The Economics of Biodiversity Conservation

* Placing an economic value on biodiversity is seen by many as the best and perhaps only successful way of preserving it while also protecting livelihoods * This is the most comprehensive examination of valuation ever conducted, focusing on one of the world's top eight biodiversity "hotspots", with principles widely applicable across the world * Original comparisons of the different "values" of biodiversity, trade-offs, incentives for conservation, case studies of coffee growing and wildlife conservation and practical policy options Economic valuation of biodiversity and ecosystem services is possibly the most powerful tool for halting the loss of biodiversity while maintaining incomes and livelihoods. Yet rarely have such approaches been applied to tropical forest "hotspots", which house the vast majority of the planet's plant and animal species. This groundbreaking work is the most comprehensive and detailed examination of the economics of environmental valuation and biodiversity conservation to date. Focusing on the Western Ghats of India, one of the top biodiversity hotspots in the world, this volume looks at a cross-section of local communities living within or near sanctuaries and reserve forests such as coffee growers, indigenous people and farmers-pastoralists to assess the use and non-use values that people derive from tropical forests. It also looks at the extent of their dependence on forests for various goods and services, and examines their perceptions and attitudes towards biodiversity conservation and wildlife protection. The book concludes with an assessment of the institutional alternatives and policies for promoting biodiversity conservation through economic valuation methods.

K. N. Ninan is Professor of Ecological Economics at the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore, India.

List of Figures, Tables and Box	p. viii
Foreword	p. xvii
Preface	p. xix
List of Acronyms and Abbreviations	p. xxiii
Introduction	p. 1
Biodiversity conservation: Its significance and the issues	p. 1
Tropical forests	p. 3
Factors causing biodiversity loss	p. 5
The economic case for valuing biodiversity	p. 6
Total economic value of tropical forests	p. 8
The Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot	p. 10
Survey of literature and justification for the study	p. 17
Objectives	p. 36
Data and approach	p. 36
Structure of the book	p. 44
Land Use and Crop Pattern Changes, Pressure on Natural Resources and the Status of Biodiversity in Selected Regions	p. 45
Introduction	p. 45
Land use patterns and changes	p. 45
Crop patterns and changes	p. 52
Population pressure on natural resources	p. 56
Livestock pressure on natural resources	p. 58
Status of biodiversity in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot	p. 61
Summary	p. 73
Note	p. 75
Maldari - The Context of a Coffee Growing Village	p. 76
Introduction	p. 76
Maldari village	p. 76
Profile of the sample households	p. 77
Coffee cultivation in Maldari	p. 82
The opportunity cost of biodiversity conservation	p. 89
External costs	p. 94
The local community's perceptions and attitudes towards the environment and biodiversity conservation	p. 98
Valuing the local community's preferences for biodiversity conservation	p. 104
Summary	p. 109
Nagarhole - The Context of Tribal Villages Located Within and Near a National Park	p. 110
Introduction	p. 110
Nagarhole National Park	p. 111
Tourist arrivals and revenues	p. 116
Income and expenditure of park	p. 117
Sample selection	p. 118
Profile of the sample households	p. 120
Wildlife damage costs	p. 123
Tribal communities' dependence on forests for non-timber forest products	p. 126
Local tribal communities' perception and attitudes towards the environment and biodiversity conservation	p. 158
Valuing local tribal communities' preferences for biodiversity conservation	p. 163
Summary	p. 166
Uttar Kannada: The Context of Agricultural cum Pastoral Villages Located Within and Near a Wildlife Sanctuary	p. 167
Introduction	p. 167
Uttar kannada district	p. 167
Dandeli wildlife sanctuary	p. 168
Sample selection	p. 169
Profile of the sample households	p. 170
The opportunity costs of biodiversity conservation	p. 178
Forest resources and household income	p. 196
Wildlife damage costs and defensive expenditure	p. 197
The local community's perception and attitudes towards the environment and biodiversity conservation	p. 200
Valuing the local community's preferences for biodiversity conservation	p. 204
Summary	p. 207
Summary, Conclusions and Policy Recommendations	p. 209
Introduction	p. 209
Major findings	p. 211
Policy implications	p. 219
Glossary	p. 228
References	p. 241
Index	p. 250
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The Economics of Biodiversity Conservation

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