Valuing ecological services in a savanna ecosystem: a case study from Zimbabwe

Estimates of the value of carbon sequestration services provided by a savan na ecosystem and of the value of water for the supply of a number of enviro nmental goods and services are developed in a Zimbabwean case study using a n ecological-economic model that captures the interactions between ecologic al and economic processes. The estimated values of carbon sequestration, in both the woodlands of the Communal Area and the State Forest, are substant ial, but slightly lower than the value of converting these lands to individ ually held agricultural land. This, and the lack of markets in which indivi duals can be compensated for maintaining some land under woodland as a stor e for carbon, creates strong incentives for households to convert woodlands to agriculture. There is a high value for additional water availability, a ssociated with the supply of wild foods, firewood, crop production and carb on sequestration, suggesting that efforts towards conservation in this eco- region can have high economic returns. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All r ights reserved.