Estimation of the Value of Forest Ecosystem Services in Pudacuo National Park, China

Forest ecosystems play an important role in maintaining the stability of the biosphere and improving the ecological environment. The valuation of forest ecosystem services provides data to support the implementation of forest ecosystem conservation and the development of ecological-compensation standards. We used multiple sources of data, such as remote-sensing and ground data, and we employed the methods of substitute market, shadow project, and contingent valuation. We valued the forest ecosystem services of Pudacuo National Park in Shangri-La, China, which consisted of six functions: soil conservation, forest nutrient retention, water conservation, carbon fixation and oxygen released, forest health care, and atmospheric environmental purification. The results showed that: the value of forest ecological services in Pudacuo National Park was 4.49 x 10(9) yuan center dot a(-1), with higher values of carbon fixation and oxygen released, water conservation, and forest health care, in the following order: carbon fixation and oxygen released (3.85 x 10(9) yuan center dot a(-1)), water conservation (3.40 x 10(8) yuan center dot a(-1)), forest health care (1.44 x 10(8) yuan center dot a(-1)), soil conservation (1.15 x 10(8) yuan center dot a(-1)), forest nutrient retention (3.29 x 10(7) yuan center dot a(-1)), and atmosphere environmental purification (1.17 x 10(7) yuan center dot a(-1)). In addition, the value of services per stand and unit area is discussed, and the results of the study will inform the government's ecological-compensation criteria in high-quality environmental areas.