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GLOBAL-LOCAL INTERPLAY IN THE BALTIC SEA REGION Pärnu, Estonia, October 1-4, 1998  Üllas Ehrlich, Kalju Habicht
Abstract Economic decline during the Soviet occupation helped to save the diversity of Estonia`s nature in a remarkable degree under European conditions. Further preservation of diversity depends on the structure of our estimated life quality: whether the estimated quality of life will depend on the satisfaction of economic interests only or our high-quality life will also need the preservation of biodiversity. Protection and efficient use of biodiversity as a deficient resource in urbanized areas will be especially topical after accession to the European Union. In order to regulate protection and consumption of biodiversity it is necessary to find its money equivalent as it is a resource not liable to market relations. The authors have studied the non-market value of biodiversity at the example of seminatural grasslands as the most endangered associations in Estonia. Using the methods of contingent valuation they have calculated the money equivalent of the non-market value component of Estonian wooded meadows, river meadows and seashore meadows. |