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Valuing biodiversity: reality or mirage?

Mohammed H I Dore¹, David Webb

¹Department of Economics, Brock University, St Catharines, Ontario, Canada. dore@adam.econ.brocku.ca

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment

|July 16, 2003

Summary

This study proposes a new way to value biological diversity using ecosystem resilience, measured by species extinction probability. This approach offers a more ecologically sound metric than traditional economic valuations.

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Environmental Economics
Conservation Biology

Background:

Traditional economic valuation of biodiversity has limitations.
Existing methods often isolate species from their ecological context.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the social value of biological diversity.
To determine if this value can be represented by a unidimensional metric.
To critically evaluate economic valuation methods for biodiversity.

Main Methods:

Critically evaluated use-values and non-use-values for biodiversity.
Applied ecosystem ecology principles, viewing ecosystems as integrated non-linear systems.
Proposed using species extinction probability as a proxy for ecosystem resilience.

Main Results:

Utility-based economic valuations of biodiversity have severe limitations.
Ecosystems possess properties of stability and resilience.
Species extinction probability serves as a viable index for the social value of biodiversity.

Conclusions:

The social value of biodiversity can be expressed as a partial ordering using species extinction probability.
This resilience-based approach aligns with decision theory and social choice principles.
A new, ecologically grounded metric for biodiversity value is proposed.

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