This manual is intended as a training tool for field practitioners working in environmental and forest agencies who must consider the environmental costs and benefits of development projects but who do not necessarily have a background in environmental economics.
The objective of this resource is to provide a stepwise approach for the economic valuation of ecosystem services. The manual explains the underlying concepts, provides definitions, sets out the principles of economic valuation, and provides examples and exercises. While it focuses on forests and other tree-based ecosystems in Bangladesh, the concepts, methods, and approaches described can be applied to a broad range of situations. Users of this manual will learn how to approach and deal with the valuation of ecosystem services and how to interpret valuation results and, thereby, inform development project design and decision making.