Assessment of the economic value of ecosystem services of the Oleksandrivskyi Reservoir of the South Bug River basin

Abstract

The article considers the implementation of the ecosystem approach in the implementation of activities related to water use on the South Bug River in the area of the Oleksandrivskyi Reservoir. The relevance of the research topic is determined by the implementation of the Tashlyk Pumped Storage Power Plant construction project related to the increase in the level of the Oleksandrivskyi Reservoir. Methodological principles of ecosystem mapping and assessment of ecosystem services based on MAES ecosystem mapping typology and international classification of ecosystem services to the group level (CICES V5.1). Mapping of ecosystems in part of the South Bug River basin (within Voznesensky district) was carried out and the percentage distribution of the main types of ecosystems was estimated. The main valuable ecosystem services of the Southern Bug River in the area of the Oleksandrivskyi Reservoir are identified as supporting services: biotic (fishery use of the reservoir), abiotic surface drinking water, water for irrigation, water for industrial purposes and energy, regulating and supporting services, including life cycle support, habitat and gene pool protection, food chain preservation, self-purification, as well as cultural services, including rafting, leisure, recreation, whitewater rafting, eco-tourism, sport fishing, education and science. Approaches to its economic evaluation are presented. The results of the assessment of the economic value of the complex of ecosystem services of the Oleksandrivskyi Reservoir are presented, namely: the value of the ecosystem service of providing fish products (calculated by the method of direct monetary valuation), the value of the regulatory service, based on the method of replacing the lost self-cleaning service of the river, as well as the assessment of the cultural ecosystem service by the conditional valuation method by surveying tourist agents. Based on the economic costs of compensating for the assessed ecosystem services, the economic inexpediency of implementing the project to complete the Tashlyk Pumped Storage Power Plant and raise the reservoir level is shown, i.e., such planned activities are environmentally unjustified and unprofitable.