Economic costs of decreasing ecosystem services in Amazonian conservation units

Abstract

The economic valuation of environmental goods and services is the result of an integrated understanding in which it presents itself in an interface that involves the natural and the economic system and with this its use has been expanded around the world. The perception that the balanced ecosystem provides benefits to society is a basic assumption of this activity. In this perspective, the article in question proposes to apprehend the economic costs arising from the decrease in the capacity of the Amazon forest to offer the ecosystem services necessary for the maintenance of life on the planet, caused by the deforestation process in 2018. The study of these costs is carried out in the conservation units in the Brazilian Amazon. For the procedures of valuation of environmental goods and services, the methodology of benefit transfer was used. The result found was R$ 582,137,181.06. Among this figure, the biggest loss was in the Biological Reserves, reflecting almost 50% of the total. The study showed the importance of the valuation activity in the processes that involve political and economic decisions. It can promote a better decision by both public managers, who need to allocate public resources to meet the maximum welfare for the population, as well as private agents.