DOI: 10.21440/0536-1028-2019-6-98-107
Ivanov A. N., Logvinenko O. A., Ignatieva M. N. Economic evaluation of environmental implications in subsoil use. Izvestiya vysshikh uchebnykh zavedenii. Gornyi zhurnal = News of the Higher Institutions. Mining Journal. 2019; 6: 98–107 (In Russ.). DOI: 10.21440/0536-1028-2019-6-98-107
Relevance. Due to the deteriorating environmental situation, the significance of ecological factor increases
when substantiating the variants of nature management and subsoil use; it requires further evaluation
of economic damage caused by both of them. The evaluation of the economic damage caused by the human
impact on the environment is based on the economic evaluation of natural resources state during the
formation of environmental implications. The relevance of the research on the natural resources and
ecosystem services economic evaluation procedure improvement is proven as a matter of the national
natural capital importance.
Research aim is to improve cost estimation tools for natural resources and ecosystem services.
Methodology includes generalization and analysis of the notions of eecosystem services and their
classification.
Research results. The preservation of natural capital, when implementing weak sustainability concept,
means that the used natural capital is replaced by the physical one (man-made); in case of strong
sustainability concept implementation, minimum substitution is allowed for. These conditions require
wider economic methods of governmental control in natural management, such as a wider use of economic
evaluation and economic damage. It is necessary to specify the structure of natural capital and draw up
the scheme of natural resources (natural assets) utilization in order to improve the procedure of evaluation.
The present research schematically outlines the procedure of environmental products and services flow
formation, which characterize the utilization of natural assets, i.e. natural resources and ecosystem
services. Definitions of ecosystem services have been analysed, and their difference from ecosystem
functions has been proven as soon as economic evaluation of ecosystem services requires their accurate
definition. Particular classifications of ecosystem services have been generalized and analysed.
The reasonability has been proven to single out a resource function along with ecosystem functions taking
into account that it is often associated with abiotic elements of ecosystems. An author’s variant of ecosystem
services list is proposed, which excludes provisioning services as they are ascribed to the category of
resource services. As far as the regulating services are concerned, the following types are distinguished:
flows regulation, physical environment regulation, and biotic environment regulation. Supporting services
are ascribed to a separate category which is not subject to further economic evaluation. Cultural services
include: spiritual, scientific and educational, and therapeutic. Economic evaluation methods covers both
traditional practical methods applied in nature management and new methods which are often associated
with sociological surveys and questionnaires. Basic conditions for economic evaluation have been
formulated.
Key words: natural capital; natural resources; ecosystem services; functions; classifications; economic
evaluation; methods.
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Received 17 June 2019