This publication is timely given the increasing interest in putting an economic value on nature. I was initially sceptical about the objectivity of the authors, given the presumption implicit in the title that it is only the positive socio-economic impacts of protected areas that warrant assessment. On delving more deeply, however, there is actually more consideration of costs than the title suggests, despite the overall aim of the editors and lead authors being to facilitate assessment and communication of the benefits of protected areas.
The primary target audience for this guide is those involved in the designation and management of protected areas who wish to explore the socio-economic arguments for conservation. It is effectively both a synthesis of evidence from a wide range of contexts of the benefits of protected areas, as well as a step-by-step practical guide on how to identify, assess and communicate those benefits, focusing on socio-economic values. Crucially it does not deal only with financial valuation. Rather it provides information on the range of different approaches and methods available—qualitative and quantitative as well as monetary. Helpful guidance is provided on which of these are most applicable to different types of benefits, depending on the resources and information available for the assessment.
Structurally the guide is divided into two main parts. A ‘contextual guidance’ section provides an overview of the benefits (expressed as ecosystem goods and services) and associated socio-economic values of protected areas. This is followed by ‘practical guidance’ for identifying, assessing and communicating those values and benefits. This second section is divided into three broad steps: a rapid scoping assessment, detailed socio-economic valuation methods, and guidance on interpretation and use of the results. As a non-economist who has recently read many papers on ecosystem service assessment—and who has become increasingly confused by the liberal sprinkling of terms such as hedonic pricing, contingent valuation and value transfer—the simple and concise introduction to monetary valuation methods was a godsend. Similarly, the absence of complex economic models and mathematical formulae was a blessing; the step-by-step guidance on carbon storage and sequestration assessment being perhaps an inevitable exception.
Other welcome aspects of the book include the inclusion of a wide range of case studies from around the world, the emphasis on the importance of identifying the objectives of any assessment, and the honesty about the challenges and caveats of economic valuation per se as well as of specific methods. The recognition that the benefits (and costs) of protected areas are not evenly distributed between stakeholders at local, national and global scales is also to be applauded. The final section provides useful guidance on how to make sense of the results of the assessment, as well as how to use and communicate them to different audiences. While I don't necessarily feel 100% confident that, with this volume under my arm, I could carry out a robust assessment of the socio-economic benefits of protected areas in practice, reading it has certainly contributed to my understanding of the complexity of the issues involved. Let's hope it does the same for its intended target audience.
