Comparsion Of Ecosystem Services Valuation Methodswith A Case Study In Xiu River

Ecosystem is the foundation for human living and development and the supporting system of world’s lives. In the process of social and economic development,human beings tend to only pay attention to the direct value of ecosystem services, while ignoring the regulating and supporting ecosystem services is not monetized,resulting in the degradation and destruction of ecosystem services. Ecosystem valuation helps to improve the environmental awareness of residents, promoting the constructionof Environmental-Economic Accounting and environmental management efficiency. Comparing with international study, the theories and filed studies of China are relatively backward, while the studies have already from learning, imitation transition to mature stage. The services evaluation is progressively comprehensive, but there are few cases reflect the difference for different methods from the perspectives ofprinciple and application. Based on this background, Xiu River was selected as the case site,1100questionnaires were conducted. In this paper, four methods were compared including transfer Costanza’s method, Xie’s equivalency factors, CVM,CBC form theories and application perspectives.The main contents of this paper,i)summarize the domestic and overseas ecosystem services methods research from development of ecosystem services evaluation. ii)Based on the development of transfer Costanza’s method and Xie’s equivalency factors method, social economic factor,Biomass factor coefficients,Payment preferences coefficients, Water quality and quantity factor coefficients,GDP factor and Purchasing Power Parity were added in the process of evaluation.According land use data of upstream of Xiu River, improved methods were used to evaluated. iii)CVM was carried out with a single boundary dichotomous plus payment cards and adding "do not know"option.The CVM data was divided into the first layer of a single boundary, the second layer of a single boundary, the second layer of payment card, three differenf "do not know" double bounded-dichotomous Models, and compared the difference of those models. At the same time, payment mechanism, market mechanism and zero willingness to pay was discussed in this study. Self-assessment question for uncertainty of respondents’ payment amount was designed in the questionnaire, respondents’payment behavior was verified through the self-assessment question,"do not know" option and CBC three sections.iv)Based on the theory and development of CBC,Clogit model was used to analysis determinants and marginal WTP of different choice sets attribute level, v)Comparisons of differentmethods, including the comparison of transfer Costanza’s method and Xie’s equivalency factors method, the comparison of CVM and CBC, the comparisoninternal techniques of CVM. Differences of each method wereanalyzed from reliability, accuracy and convenience perspectives.The study found that, i)We get different Xiu River upstream’s services values by using different valuation methods,14.428billion Yuan with improved Xie’s equivalency factors method,1.313billion Yuan with transfer Costanza’s new research method,38million Yuan with CVM double boundary dichotomous,53million Yuan with CBC method, ⅱ)There are some advantages in large-scale areas evaluation by using transfer Costanza’s new method and Xie’s equivalency factors method, which are convenient to use but less accurate.Using1/7market value of1hm2agricultural food production define per ecosystem services equivalency factor tends to be overestimate.ⅲ)There are some advantages in small-scale areas evaluation by using CVM and CBC, which are more accurate but need more research funds and spending time, increasing the difficulty of methods applied in practice, ⅳ) It is important to add "do not know" option in the first layer of a single boundary, which is necessary and reasonable,through self-assessment question for uncertainty of respondents’ payment amount and CBC two sections.The necessary and reasonable were verified from the choice of first layer double bounded and second payment card. There are no different to add "do not know" option in the second layer of a single boundary, ⅴ)It is more closer to the real market of the design of CBC questionnaire, which were able to clearly express respondents’ preferences for differentenvironmentalattributes, and the calculation of marginal willingness to pay is relatively simple.