VALUATION OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN A CONSERVATION UNIT IN THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON

Abstract

Although ecosystems have ecological, sociocultural and economic value, ecosystem services do not have indicators that express their real benefits for human well-being, leading to the absence of incentives for their preservation and rational use by economic agents. Thus, the study aims to quantify the ecosystem services lost by deforestation that occurred from 1985 to 2017 in the Reserva Biológica Nascentes da Serra do Cachimbo – RBNSC, conservation unit located in the state of Pará, based on the analysis of changes in land use. The methodology was based on changes in land use carried out by the MapBiomas Project and valuation of ecosystem services using the Benefit Transfer method, using value coefficients for ecosystem goods and services obtained by de Groot et al. (2012) and Costanza et al. (2014). The results showed a decrease of more than 25 thousand hectares of forest and a loss of more than US$ 130 million in relation to ecosystem services, despite presenting ups and downs during the analyzed period from 1985 to 2017, possibly due to the change in natural patterns of land use within this conservation unit. Therefore, this research identified the relationship between changes in the dynamics of land use and valuation, in addition to assigning value to the benefits provided by the forest as a way to raise awareness in the community about the relevance of natural resources and intangible services provided by the forest, essential for the maintenance of the biome and to ensure the quality of life of the population.