Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 4, 2025
08:49
Vegetated Treatment Systems for Removing Contaminants Associated with Surface Water Toxicity in Agriculture and Urban Runoff
Published on: May 15, 2017
10.8K
The value of forest water purification ecosystem services in Costa Rica
Matías Piaggio1, Juha Siikamäki1
1International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 1630 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20009, USA.
The Science of the Total Environment
|May 31, 2021
Summary
Protecting forest cover significantly impacts water quality and reduces water treatment costs. Forests provide valuable water purification services, with economic benefits quantified per hectare annually and over time.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Ecology
- Water Resource Management
Background:
- Forest cover enhances surface water quality by reducing soil erosion, sediment, and pollutants.
- Upstream forest protection can decrease the chemicals and costs associated with downstream potable water treatment.
- The precise economic impact of forest cover on water treatment costs requires empirical analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the influence of forest cover on raw water quality.
- To assess the impact of forest cover on water treatment requirements.
- To quantify the economic value of forest water purification services in Costa Rica.
Main Methods:
- Utilized monthly panel data from 2008-2014 for drinking water treatment plants in Costa Rica.
- Analyzed the relationship between forest cover changes and water treatment chemical use.
- Calculated the economic value of forest water purification services per hectare.
Main Results:
- Forest cover changes statistically significantly affected chemical use in water treatment plants.
- The estimated economic value of forest water purification services is USD 9.5 per hectare annually.
- Net present value of these services ranges from USD 113.9 to USD 315.4 per hectare, depending on the discount rate.
- The marginal benefit of forest cover on water quality increases with smaller catchment sizes.
Conclusions:
- Forests provide a quantifiable and valuable ecosystem service through water purification.
- The economic valuation of forest water purification is significant relative to other forest services and watershed protection programs.
- Conservation efforts for forest cover are crucial for ensuring raw water quality and optimizing water treatment efficiency and costs.
Related Concept Videos
01:19Quality of Water
342
In concrete preparation, the quality of water is paramount as it affects the strength and durability of the concrete. Potable water is usually preferred; however, it must not have excessive sodium or potassium to prevent compromising the concrete's integrity. Water quality is typically evaluated based on impurities such as dissolved solids, chlorides, and sulfates, and its pH value is ideally between 6 and 8. Even slightly acidic natural water may be acceptable unless it contains harmful...
342
01:17What is an Ecosystem?
44.0K
Overview
44.0K
01:14Testing Water Quality
241
When the quality of water for concrete preparation is uncertain, its impact on the setting time of cement and compressive strength of mortar is assessed by comparison with de-ionized or distilled water benchmarks. American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) C1602 requires the setting times to be within 90 minutes of the control, British Standard (BS) 3146:1980 allows a 30-minute variance in the initial setting, while British Standards European Norm (BS EN) 1008 specifies initial setting...
241
01:00The Water Cycle
27.1K
The Earth’s hydrosphere includes all of the areas where the storage and movement of water occurs. Since water is the basis of all living processes, the cycling of water is extremely important to ecosystem dynamics.
27.1K
02:23The Soil Ecosystem
23.6K
Plants obtain inorganic minerals and water from the soil, which acts as a natural medium for land plants. The composition and quality of soil depend not only on the chemical constituents but also on the presence of living organisms. In general, soils contain three major components:
23.6K
00:46Bioremediation
21.5K
Bioremediation is the use of prokaryotes, fungi, or plants to remove pollutants from the environment. This process has been used to remove harmful toxins in groundwater as a byproduct of agricultural run-off and also to clean up oil spills.
21.5K