Quantifying the Non-Use Value of Biodiversity in Cost–Benefit Analysis
The Dutch Biodiversity Points
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13037165 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Frits Bos (0000-0002-3201-9422, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis, corresponding author), Arjan Ruijs |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 287-312 |
| Publication date | 2021-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2152-2812 • E-ISSN: 2194-5888 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/bca.2020.27 |
| OpenAlex | W3122086105 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 19 |
Biodiversity points are a quantitative measure for biodiversity. For over a decade, biodiversity points are being applied in the Netherlands for measuring the impact of roads, enclosure dams, and other water management projects on the non-use value of biodiversity. Biodiversity points are quite similar to the quality-adjusted life years used for cost-effectiveness analysis of healthcare treatments. Biodiversity points can be calculated by multiplying the size of the ecotope (e.g., number of hectare), the ecological quality of the ecotope (0–100 %), and the ecological scarcity of each type of ecotope. For many infrastructure projects, the impact on the non-use value of biodiversity can be a principal purpose or a major co-benefit or trade-off, for example, for a park, a fish sluice, a road, an ecoduct, an enclosure dam, or a marine protected area. Biodiversity points are a simple, transparent, and standardized way to aggregate and quantify the qualitative or ordinal assessments by ecological experts. For measuring the non-use value of biodiversity, they are also more informative than valuation by revealed or stated preferences methods. This paper provides the first overview of the application of this method in the Dutch practice of cost–benefit analysis. It also discusses its merits and limitations. The calculation and use of biodiversity points are illustrated by four case studies
Biodiversity · Biodiversity conservation · Biology · Environmental resource management · Geography · Measurement of biodiversity · Economic and Environmental Valuation · Environmental Conservation and Management · Environmental Science · Land Use and Ecosystem Services · Ecology
Biodiversity Offsets
The Measurement of Environmental and Resource Values
Biodiversity loss and its impact on humanity
Linking the influence and dependence of people on biodiversity across scales
Capturing the complexity of biodiversity
Policy evaluation of natural resource injuries using habitat equivalency analysis
Beyond monetary measurement
What are ecosystem services? The need for standardized environmental accounting units
| Citations per year | 0.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2022 - 2025 (4) |
| Highly cited | No |