Is it possible to put a price tag on the natural world? A researcher at The University of Nottingham has been examining the rise of a new concept ecosystem services to describe the multitude of resources supplied to us by Mother Nature.
Academic Dr Marion Potschin, of the University's Centre for Environmental Management, is among an international team of researchers who have been investigating the ethical considerations of this new concept, which some have argued turns nature into a 'commodity'.
In a paper published in the journal BioScience, Dr Potschin and her colleagues from universities in Australia, Spain, Germany, Canada and the US look at the implications of attaching a monetary value to the environment and argue that the social impact of this needs to be considered alongside questions of social equity. For example, how should the costs of maintaining ecosystems that supply us with resources such as clean water and food be apportioned in society, and what kind of responsibilities do those who benefit from these have in meeting the costs?
The idea that nature provides a range of benefits to society in the form of ecosystem services has recently gained wide interest in the international science and policy communities.
It has sparked debate about natural capital and the way we manage it alongside human, social, manufactured and built capital and is increasingly being used to better inform goals for sustainable development.
Intrinsic value
Dr Potschin and her co-authors said: "The increasing use of the ecosystem services concept has occurred at the same time as the development of a globalised economy, increasing privatisation of public assets, greater government deregulation and growing economic rationalism."
"This background poses a major challenge for those who seek to argue for the importance of non-monetary values of nature, such as local communities that seek to emphasise the i
'/>"/>
| Contact: Emma Thorne emma.thorne@nottingham.ac.uk 44-011-595-15793 University of Nottingham Source:Eurekalert |
Related biology news :
1. 15-year study: When it comes to creating wetlands, Mother Nature is in charge
2. Epigenetic signatures direct the repair potential of reprogrammed cells
3. Nature: Video reveals wave character of particles
4. 2012 ACMG Foundation/Signature Genomic Laboratories Travel Award winner announced
5. Stoneflies mapped across Ohio, with implications for water quality and nature conservation
6. Gene signature helps identify risk of relapse in lung cancer patients
7. Natures billion-year-old battery key to storing energy
8. Can natures beauty lift citizens from poverty?
9. Biosignatures distinguish between tuberculosis and sarcoidosis
10. Nature: Microscope looks into cells of living fish
11. Nature or nurture? It may depend on where you live
| Copyright © 2003-2012 Bio-Medicine. All rights reserved. ABOUT | CONTACT US | DISCLAIMER | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS AND CONDITIONS |  |