The rise and rise of non-market environmental valuation

Jeff Bennett The aim of this handbook is to advance the development and application of non-market environmental valuation (NMEV) as a tool for policy-making. To achieve this goal, a range of state-of-the-art applications across the spectrum of revealed preference and stated preference NMEV techniques is presented. These applications are instructive illustrations of what can be achieved using NMEV. The contexts of the case studies are deliberately diverse to show the flexibility of these techniques. Applications are drawn from Europe, North America, Asia and Australia with valuation targets ranging across both use and non-use values of the environment. Despite this variety of contexts there is a common denominator: all the applications are practically based in their provision of information relevant to real resource allocation decisions. This demonstrates the policy ‘power’ of the techniques. The focus of this handbook on developing NMEV techniques is achieved through a sequence of chapters that address key, cutting-edge research issues. These chapters provide insights into the directions being taken by leading researchers in the NMEV field. The intended audience for this handbook is therefore wide-ranging. For example, policy-makers and their advisers will find it useful to their gaining a better appreciation of what NMEV can do. Practitioners will be able to use the chapters to update their skills or to find out more about techniques they have yet to use. Researchers will benefit from the widening and deepening of their knowledge base that these chapters provide. Students will find the chapters an invaluable source of information