Mapping the economic costs and benefits of conservation

Abstract

Resources for biodiversity conservation are severely limited, requiring strategic investment. Understanding both the economic benefits and costs of conserving ecosystems will help to allocate scarce dollars most efficiently. However, although cost-benefit analyses are common in many areas of policy, they are not typically used in conservation planning. We conducted a spatial evaluation of the costs and benefits of conservation for a landscape in the Atlantic forests of Paraguay. We considered five ecosystem services (i.e., sustainable bushmeat harvest, sustainable timber harvest, bioprospecting for pharmaceutical products, existence value, and carbon storage in aboveground biomass) and compared them to estimates of the opportunity costs of conservation. We found a high degree of spatial variability in both costs and benefits over this relatively small (approximately 3,000 km(2)) landscape. Benefits exceeded costs in some areas, with carbon storage dominating the ecosystem service values and swamping opportunity costs. Other benefits associated with conservation were more modest and exceeded costs only in protected areas and indigenous reserves. We used this cost-benefit information to show that one potential corridor between two large forest patches had net benefits that were three times greater than two otherwise similar alternatives. Spatial cost-benefit analysis can powerfully inform conservation planning, even though the availability of relevant data may be limited, as was the case in our study area. It can help us understand the synergies between biodiversity conservation and economic development when the two are indeed aligned and to clearly understand the trade-offs when they are not.

Figure 1. The Mbaracayu Biosphere Reserve and its Location in Eastern Paraguay

The outer line delineates the border of the Reserve, and the roughly rectangular core protected area is outlined within it. Areas in white are nonforest areas (mostly agricultural) and were not considered. Areas in shades of gray to black are forested; darker shades represent areas with higher opportunity costs, which are net present values in US$ per hectare (adapted from [29]).

Figure 2. Economic Values (Net Present Values in US$ per Hectare) Associated with Forest Ecosystem Services across the Mbaracyau Forest Biosphere Reserve

(A) Sum of all 5 services. (B) Sustainable bushmeat harvest. (C) Sustainable timber harvest. (D) Bioprospecting. (E) Existence value. (F) Carbon storage.

Figure 3. Location of Forested Areas in the Mbaracayu Biosphere Reserve where Economic Benefits Exceed Opportunity Costs (Shown in Black)

Each panel represents calculations considering a different set of benefits. (A) Sustainable bushmeat harvest; (B) bushmeat + sustainable timber harvest; (C) bushmeat + timber + bioprospecting; (D) bushmeat + timber + bioprospecting + existence value; (E) bushmeat + timber + bioprospecting + existence value + carbon storage.

Figure 4. Differences between Economic Costs and Benefits of Conservation across the Mbaracyau Forest Biosphere Reserve

Green represents areas where economic benefits exceed costs (both as net present values in US$ per hectare), based on bushmeat + timber + bioprospecting values. Gray/black areas are where costs exceed benefits. Darker shading indicates greater deviation from zero in either direction. Three potential corridors connecting the core protected area and the large indigenous reserve to the west are outlined in blue.