Valoración económica de tres servicios ecosistémicos antes del establecimientode un cinturón verde alrededor de la ciudad de Quebec, Canadá

Forest ecosystem services provide benefits to human beings. However, it is after an economic assessment, when such services become more relevant. Objective: To estimate the values of three ecosystem services in the forestland around Quebec City and compare these values with those obtained in other studies. Materials and methods: The total cost of three ecosystem services (water supply and quality, air quality and forest habitat) was estimated to represent the value of a green belt around Quebec City. For this, four valuation methods were used: replacement cost for water supply, costeffectiveness for water quality, avoided cost for air quality and market price for forest habitat. Results and discussion: The economic value corresponding to the three ecosystem services (water supply and quality, air quality and habitat) was USD 4 539.48·ha-1. Therefore, the total economic value for 15 998.96 ha of the forest area around Quebec City was USD 72 627 025.00 year-1. The variation between the estimates and the values reported in other studies were the result of different valuation methods, systems created by man as a replacement for the function of the forest ecosystem, the level of efficiency among the forest systems and the price sources of market used for the valuation of the ecosystem. Conclusion: The type of forest mass, the valuation method and the study context were relevant criteria determining the ecosystem’s economic value.