The Evaluation Of Rivers Ecosystem Services In Guangdong Province

Using the methods of environmental economics, such as Market value approach,Shadow project method, Hedonistic pricing method, Reforestation cost approach,Opportunity cost method, Replacement cost method, the values of rivers ecosystemservices in Guangdong Province include fresh water supply, supplying sand, Hydro-energy,shipping, aquatic products, transporting sand, culture and recreation, water regulation, soilformation, CO₂ fixation and O₂ release, habitat, decontamination are assessed. The resultsshow that the total values are 195.61 billion Yuan RMB·a^-1, which is 9.01% of GDPand 24.81% of total retail sales of consumer goods in Guangdong Province in 2005.Indirect values are 149.19 billion Yuan RMB·a^-1, which is 76.27% of the total values.The water regulation value is 126.88 billion Yuan RMB·a^-1, which is the main servicefunction.The economy values which rivers ecosystem of different reach provides is variablein different year. It increases slowly year after year and is relative to the economicdevelopment and the management of govemment.When human take advantage of many kinds of rivers ecosystem services to providenatural resources and living environment, they influence on rivers ecosystem servicesintensively. The impacts of human activities on rivers ecosystem services includenegative effects and positive effects. For example, planting vegetables would changehabitat, decrease biomass and reduce rivers ecosystem service values. It will pollutethe freshwater in stream processing of pollutants when a lot pollutant is let to rivers.But it is helpful to improve productivity of freshwater algae when a little sewage is letto rivers.Exerting feasible evaluation methods, this research evaluates the values of riversecosystem services in Guangdong Province for the first time. It is very important for usto understand the welfare which rivers ecosystem provides. And it is a necessary (butcertainly not the only) ingredient in pracrical policy.