Ecosystem Valuation and Monitoring

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is by definition an unbiased expert judgement, presenting possible impacts of the planned activity on the natural world. In such an assessment, environmental experts stand behind the Nature to sound a warning against possible consequences of human intervention. Impacts may affect the structure (presence/absence of species, existence of habitats) and the function (energy flow, food web alteration, seasonality disruption, life cycles) of an ecosystem (cf. the definitions of the 2010 Millenium Assessment ( https://www.millenniumassessment.org ), The system of goods and services provided by each ecosystem is a subject of valuation, and EIA shall indicate possible alterations there. Another approach is to define the Valued Ecosystem Components (VEC) and focus on the likely impacts they may be exposed to. An approach integrating both aspects is presented. The three main types of valuation are: (1) socioeconomic valuation, with reference to the market value of ecosystem goods and services; (2) biological valuation, presenting the intristinc value of a natural ecosystem, without reference to its human use; and (3) socio-cultural valuaton that considers the non-market value of a spiritual, educational and emotional character. An important part of the EIA is the initial risk assessment, as some VECs might be very resilient, other—extremaly vulnerable; some are able to regenerate or restore, while others are almost unrepairable.