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Valuing the impacts of climate change on protected areas in Africa

Valuing the impacts of climate change on protected areas in Africa
Valuing the impacts of climate change on protected areas in Africa
This study quantifies the economic costs of climate change impacts on protected areas in Africa. Downscaled results from four Global Circulation Models (GCMs) are used to classify different ecosystems in accordance with the Holdridge Life Zone (HLZ) system. A benefits transfer approach is then used to place an economic value on the predicted ecosystem shifts resulting from climate change in protected areas. The results provide approximations for the impacts on biodiversity in Africa under the “business-as-usual” scenario established by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for the middle and end of the 21st century. The geographical analysis shows that there are twenty HLZs in Africa and all of them are represented in the protected area network. Three of these HLZs do not change in extent as a result of climate change. Assuming initially that the willingness to pay (WTP) values and the preferences for different ecosystem services remain constant, three of the GCM models show an (undiscounted) negative economic impact of climate change for protected areas in Africa for the year 2100. The worst-case damage scenario totals USD 74.5 million by 2100. However, the model for the year 2065 shows a higher undiscounted value than the present. The finding of positive net impacts from warming is consistent with the predictions of other macro models that show potential gains from warming scenarios.

Climate change, holdridge life zones, ecosystem shifts, benefits transfer, African protected areas
0921-8009
21-33
Velarde, S.J.
78349e5b-34b0-438d-b38b-cde1dc3fb9c5
Malhi, Y.
6aff8494-6ef1-4fe9-b6a5-222e2276eb95
Moran, D.
eb6d39ca-932d-4f62-95b4-cb1d9f72d3bf
Wright, J.A.
074e0ca5-3868-4682-8c49-5c8526dc38a6
Hussain, S.
ff6f81c2-7f8a-44bf-9e3c-0d8d540c62d1
Velarde, S.J.
78349e5b-34b0-438d-b38b-cde1dc3fb9c5
Malhi, Y.
6aff8494-6ef1-4fe9-b6a5-222e2276eb95
Moran, D.
eb6d39ca-932d-4f62-95b4-cb1d9f72d3bf
Wright, J.A.
074e0ca5-3868-4682-8c49-5c8526dc38a6
Hussain, S.
ff6f81c2-7f8a-44bf-9e3c-0d8d540c62d1

Velarde, S.J., Malhi, Y., Moran, D., Wright, J.A. and Hussain, S. (2005) Valuing the impacts of climate change on protected areas in Africa. Ecological Economics, 53 (1), 21-33. (doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2004.07.024).

Record type: Article

Abstract

This study quantifies the economic costs of climate change impacts on protected areas in Africa. Downscaled results from four Global Circulation Models (GCMs) are used to classify different ecosystems in accordance with the Holdridge Life Zone (HLZ) system. A benefits transfer approach is then used to place an economic value on the predicted ecosystem shifts resulting from climate change in protected areas. The results provide approximations for the impacts on biodiversity in Africa under the “business-as-usual” scenario established by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for the middle and end of the 21st century. The geographical analysis shows that there are twenty HLZs in Africa and all of them are represented in the protected area network. Three of these HLZs do not change in extent as a result of climate change. Assuming initially that the willingness to pay (WTP) values and the preferences for different ecosystem services remain constant, three of the GCM models show an (undiscounted) negative economic impact of climate change for protected areas in Africa for the year 2100. The worst-case damage scenario totals USD 74.5 million by 2100. However, the model for the year 2065 shows a higher undiscounted value than the present. The finding of positive net impacts from warming is consistent with the predictions of other macro models that show potential gains from warming scenarios.

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Published date: 2005
Keywords: Climate change, holdridge life zones, ecosystem shifts, benefits transfer, African protected areas

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 16561
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/16561
ISSN: 0921-8009
PURE UUID: 1161ba76-e89e-4098-b561-690a07cec0f8

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Date deposited: 11 Aug 2005
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 05:47

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Contributors

Author: S.J. Velarde
Author: Y. Malhi
Author: D. Moran
Author: J.A. Wright
Author: S. Hussain

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