Ecosystem services of shelterbelts as the basis of compensatory mechanisms of their creation and maintenance

Abstract

The article examines the key elements of ecosystem services provided by shelterbelts and problems of their assessment. The research conducted using methods of analysis, synthesis and extrapolation based on information obtained from statistical and literature sources (more than 40 studies have been analyzed). An economic assessment of the shelterbelts’ ecosystem services was carried out for two groups of services: provisioning services and regulating services. Provisioning services are quantitatively determined by the direct market assessment method by extrapolating the cost of shelterbelts material resources. These calculations were based on the corresponding indicators of forest logging according to the State Statistics Service of Ukraine (Ukrstat.org). Climate regulation was estimated on the basis of the photosynthesis equation 6СО2 + 6Н2О = С6Н12О6 + 6О2. A possible soil loss was determined under various scenarios using the methodological approaches proposed by Mozheiko. The economic assessment of the impact of shelterbelts takes into account the amount of yield increase from the fields that are protected by these plantations and is determined as the difference between the value of the harvest obtained from the protected arable land by shelterbelts and unprotected ones. According to a preliminary environmental and economic assessment, in Ukraine the cost of useful functions of the shelterbelt is 39.8 billion UAH / year. Provisioning services account for 0.3%, regulating services – 99.7%. It has been established that the cost of the material resources from shelterbelts are about 117.3 UAH million / year. The largest income from the accessory use of shelterbelts can be provided by honey harvesting – 16.9 million UAH / year. Other secondary products of shelterbelts resources potentially provide funds of about 18.4 million UAH / year. With the implementation of modern cost-effective practices for shelterbelts establishment, the cost of material resources which are obtained from shelterbelts can potentially be increased by 60-70%. The cost of oxygen emitted by shelterbelts is estimated using average wholesale prices and can reach 16.7 billion UAH / year. It is established that without ameliorative impact of protective shelterbelts, the potential amount of possible losses from soil degradation could reach 5.7 UAH billion / year. Due to the shelterbelts influence, the annually cost of agricultural products increases by 17.3 billion UAH / year. In this study, we concentrated on ecosystem services assessment provided by shelterbelts in order to use obtained results for developing compensatory payment schemes for shelterbelts creation and maintenance. The results show that the establishing, maintenance and operation of protective forest belts can lead to significant economic, environmental and social (employment of the rural population) benefits.

Keywords

• payments for ecosystem services
• agroforestry practices
• protective linear plantings