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Policy and Economics of Ecosystem Services
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 15:41:44
Abstract
The course addresses ecosystem services, their value for society, the causes of their degradation, the stakeholders involved in their provision and use, and policies to reduce their degradation. One focus is on environmental economics approaches, highlighting their potential and limitations. During the spring of 2020 this course will focus on these issues through the case of the Brazilian Amazon.
Objective
Students can describe, analyse and explain • the basic concepts used to describe ecosystem services provision and management; • the basic social and natural science theory underlying ecosystem service degradation, • the role and characteristics of different key stakeholders involved in ecosystem services management, including their different value systems; • the different types of policy instruments and institutional arrangements that can be used for improved ecosystem services management and provision; and • empirical tools to assess the performance of various policy instruments and management systems for ecosystem services provision, and to investigate the factors of success or failure of different policy instruments
Content
Many of the world's ecosystem services are being degraded or used unsustainably, which has considerable impacts on human well-being. Various aspects need to be taken into account to change this development, to work towards improved ecosystem services management and to design appropriate policy instruments and institutional contexts. First, the societal value of different ecosystem services and the trade-offs between them needs to be assessed. Second, an assessment of the causes of excessive ecosystem services degradation is needed. Potential causes include the presence of externalities and public goods, improperly designed property rights systems, divergence of private and social discount rates, and lack of information and knowledge. Third, we need to understand the drivers of human decision-making in relation to ecosystem services use. Fourth, choosing an appropriate policy instrument (or a combination thereof) requires an understanding of the relative strengths and weaknesses of different instruments, their preconditions for success and the political economy of their implementation. Finally, it is important to assess the actual impacts of different policy and management options. This requires a careful assessment of appropriate baselines, of the situation after a policy or management change, and of the various stakeholder groups involved, etc. To address all these issues, we will first work with some broad conceptual issues and theories relevant to this field and then deepen our understanding through reading, presentations, and assignments focused on the case of the Brazilian Amazon.
Resources
Lecture Notes
Lecture notes, homework exercises and readings will be made available on Moodle.
Literature
There is no single textbook for this class. Instead, a number of texts will be distributed and used during the lecture, and some texts for further reading will be indicated.
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- DR , MSC , NDS
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture with exercise | Policy and Economics of Ecosystem Services |
|
2 h weekly |
Offered In
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MAS in Sustainable Water Resources (The Master of Advanced Studies in Sustainable Water Resources is a 12 month full time postgraduate diploma programme. The focus of the programme is on issues of sustainability and water resources in Latin America, with special attention given to the impacts of development and climate change on water resources. The programme combines multidisciplinary coursework with high level research. Sample research topics include: water quality, water quantity, water for agriculture, water for the environment, adaptation to climate change, and integrated water resource management. Language: English. Credit hours: 66 ECTS. For further information please visit: )
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Elective Courses (Electives: 6 credits has to be achieved.)
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Doctoral Department of Environmental Sciences (More Information at: )
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