Ecosystem valuation: Concept, criteria and terminology

Abstract

Furlaud et al. (2026) discussed how to measure ‘ecosystem condition’. Here, we argue that the term ‘ecosystem valuation’ should be preferred. ‘Valuation’ signals clearly that a social or political value judgement is being made about which ecosystem states to rate most highly. Furlaud et al. interpreted condition as similarity to a preindustrial or reference state. However, many different criteria have been proposed for valuing different ecosystem states. The word condition risks giving the impression that ecosystem science has arrived objectively at a single criterion. We recommend also that particular criteria for valuation should be named in a way that summarizes what they actually are: for example, conservation of endangered species, pastoral value, carbon storage or similarity to preindustrial.