Building the Mediterranean future together development in the Nelly Bourlion, Forest Ecosystem Program officer UNEP – MAP – Plan Bleu 8th Conference of the Ecosystem Services Partenrship - Working Group B5 : Mediterranean Stellenbosch, 9-13 November 2015 Economic valuation of services Mediterranean? a tool for sustainable provided by ecosystems,

 Observation, analysis and prospective center  The Mediterranean Action Plan of UNEP  Goal : to implement the Convention for the protection of the Marine environment and Coastal Region of the Mediterranean (Barcelona Convention)  The ecosystem approach to the management of human activities Plan Bleu : who are we ?

Why economic valuation of ecosystems ?  Environmental decisions are  complex,  multifaceted and  involve many stakeholders with different priorities or objectives  The selection of management approaches involves multiple criteria  To assess the results, strengths and weaknesses of alternative management approaches. “The economic assessment is the process of estimating, in monetary terms, the increase or the expected decline in well-being resulting from the use of a good or service” (Romero, 1994). “The economic assessment is the process of estimating, in monetary terms, the increase or the expected decline in well-being resulting from the use of a good or service” (Romero, 1994). Relation between ecosystems and individuals

Each evaluation at different state and different geographic scale Marine ecosystems (regional and local) : finished Wetlands (local) : methodology definition Forests (local): results validation Overview of the socio-economic valuations realized by PlanBleu Provisioning (goods production)Regulation (services production) Cultural (services production) Food crop support Aquaculture Professional fishing Land picking (fruits, vegetables) Extraction and using of mineral products (salt, granular resource) Wood harvesting Water transport Groundwater recharge Climate regulation : carbon sequestration Water cycle regulation: Flood control Waste purification and treatment (water auto-purification) Prevention of geomorphological desorders (banks erosion, lacks of material in some area..) Erosion and mudslide control Value of biodiversity Tourism and nature recreation

Overview of the socio-economic valuations realized by PlanBleu Process: Regional state of the art method for each ecosystem Implementation in pilot sites Conclusions/recommandations at regional level

CS1 : Socio-economic valuation of Med. Marine Ecosystems 46,000 km of coastline, 40% built up 2.5 million km ² (1% of the world's ocean surface) High biodiversity: 6% of marine species in the world, high level of endemism (28%), Nearly 1,000 non indigenous species, with about one new entry every two weeks Context 5 types of ecosystems: Posidonia Meadow areas (1% of total area) Corallogenic areas (4%) Hard substrate areas with photophilic algae (4%) Soft substrate areas (9%) Open sea (81%)

CS1 : Socio-economic valuation of Med. Marine Ecosystems Overall value = 26 billion € (2005) €/km 2 /year 8 countries account for 90% of the total value of benefits resulting from marine ecosystems (Italy, Spain, Greece, France, Turkey, Israel, Egypt and Algeria) Hotels restaurants, real estate, tourism Contact: Didier Sauzade Limits : Underestimated assessment: sustainability assessment lack of specific data Southern and eastern countries Coastal areas

CS2 : Socio-economic valuation of Med. Wetlands Few economic valuation studies of ecosystem services provided by wetlands. Especially in South and East Mediterranean countries Among these studies: - regulation services represent the least studied category - there is no focus on adaptation to climate change. Mediterranean wetlands = 18.5 million ha 1-2% of the world’s wetlands, 1/4 are artificial They provide a panel of ecosystem services, contributing to human well-being Threatened ecosystems in constant decline Half disappeared during the 20th century, due to human pressures Context Translated from OZHM, 2010

