Valoração de dano ambiental e serviços ecossistêmicos : benefícios associados às funções das áreas ripárias do Cerrado

Abstract

Valuing environmental damage involves assigning a specific value to damage within a defined area by assessing all existing assets and liabilities. Environmental valuation has been widely applied to assess various types of environmental damage in different areas. The increase in the use of environmental valuation has been in response to persistent damages affecting biodiversity as a whole. The objective of this study is to conduct a bibliometric review of environmental valuation, describe the Cerrado region, riparian areas, and ecosystem services, as well as evaluate two locations where degradation has occurred using the Cost Replacement Method (CRM) and the Total Expected Environmental Costs Method (TEEC). The research was divided into four articles. In the first article, data were obtained through bibliometric analysis, utilizing information extracted from the Web of Science and Scopus databases, using the term "environmental valuation" between 1987 and 2022. It was found that publications on the topic began in 1987, with Nick Hanley being the most prolific author. The most applied methods were Contingent Valuation in WoS and Choice Experiments in Scopus. In WoS, the country with the highest number of publications was the USA, while in Scopus, it was the UK. The most frequent keyword on both platforms was "environmental valuation," and collaboration networks among countries were diverse. The second article described the importance of ecosystem services, the functions and damages to riparian areas due to deforestation, hindrance of natural regeneration, infrastructure construction, indiscriminate use of fire, and agricultural activities, along with data on the Cerrado and its high deforestation rate. The third article emphasized the Araguaia River, which is a significant watercourse that runs through parts of Brazil, playing a crucial role in the lives of various riparian communities and the conservation of wildlife dependent on it for survival. Additionally, the Cost Replacement Method (CRM) was applied to two riparian areas along this watercourse, one with damages due to deforestation and construction and the other with damages from livestock activities. In the fourth article, the Total Expected Environmental Costs Method (TEEC I) was used in the respective areas. Applying CRM yielded a value of R$ 58,785.60 for area 1 and R$ 243,755.76 for area 2. When using TEEC I, the values were R$ 346,937.35 for area 1 and R$ 4,213,395.18 for area 2.