Estimating costs of protecting global ecosystem diversity

We estimate the costs to regional economies (as measured by the value of ma rket goods and services forgone) from setting aside land to protect ecosyst em diversity. Globally, our framework incorporates 43 unique sets of biolog ical resources. The total annual costs (in 1990 dollars) of retiring 5, 10, and 15% of the world's land area to protect these resources are $45.5, $93 .3, and $143.8 billion, respectively. About 45% of global costs occur in Ja pan and the EC; the US cost share is 15%. Among regional economies, the mos t impacted sectors are crops, livestock, and forest products. (C) 1999 Publ ished by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.