Interests: To promote the recognition of the « climatic buffer » role played by wetlands to facilitate its integration in Med national adaptation strategies to climate change CS2 : Socio-economic valuation of Med. Wetlands Contact: Céline Dubreuil - Juliette Balavoine Lonjsko polje floodplain Croatia Vic Coastal lagoon, France Burullus coastal lagoon, Egypt Yeniçaga lake and peatlands, Turkey OZHM, Perennou et al., 2012 Coastal protection against storm –Avoided Cost +Reflects current arbitrations -Frequency and intensity of events difficult to predict. Damages estimated are hypothetical and links with ecosystem service change are uncertain. Risks of over / under-estimation Flood control – Replacement Cost +Reflects current arbitrations; Relatively simple data collection. -Impossibility of identifying perfect substitutes for ecosystem services. Risk of under / over-estimation. Limits: Heterogeneity and lack of available data at watershed level for carrying out a robust biophysical evaluation; yet, this is a crucial preliminary step for economic valuation. Results can run counter to the objectives of preserving ecosystems. Carbon sequestration – Market Price +Market data easily available Simple technique -Inexistent markets for most services. Imperfect markets create price distortions. Prices do not reflect social importance. Effects on price have to be considered (seasons, socio economic characteristics, subsidies and taxes...).

CS3 : Socio-economic valuation of Med. Forests 77 million ha of forests 2% of total world’s forest area Climate Change pressure: In the period , over 2 million ha of wildlands were burnt, an average of more than ha per year. Anthropogenic pressure: Growth of population with 95% in south-eastern Mediterranean countries Context Source : PlanBleu ServicesMoroccoAlgeriaTunisiaLebanonTurkey Provisionnin g Wood Cork Forrage NWFP Arbutus fruits Cork Forrage NWFP Thyme Forrage Honey Wood RegulationWater purificatio n Water ressource s protection Carbon seq Biodiversit y CulturalRecreatio n List of goods and services valuated in the project Project’s pilot sites

Wood’s value is not important because of the low productivity and the wood’s quality (mostly firewood) Lack of reliable statistical data on firewood Large variation by site The most remunerative service Where admission fees are not applied, recreation benefits are threatened by surcharge and caused damage. The income generated by the local population depends on tourism activities developed USD PPP Visits number US$/visi t US$/haMethod Morocco ,62975,4Travel cost Algeria850009,134,3Travel cost Lebanon591924,3114,9Benefit Transfer Turkey ,945,6Benefit Transfer CS3 : Socio economic valuation of Med. Forest Contact: Nelly Bourlion MEDIETERRA NEAN FOREST Recreation Wood Biodiversity Soil protection Carbon sequetsration Forrage NWFP Water purification Cultural Regulating Provisioning Interests: In addition to the per hectare values, values per capita can better express the benefits of the population living in the area. It depends on the forest area and the population size The evaluation becomes more difficult when we move from direct use values, indirect use values and existence values USD PPP m3/haUS$/m3US$/haMethod Morocco5,217,1490,6Market price Tunisia214,930,2Market price Lebanon0,687,154,5Market price Turkey0,580,739,3Market price Limits: Underestimation / overestimation of certain values due to lack of data Difficulties to have a regional perspective due to site specificities

Common limits from the case studies  Requires a prior biophysical evaluation  important investigation work  Lack of reliable data in southern and eastern countries, and/or lack of access to data  Lack of data at specific level (watershed, coastal region etc.)  the necessary data are usually obtained through specific surveys on users or companies to the local level  Heterogeneity of data and methodology  difficulties to compare between countries  Difficulties to have a regional perspective due to local assessment or regional assessment of the ecosystems  Loss of information at each step and difficulty to move from biophysical evaluation to economic valuation

Common interests from the case studies  Provide better understanding of changes in provision of those goods and services,  Demonstrate the contributions of ecosystems to social welfare and economic development,  Take into account not only priced goods, but also non-market good and services  Allow comparison with financial costs on single currency basis  Create a common language for policy makers, business and society  A starting point for elaborating proposals and supporting effective decision making with regard to adaptive and sustainable management of Mediterranean ecosystems  The basis for the implementation of : a natural resource accounting system, a PES system and an effective compensation mechanisms of damages on ecosystems Comparative analysis and recommendations ongoing will lead to a publication beginning of 2016

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