Department of Economics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2014 Aug;1322:35-47. doi: 10.1111/nyas.12451. Epub 2014 May 15.
Since the publication of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment in 2005 there has been a surge of interest in ecological restoration (ER) to recover biodiversity, re-establish ecosystem functioning and connectivity, and reactivate the delivery of ecosystem services. In policy spheres, there have also been repeated calls for expansion of restoration efforts. In many countries, new legislation now requires some form of restoration and/or a form of offset investment. All of this will require major increases in financial allocations toward restoration science, technology, and implementation, and much more detailed valuation techniques. The economics of restoration is a new field emerging to support these needs. Our paper here starts with an analysis of the articles and reviews published on this broad subject from 1928 to 2012, as captured in the Scopus academic search platform. Our goal is to present and summarize what has been said and done in this area to date. Next, we map out one possible way forward, illustrated by examples and based on a coherent bundle of decision parameters related to the economics of ER and, more broadly, to the restoration of natural capital. The restoration of natural capital is defined as activities that integrate investment in, and replenishment of, natural capital stocks to improve the flows of ecosystem goods and services, and the preservation of biodiversity, while enhancing all aspects of human well-being. We give special attention to system dynamic approaches and other promising tools and techniques.
自 2005 年千年生态系统评估发布以来，人们对生态恢复（ER）的兴趣大增，以期恢复生物多样性、重新建立生态系统功能和连通性，并重新激活生态系统服务的提供。在政策领域，也一再呼吁扩大恢复工作。在许多国家，新的立法现在要求采取某种形式的恢复和/或补偿投资。所有这些都将需要大量增加用于恢复科学、技术和实施的资金分配，并需要更详细的估值技术。恢复经济学是一个新兴领域，旨在满足这些需求。我们的论文首先分析了 Scopus 学术搜索平台上自 1928 年至 2012 年发表的关于这一广泛主题的文章和评论。我们的目标是展示并总结迄今为止在这一领域所做的工作。接下来，我们通过示例展示了一种可能的前进方向，并基于与 ER 经济学以及更广泛的自然资本恢复相关的一系列一致决策参数进行了说明。自然资本恢复被定义为整合自然资本存量投资和补充的活动，以改善生态系统货物和服务的流动，并保护生物多样性，同时增强人类福祉的各个方面。我们特别关注系统动力学方法和其他有前途的工具和技术。
