Ecological economics of soil erosion, a review of the current state of knowledge外文翻译.pdf

Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. ISSN 0077-8923 ANNALS OF THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Issue: Ecological Economics Reviews Ecological economics of soil erosion: a review of the current state of knowledge Bhim Adhikari1 and Karthik Nadella2 1 2 United Nations University, Institute of Water, Environment and Health, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Department of Economics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Address for correspondence: Bhim Adhikari, United Nations University, Institute of Water, Environment and Health, 175 Longwood Road South, Hamilton, Ontario L8P 0A1 Canada. bhim_adhikari@ The economics of land degradation has received relatively little attention until recent years. Although a number of studies have undertaken valuation of ecosystem services ranging from the global to the micro level, and quite a few studies have attempted to quantify the costs of soil erosion, studies that address the full costs of land degradation are still scarce. In this review, we attempt to analyze different land resource modeling and valuation techniques applied in earlier research and the type of data used in these analyses, and to assess their utility for different forms of land resource and management appraisal. We also report on the strengths and weaknesses of different valuation techniques used in studies on the economics of soil erosion, and the relevance of these valuation techniques. We make a case for the need for more appropriate models that can make the analysis more robust in estimating the economic costs of land degradation while recognizing the spatial heterogeneity in biophysical and economic conditions. Keywords: drylands; soil erosion; land degradation; ecosystem services; economic valuation Preferred citation: Bhim Adhikari and Karthik Nadella. 2011. Ecological economics of soil erosion: a review of the current state of knowledge i