title: Integrating ecosystem services in terrestrial conservation planning.
abstract: The purpose of this study is to estimate the benefits of ecosystem services for prioritization of land use conservation and to highlight the importance of ecosystem services by comparison between ecosystem service value and green GDP accounting. Based on land use pattern and benefit transfer method, this research estimated value of ecosystem services in Taiwan. Scientific information of land use and land cover change is accessed through multi-year satellite imagery moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS), and geographic information system (GIS) technology. Combined with benefit transfer method, this research estimated the ecosystem service valuation of forest, grassland, cropland, wetland, water, and urban for the period of 2000 to 2015 in Taiwan. It is found that forest made the greatest contribution and the significant increasing area of wetland has huge potential benefit for environmental conservation in Taiwan. We recommend placing maintaining wetland ecosystem in Taiwan with higher priority. This research also compared ecosystem service value with natural capital consumption which would essentially facilitate policy makers to understand the relationship between benefits gained from natural capital and the loss from human-made capital.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, 71, Chou-Shan Rd, Taipei, 106, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Mei-Hua
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, 71, Chou-Shan Rd, Taipei, 106, Taiwan, Republic of China. sllo@ntu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Shang-Lien
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, 71, Chou-Shan Rd, Taipei, 106, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chih-Kai
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D013624:Taiwan; D053833:Wetlands
keywords: Ecosystem services; Geographic information system; Green GDP; Remote sensing; Satellite methods; Spatial and temporal variations