Browsing by Author "Schaafsma, Marije"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Economic valuation of ecosystem goods and services: a review for decision makers
    (Taylor and Francis, 2019-06-11) Tinch, Robert; Beaumont, Nicola; Sunderland, Tim; Ozdemiroglu, Ece; Barton, David; Bowe, Colm; Börger, Tobias; Burgess, Paul; Cooper, Canon Nigel; Faccioli, Michela; Failler, Pierre; Gkolemi, Ioanna; Kumar, Ritesh; Longo, Alberto; McVittie, Alistair; Morris, Joe; Park, Jacob; Ravenscroft, Neil; Schaafsma, Marije; Vause, James; Ziv, Guy
    There is increasing interest in the use of economic valuation of ecosystem goods and services for a wide variety of purposes. These include relatively familiar uses in project appraisal and more novel applications in advocacy, performance tracking and accounting in public and private settings. Decision makers who use valuation information need to understand the background, strengths and weaknesses of these approaches. The methods have a strong foundation in economic theory and offer a rapidly growing evidence base, improving ability to evaluate a broad range of ecosystem goods and services. Nevertheless, there are theoretical and practical limitations that need to be understood and kept in mind when interpreting results. In this paper, we briefly review the economic valuation methods and situate them in their historical and theoretical contexts. We assess the main critiques, attempts at resolving them, and implications for the usefulness of the methods in different contexts. We examine the main barriers and opportunities for wider uses of valuation evidence, and draw conclusions on the appropriate role of valuation in future, as a tool for aiding reflection and deliberation processes.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Water for Everyone
    (Tanzania Forest Conservation Group, 2014-06) Ashagre, Biniam; White, Sue; Mwakalila, Shadrack; Platts, Philip; Schaafsma, Marije; Smith, Celina
    Around one in ten Tanzanians source their water from rivers originating in the Eastern Arc Mountains (EAM). In Dar es Salaam, the main water source is the Ruvu River, flowing from Uluguru Nature Reserve, from which around 300 million litres are extracted daily. Moreover, at least half of Tanzanian hydroelectricity is generated from EAM rivers. The EAM contain moist forest assemblages as well as large areas of miombo woodland at lower elevations and on drier leeward aspects. These biomes are believed to play significant roles in the regulation of hydrological flow, flood mitigation and soil conservation. Despite this hypothesised importance, the interactions between river flow, habitat type and land use are not well understood. To explore these complexities, the Valuing the Arc programme (VTA) parameterised a detailed, daily water model called SWAT to model the hydrology of two focal catchments: the Sigi in Tanga Region and the Ruvu in Morogoro region. In addition, we developed a broader scale, monthly model (WatR) to tentatively explore hydrological flow across the wider VTA region.