TEEB Manual for Cities

The TEEB Manual for Cities: Ecosystem Services in Urban ManagementStep 4Assess (future changes in) ecosystem servicesHaving determined the methodologyfor assessing the value of therelevant ecosystem services inStep 3, the logical next step is toconduct the valuation. This stepis, therefore, simply putting theselected methodology into practiceand assessing how the problem orpolicy issues will affect ecosystemservices. The examples belowillustrate some of the ways in whichthe methods, introduced above, havebeen implemented. This is the ‘study’component of the process, which canbe time consuming and often requiresvery specific expertise. It is thereforeusually worthwhile considering hiringexperts to undertake the assessmentdespite the cost.Ideally, this step in the process shouldconsider not only the current value ofecosystem services to the city, but alsohow those values have changed overtime and how they will change underdifferent scenarios – i.e. as a result ofthe problem or under different policydecisions. An integral component of thisassessment is understanding the driversof change. While it is not always possibleto include all of these issues into a singleassessment or valuation study – it isimportant to draw on whatever additionalinformation is available for designing theanalysis (step 3) and for interpreting itsresults (steps 4 and 5).City of Cape TownThe values of Cape Town’s ecosystem services were estimated by experts.City of Cape Town’s ecosystem services valuation process (continued)Expert advice was sought from a groupof experienced resource and environmentaleconomists on the consultingteam, and validated with experts outsidethe team. The valuation techniquesused and key results were as follows(all values based on 2007 data):Tourism:● Total tourism value: US$137 millionto US$418 million per annum; basedon the amount of revenue generatedby visitors who were travelling to, orin, the City in 2007; as a result of theattraction of natural features.Recreation:● Local recreational values: US$58million to US$70 million per annumbased on benefits transfer fromprevious valuation studies in CapeTown for recreation.Globally important biodiversity:● Donor funding of US$32 million forconservation has flowed to the regiongiving a proxy of value - it can easilybe argued that Cape Town is one ofthe most important cities in the worldfor biodiversity conservation.Aesthetic and sense of placerelated values:● Evidence shows that natural spacesplay an important role in improvinghealth and well-being in cities.● Natural assets help to attract skilledentrepreneurs and others that driveeconomic development. CapeTown’s branding is now stronglylinked to its natural assets.● Natural assets are a key driver of thefilm and advertising industry and arevalued between US$18.8 million andUS$56.4 million per annum, basedon industry expenditure ascribableto natural asset locations.● Cape Town boasts some of themost sought-after property, largelybecause of its natural assets. At asite specific scale, rehabilitation andrestoration projects have createdsignificant values.Natural hazard regulation:● US$650,000 to US$8.6 million perannum for natural hazard regulation(wildfires, floods and storm surge)based on estimates of the cost ofdamages avoided from buffering offires, flooding and storm surge bynatural assets.Water purification and wastetreatment, assimilation:● Case studies show values and risks.For example, the need to dredgeZeekoevlei Wetland for US$8.5– US$9.9 million represents theminimum clean-up costs needed forthe wetland to function normally andavoid ecosystem collapse.Source: De Wit and van Zyl 2011;De Wit et al. 2009.24