What ecosystem services does nature provide? What is the monetary value of these services? How to compare different values? The Ecosystem Services Valuation Database, ESVD, gives the answers. Via ESVD.net you can gain free access to over 4500 standardized values in dollar per hectare per year providing information on all ecosystem services all over the world. Sign-up for the official online launch of the ESVD on 14 October to learn more about the ESVD.

The continued loss of ecosystems and biodiversity is endangering the prosperity of current and future generations. To make better informed decisions about the trade-offs involved in ecosystem management, land-use change, or any activity affecting biodiversity, we need better information about the full importance of ecosystems to our wellbeing. However, a good understanding of the many ecosystem services that nature provides is often missing in decision-making. Furthermore, the monetary value of these services is difficult to assess as the many thousands of existing studies from all over the globe use different methodologies and currencies, they focus on different ecosystems, they are published in different years and they can be hard to find.

Largest database in the world

To overcome the above mentioned problems, the Foundation for Sustainable Development developed the freely available online Ecosystem Services Valuation Database. The ESVD hosts the largest collection of standardized monetary values of ecosystem services in the world. It consists of over 6700 values of which over 4500 are standardized in dollar per hectare per year for an ecosystem service and ecosystem type. The ESVD is freely available online at www.esvd.net. The online interface allows easy selection and download of all values. It also contains a basic tool to generate summary statistics.

The ESVD can be used for various purposes:

• Local and global impact assessments on land-use change or climate change
• Risk assessments and cost-benefit analysis on projects and potential alternatives
• Inform society and create awareness on the economic benefits of biodiversity conservation

The ESVD in practice: Large value for Dutch coastal Systems

Coastal systems provide various ecosystem services, such as waste treatment services and opportunities for recreation and tourism. In our ESVD update for the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV), the total value of coastal systems was $17,301 per hectare per year based on 154 standardized values*. This large monetary value clearly shows that coastal systems are very valuable for societies, that we should bring coastal systems into decision-making and that we should be incentivizing its conservation and restoration.

Want to know more about the ESVD? Join the online launch

The ESVD will be formally launched during a free online event on 14 October 13:30-15:30 CET. The launch is organized by the Foundation for Sustainable Development and the Capitals Coalition.

Sign up for the webinar and see how you can use ecosystem service valuation data in your organization. Together we can build a better future!

Program of the launch



Marc Gough, CEO of the Capitals Coalition

Larger context of ecosystems and their services & the urgent need for ecosystem services valuation data



Dolf de Groot, Chair of the Foundation for Sustainable Development and the Ecosystem Services Partnership, ESP

ESVD as a solution and elaboration on the playing field and ESVD uses



Luke Brander, Founder of Brander Environmental Economics and Senior Researcher at the Institute of Environmental Studies at the Free University

Explanation of the structure and contents of the ESVD and the web-interface



Caroline van Leenders, Senior process manager sustainable transitions at the Dutch Enterprise Agency

Importance of data for financial institutions and financial sector



Philip Audebert, Climate change specialist at the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations

User case: The FAO and the ESVD



Nanne Tolsma, Head of client relations at Satelligence

User case: Satelligence and the ESVD



Vince van ‘t Hoff, Junior product developer at the Foundation for Sustainable Development

Discussion: How can the ESVD be of use in your organisation

Curious about how the ESVD can be used in your organisation? Sign up for the launch webinar!

Download the official flyer here.