Partial Economic Valuation of Ecosystem Services in the Yuscarán Biological Reserve

Resumen

Abstract– Ecosystem services (ES) provided by protected areas play a critical role in supporting human well-being. This study presents a partial economic valuation of selected ecosystem services in the Yuscarán Biological Reserve (YBR), Honduras, applying a participatory approach for ecosystem service identification and prioritization, followed by economic valuation methods. Semi-structured interviews with the economically active population were conducted to identify and prioritize ecosystem services, followed by a technical characterization of the selected. The economic value of water provision, soil formation, climate regulation, and aggregated non-use services was estimated using a combination of revealed preference, replacement cost, technological substitution, and investment cost approaches. Results indicate that climate regulation represents the highest economic contribution, followed by aggregated non-use ecosystem services, soil formation, and water provision. By quantifying the economic value of selected ecosystem services, this study generates baseline information that can support conservation planning and ecosystem management in protected areas with limited availability of primary data.