Valuing ecological resources through stakeholder participation

George O. Rogers, Eric K. Bardenhagen

Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center, College of Architecture, Texas A&M University, College Station, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/oje.2013.35039                

Abstract

This paper presents a pilot effort to identify a methodology to more efficiently codify, quantify and illustrate the intrinsic values associated with ecological resources as expressed by stakeholders. Existing methodologies examine the value of ecological resources, but are often criticized for their monetary focus. These methods generally produce quasi-market values for non-market resources. The natural and cultural resources associated with a national park are analyzed in terms of the expressed values of active stakeholders to quantitatively produce multiple dimensions of value for each resource relative to all others. The resulting abstract and graphical value-space quantitatively reflects stakeholder participation, reflects non-market intrinsic value, and proactively contributes to environmental management and decision making.

Keywords

Ecological Resource Valuation; Intrinsic Values; Place-Based Valuation; Natural Resources; Value-Space; Stake-Holder Participation

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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