Valuing Mediterranean forests – Towards total economic value
Author(s)	Merlo M, Croitoru L (Editors)
Year	2005
Volume	414 p.
Languages	English
Study area	Albania, Algeria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey
Components	2
Keywords	Valuation techniques; TEV; Policy recommendations; Sustainable forest management
Abstract	Mediterranean forests produce a wide array of benefits. Non-wood forest products (NWFPs) can be of greater importance than timber or other wood forest products (WFPs), and often have a high potential contribute to local economies. The most important benefits provided by the Mediterranean forests are public goods and externalities, such as watershed protection or soil conservation. Only a few of the many benefits that Mediterranean forests provide enter formal markets. At present, both public policy and private management decisions are often made based on a very partial and incomplete view of the forest benefits. This book is the first effort to estimate the total economic value (TEV) of forests on a large scale in the Mediterranean region. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the economic value of Mediterranean forests, including not just commonly measured benefits such as timber but also the public goods and externalities they provide. At methodological level, it describes the valuation techniques necessary to estimate TEV, discusses in detail the approaches taken to value a wide range of benefits and examines ways to overcome the problems encountered, thus it is meant to provide a unique data source for the region and a methodology that can be applied. At policy level, new approaches for a sustainable forest management are needed in the Mediterranean to internalize the provision of positive public goods and externalities and overcome significant social, economic and environmental constraints associated with forest degradation. However, insufficient knowledge on the nature and magnitude of forest benefits in the region creates a severe constraint to addressing these issues. This book captures these forest values in a holistic picture at national and regional level and proposes realistic policy recommendations for improving sustainable forest management.