This book describes the valuation of services of ecosystems (forests, agriculture and aquatic) for Karnataka State, India, as per the validated statistical framework for natural capital accounting – SEEA: System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA.un.org). According to SEEA protocol, ecosystem services are defined as the contributions of ecosystems to the benefits that are used in economic and other human activities. The valuation of ecosystem services (VES) provides an unbiased framework to value unaccounted ecosystem benefits and helps in developing meaningful policy interventions. The approach allows for adjusted regional or national accounts which reflect the output of ecosystem services as well as the depletion of natural resources and the degradation costs (externalized costs of the loss of ecosystem services) of ecosystems in economic terms. In this perspective, the current publication, focusing on the natural capital accounting and valuation of ecosystem services in Karnataka, India, can help raise awareness and provide a quantitative tool to evaluate the sustainability of policies. The book would aid as knowledge base for many professionals, institutions and government agencies taking up the task of natural capital accounting and valuation of ecosystem services across the countries worldwide.

This publication shows how natural capital accounting, in particular the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA), can be used to answer a variety of policy questions on biodiversity. This report is aimed at policymakers at various levels, who are responsible for creating or implementing biodiversity policies or policies that are dependent upon or impact biodiversity. This document presents how the SEEA can be used in the formulation of effective biodiversity policy, with a focus on those policies that relate to ecosystems, ecosystem services and species. The report provides several successful examples that are aimed to inspire policymakers in applying the SEEA to inform effective biodiversity policies.

Wetlands provide important natural resources, upon which societies depend. They are recognised globally for their vital role in sustaining a wide array of biodiversity, provide goods and services and upon which the rural economies depends. In particular, wetland resources play a vital role in contributing to food security by enabling direct availability of products such as fish, crops grown, wild fruits and vegetables; providing cash income from sale of raw materials and processed products and contributing to increased crop and livestock yields as a result of improved productivity from use of water, silt, and through climate moderation. In Kunigal, wetlands as elsewhere provide a wide range of tangible and nontangible benefits to local communities. Some of the tangible benefits include water for domestic use and watering of livestock, support to dry season agriculture, building materials, and food resources such as fish, while the non-tangible benefits include flood control, purification of water, maintenance of the water table, microclimate moderation, and storm protection. It also serves as habitats for important flora and fauna, have aesthetic and heritage values, and contain stocks of biodiversity. All these benefits have a bearing on the livelihood of local communities. A vast majority of the people living adjacent to the lake areas directly use the wetland resources for their sustenance. Besides, they also indirectly contribute to food security by providing services that foster food production such as weather modifications and nutrient retention. The Economic Valuation of Kunigal Lake in Tumkur was carried out by WWF-India. Methodology: The study assessed the economic value of wetlands linked to community welfare and livelihoods activities, by applying partial valuation techniques (market price method, productivity method), socio-economic surveys, literature reviews and contingent valuation method. It employed structured interviews, participatory observation approach, focus group discussions and key-informant interviews for primary data. Three villages near the lake were selected for the study, based on the assumption that the majority of those households rely on wetland resources for their livelihoods. The market prices method was applied to quantify direct use values, by estimating the price in commercial markets for such wetland resources as fish, water for domestic supply, pastures, and agricultural products. The productivity method was used to quantify the use of water in agriculture. In the report wetland and lake are used interchangeably. Benefit of the study: The study provides lesson learned for sustainably managing wetland resources to benefit the local community which uses the wetlands as their main source of livelihood and ensuring maximum poverty reduction benefits from sustainable use of natural resources. Main Findings: The key findings from the assessed of the economic value of Kunigal lake include, A conservative estimate of the annual value from water, fisheries and pastures provided by the lake (416 he) is approximately 19.5 million INR ha-1 yr-1 for the lake, and the regulatory services for the catchment (34090 he) is 1340 million INR ha-1 yr-1 based on the survey sample the pasture value was estimated at INR 1.4 million for 193 cattle. Ecosystem Services Million, INR/year Regulatory functions# Microclimate regulation 542 Water regulation/recharge 61.3 Carbon Sequestration 736.3 TOTAL 1339.6. Provisional Services@ Domestic water supply 3.5 Fisheries 8.6 Water for crops 0.00015 Pastures (milk as value addition) 7.4 TOTAL 19.5 # Regulatory functions are calculated for the catchment area; @ based on field work. The findings from this study suggest that if wetland resources are used unsustainably, or in a manner which reduces societal net benefits, local people's income would decline. A more comprehensive approach is required to manage the entire catchment area. Populations from upper catchment areas have potentially negative impacts on downstream water flows. Since social and ecological systems are linked, more awareness programs are needed, focusing at all levels of community members in the study area, as people's participation in conservation activities is comparatively low. Catchment destruction has resulted in reduced grazing land, farming land and limited wetlands products such as fruits, grasses and vegetables and potential incomes from bee keeping. The lake vast tourism potential is underexploited: There is limited exploitation of the areas vast tourism potential based on its rich bird biodiversity. The estimates of wetland benefits as for this study illustrate the magnitude of the economic value of wetlands in addition to their biodiversity, scientific value, climate regulation, potential tourism, social, cultural and other important wetland values. They further represent one more tool to raise awareness with decision makers.

