The Value of Forest Ecosystem Services in Romanian Protected Areas – A Comparative Analysis of Management Scenarios

Abstract

Ecosystem services addressed in this paper include wood production associated with the active management of forests and the value of non-timber forest products and hunting (i.e. direct use values of the protected areas) carried out in and around three of the most important protected areas in Romania. In order to provide information that supports decision making in natural resources management, data and results are presented in a friendly manner for economists, using the Sector Scenario Analysis approach – a sector-based comparison between business as usual and sustainable ecosystem management scenarios applied on Vanatori Neamţ, Retezat and Apuseni Mountains protected areas. Data presented to prove that continuing to grant protected areas a low priority in policy development and funding will result in long-term economic losses.