Uttarakhand will initiate the valuation of its natural resources in the form of ‘Gross Environment Product’along the lines of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Environment services:
The term “ecosystem services” was coined in 1981 to attract academics towards this aspect.
Ecosystem services are the benefits human populations derive, directly or indirectly, from ecosystem functions.
The definition is still in the process of evolution.
In 1997, a group of 13 economists and ecologists showed that at global level the value of ES is about twice as much as the global GDP.
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment was initiated in 2001, with one of the main concerns of changes that contributed to substantial net gains in human well-being and economic development.
But these gains have been achieved at several costs:
Degradation of ecosystem services,
increased risks of non-linear changes and
the exacerbation of poverty for some groups of people.
GDP vs GEP:
The Himalayan context
The Himalayas contribute substantially to the sustainability of the Gangetic Plains where 500 million people live.
According to the recommendation of 12th and 13th Finance Commissions, grants were transferred to forest rich states in amounts corresponding to their forest covers.
Ecosystem services represent the benefits humans get: Forests, lakes and grasslands; timber and dyed; carbon sequestration and nutrient cycling; soil formation and productivity; and tourism.
While valuing ecosystem services, the population size served is important.
A system to valorise ecosystem services in the Himalayan states of India in a way that is consistent with the national mission on Himalayan ecosystems.