This is a wonderful book rich in empirical detail, full of theoretical insights, offering hope in a bleak world, altogether inspiring. . . a tremendous achievement of having helped to create the disciplines of ecological economics and political ecology, bringing them alive in this book, and making their insights available to the developing worldwide movement for environmental justice. Pat Devine, Environmental Values Any book by the ecological economist Joan Martinez-Alier is a Big Publishing Event. . . this is a book by a writer who loves his subject, knows it well, respects its history, and is driven by the desire to do justice. These are qualities enough to send you to the bookshop or the library in search of The Environmentalism of the Poor. Andrew Dobson, Environment Politics The book is a worthy and in-depth contribution to debates about political ecology and ecological economics. It should be read by all environmental and ecological economists who wish to make their analysis more relevant. Tim Forsyth, Progress in Development Studies A marvellous combination of insight, research and activism. . . A must-read for policymakers, practitioners and academics alike, and for anyone concerned with sustainable development, environmentalism or poverty alleviation. Human Ecology Journal . . . one of the most important environmental books to have been published recently. Martinez-Alier integrates two of the most significant areas of environmental theory political ecology and ecological economics. Eurig Scandrett, Friends of the Earth Scotland The book has three main strengths: its bibliography, which is extensive; the global perspective on the environmental movement and the relationship with poverty; and the general theme of this interdisciplinary work, which is not so much to provide new information, but to consider the existing information in a new light. Martinez-Alier is to be commended for taking such a step in the literature . . . the writing style is extremely approachable . . . Recommended. B.J. Peterson, Choice [Joan] Martinez-Alier combines the honest discipline of a scholar with the passionate energy of an activist. The result, The Environmentalism of the Poor, is highly recommended! Herman E. Daly, University of Maryland, College Park, US The Environmentalism of the Poor has the explicit intention of helping to establish two emerging fields of study political ecology and ecological economics whilst also investigating the relations between them. The book analyses several manifestations of the growing environmental justice movement , and also of popular environmentalism and the environmentalism of the poor , which will be seen in the coming decades as driving forces in the process to achieve an ecologically sustainable society. The author studies, in detail, many ecological distribution conflicts in history and at present, in urban and rural settings, showing how poor people often favour resource conservation. The environment is thus not so much a luxury of the rich as a necessity of the poor. It concludes with the fundamental questions: who has the right to impose a language of valuation and who has the power to simplify complexity? Joan Martinez-Alier combines the study of ecological conflicts and the study of environmental valuation in a totally original approach that will appeal to a wide cross-section of academics, ecologists and environmentalists.

The Inclusive Wealth Index provides important insights into long-term economic growth and human well-being. The Index measures the wealth of nations through a comprehensive analysis of a country's productive base and the country’s wealth in terms of progress, well-being and long-term sustainability. It measures all assets which human well-being is based upon, in particular, produced, human and natural capital to create and maintain human well-being over time.