You will need concepts, scales, then you will be able to apply some metrics. First of all, you need to find convergent concepts for cultural and spiritual values, this sounds a hard work. Then you will need to refine, and submit it to assessment, maybe using Analytical Hierarchy Process, Then you will submit this construct to experts and lay persons as well.

Thanks for your suggestion.

Is there any "unit" that can possibly be used to quantify this qualitative parameter ?

Thanks for your suggestion.

Is there any "unit" that can possibly be used to quantify this qualitative parameter ?

Dear Ho,

It is and interesting and complex issue.

I hope these can help you.

Best regards

Valerio 

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tobias_Plieninger/publication/235256765_Assessing_mapping_and_quantifying_cultural_ecosystem_services_at_community_level/links/00463518cd8dc80207000000.pdf

http://esanalysis.colmex.mx/Sorted%20Papers/2012/2012%20NLD%20-CS%20NLD,%203F%20Interd.pdf

http://angliaruskin.openrepository.com/arro/bitstream/10540/288687/1/Spiritual_value_of_ecosystem_services%5B1%5D.pdf

Article Assessing, mapping, and quantifying cultural ecosystem servi...

¡WHY BOTHER! -- the problem, as clearly pointed out in the literature on ecological economics is that you are dealing with problems of incomensurability -- different values and different metrics, mostly qualitative -- It is IRRESPONSIBLE for analysts to insist in distorting people's values by creating common denomninators.

¡WHY BOTHER! -- the problem, as clearly pointed out in the literature on ecological economics is that you are dealing with problems of incomensurability -- different values and different metrics, mostly qualitative -- It is IRRESPONSIBLE for analysts to insist in distorting people's values by creating common denomninators.

¡WHY BOTHER! -- the problem, as clearly pointed out in the literature on ecological economics is that you are dealing with problems of incomensurability -- different values and different metrics, mostly qualitative -- It is IRRESPONSIBLE for analysts to insist in distorting people's values by creating common denomninators.

The desire to monetise everything poses problems, as do most efforts to distil complex values into a single indicator.  Although this may be necessary for specific frameworks, in my opinion, one of the powers of the use of the ESS concept is the ability to explicitly communicate the trade-offs between disparate values that traditional economic approaches do not address.  By focusing only on those ESS that are easily monetisable, you run the risk of skewing decisions.  Addressing trade-offs in ESS, whether easily monetised or not, allows for a consideration of the unintended (and intended) consequences of policies or actions. I agree - resist the temptation to distil everything down to one common denominator.

Thank you everyone for the answers, But what I am after is not necessarily some monetary units, it might be other accounting unit which might, in one way or another, capture and able to be represented in digital maps together with other services.

Cultural or Spiritual values alone, could be studied and represented by awareness, preferences using interviews, questionnaires or Q-method. But the results, however might be in a different platform with other services.

Or is there a way to work the whole assessment around ? In other words, set up a whole account unit, though which, all kinds of ES can be mutually measured and displayed in digital maps to some extent of details. I am aware that there are a whole complex network lying behind supporting, regulating services but from my point of view, it is one of the main trade offs that has to be made.

Looking forward for more comments and suggestions from you

Unfortunately it is all true, it is irresponsible to attribute money value for everything even natural services, which have an incommensurate value. This is another distortion of human mind which believe that money can buy everything.......

I think you need to look into the literature for examples of psychic cost/benefit analysis.  Preservation provided by many of the national parks in the U.S can only be justified through psychic benefits.  It would be great to have some solid research and documentation on psychic values--great area of research!  

2014, XIV, 511 p. 181 illus.

▶  139,99 € | £126.00 | $189.00

▶  *149,79 € (D) | 153,99 € (A) | CHF 186.50 Printed eBook for just

▶ € | $ 24.99  springer.com/mycopy

H. Ozier-Lafontaine, M. Lesueur-Jannoyer (Eds.) Sustainable Agriculture Reviews 14 Agroecology and Global Change

Series: Sustainable Agriculture Reviews, Vol. 14

▶  The book (and series) is a state of the art on the latest research in sustainable agriculture

▶  This book series gathers review articles that analyze current agricultural issues and knowledge, then propose alternative solutions

▶  Covering multidisciplinary topics it will help all scientists, decision- makers, professors, farmers and politicians who wish to build a safe agriculture, energy and food system for future generations

Sustainable agriculture is a rapidly growing field aiming at producing food and energy in a sustainable way for humans and their children. Sustainable agriculture is a discipline that addresses current issues such as climate change, increasing food and fuel prices, poor-nation starvation, rich-nation obesity, water pollution, soil erosion, fertility loss, pest control, and biodiversity depletion. Novel, environmentally-friendly solutions are proposed based on integrated knowledge from sciences as diverse as agronomy, soil science, molecular biology, chemistry, toxicology, ecology, economy, and social sciences. Indeed, sustainable agriculture decipher mechanisms of processes that occur from the molecular level to the farming system to the global level at time scales ranging from seconds to centuries. For that, scientists use the system approach that involves studying components and interactions of a whole system to address scientific, economic and social issues. In that respect, sustainable agriculture is not a classical, narrow science. Instead of solving problems using the classical painkiller approach that treats only negative impacts, sustainable agriculture treats problem sources. Because most actual society issues are now intertwined, global, and fast-developing, sustainable agriculture will bring solutions to build a safer world. This book series gathers review articles that analyze current agricultural issues and knowledge, then propose alternative solutions. It will therefore help all scientists, decision-makers, professors, farmers and politicians who wish to build a safe agriculture, energy and food system for future generations.

Order online at springer.com ▶ or for the Americas call (toll free) 1-800-SPRINGER ▶ or email us at: [email protected]. ▶ For outside the Americas call +49 (0) 6221-345-4301 ▶ or email us at: [email protected].

Dear friend I think you can begin to think about the application of the contingent valuation method. You can see on 

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2014.08.008

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2014.04.018

I hope you find it useful

Miguel

Have you looked into Greg Brown's research on mapping ecosystem services? His work focuses on participatory mapping - engaging the public and/or stakeholders in the mapping process. Whether you are working with the public or not, his work also focuses on ecosystem services, including cultural services. Perhaps this paper or references within it will help.

Also we are working in Ecosystem Services, and the subject of their valorisation (including the monetarisation of losses through internalisation of external cost). As I am originating from natural sciences, collaborating with colleagues from humanities, I am think to apply ecosystem valorisation methods which we know from the natural sciences, as "willingness to pay", and maybe even "ecosystem resillience grants". Do you have published anyhing on your investigation results so far ?

Je vous recommande un livre super : "Evaluation économique de la biodiversité-Méthodes et exemples pour les forêts tempérées. Brahic, Terreaux, Quae Edit. 2009.

Avec beaucoup de références sur le coût cultuel, touristique & culturel...

best regards serge v