Environmental Economics
Jalil Badamfirooz; Hamid Sarkheil; Roya Mousazadeh
Abstract
Mineral extraction plays an essential role in economic and social development. On the other hand, mining and its dependent processes can have harmful consequences on natural ecosystems, including air pollution, water, soil, and the impact on biodiversity and land use. Therefore, by quantifying these ...
Read More
Mineral extraction plays an essential role in economic and social development. On the other hand, mining and its dependent processes can have harmful consequences on natural ecosystems, including air pollution, water, soil, and the impact on biodiversity and land use. Therefore, by quantifying these consequences and estimating the costs of damages to ecosystem services, it is possible to reduce the destruction of ecosystems in the country by applying measures based on prevention and control of effects. Jajarm bauxite mining area, as the largest and most crucial bauxite mine in the country, is located in North Khorasan province. Bauxite mining has negative environmental consequences on neighboring ecosystems during the exploitation and extraction of valuable aluminum material. Since the maximum impact area of this mine is cultivated areas downstream and around the extraction area of this area is 6000 hectares, in this study, the cost of environmental damages to the mine has been estimated using the benefit-transfer approach on this biome. The cost of damages to ecosystem services due to bauxite mining in the cultivated Areas (for 1000 hectares of affected cultivated areas) is estimated at 2481375 million IRR (equivalent to USD 9925500) in the year (2021). This highlights the importance of mine reclamation as well as ecological rehabilitation after mining activities in the area.Using economic tools to prevent and control the effects of mining activities is essential.
Environmental Economics
Jalil BadamFirooz; Roya Mousazadeh
Abstract
Wetland valuation is an important tool available to environmental managers and decision makers to justify the overal costs of wetland conservation and management activities. Currently, policymakers and planners do not have the right toolbox with easy access to assess the economic value of wetland ecosystems. ...
Read More
Wetland valuation is an important tool available to environmental managers and decision makers to justify the overal costs of wetland conservation and management activities. Currently, policymakers and planners do not have the right toolbox with easy access to assess the economic value of wetland ecosystems. It is obvious that quoting quantitative and monertary values in expressing the value of each resource will be an efficient and effective tool to justify the goals of sustainable development and environmental protection, and this is possible by having a clear guidance model. Economic valuation of ecosystem services is a useful tool to support ecosystem management decisions and help decision makers to protect the ecosystem more effectively. Estimating the economic value and costs of environmental damage to wetland ecosystems can be effective in preserving values and preventing their degradation. The aim of this study is to integrate the economic valuation and costs of environmental damage to the Iranian wetlands ecosystem services as part of the process of determining the economic value of natural resources. Existence of basic and practical model and guidance for wetland valuation can help interested users in identifying values, choosing valuation techniques appropriate to each value, and in general, guiding in the correct way of valuing goods and services and also in applying management and executive policies in line with the goals of sustainable development. The main purpose of this study is to show, using a conceptual framework, how to estimate the environmental values and costs of wetland ecosystem services. In this study, by reviewing selected articles and instructions related to the research topic, step-by-step steps for estimating the economic values and costs of environmental damage to the Iranian wetlands ecosystem services are presented.