration can have direct economic value that exceeds other potential habitat uses. An ecosystem services framework may also provide new economic and employment opportunities for people who live in habitats that serve important functions. For these reasons, and many others, many environmental advocates have promoted the development of ecosystem services as a new model of conservation. At the same time many commentators are wary about the implications of this concept for fairness and environmental governance. In this issue of the journal we therefore focus on the intersection of ecosystem services, economic valuation of environmental goods, and the equitable concerns involved in pricing environmental benefits. Some of the fundamental concepts in the valuation of services are explored in Platjouw's article which begins with a review of the methods used to value services and some common critiques of those methods. Platjouw develops the critique further by examining the impact that discretionary rules have on the use of valuation techniques as a mechanism to ensure the continued provision of ecosystem services. Some insightful lessons are drawn from experience in the Nordic countries and in the Netherlands which demonstrate both the potential absurdity of some methods for monetizing the value of ecosystem services and the potential pitfalls of using valuation methods within a regulatory 1