Landscape management in tropical regions based on an assessment of ecosystem services

Abstract

This study reports the assessments of economic values of ecological services (EVSG) at Pasoh Forest Reserve (PFR), Malaysia. A model was proposed for landscape management that encompasses the least economic risk. The specific objectives of this study are: (1) to estimate the EVSG delivered by a biome when it is relatively intact, and when it has been converted to other land uses, including logging and oil palm plantations; (2) to compare the economic value of tropical forest with alternative land uses and evaluate the economic risks of deforestations in PFR; (3) to develop appropriate land use model base on a composition of the economic values of both ecosystem services and commercial products from tropical forests, logged forests, and oil palm plantations using a spatial-based model.