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Frequently Asked Questions

Here you can find the most frequently asked questions about the ESVD. 

If your question was not answered or cannot be answered with these questions, please contact us as esvd@fsd.nl.

How can I access the ESVD?

The ESVD website can be accessed by navigating to esvd.net. The ESVD is free and publicly available, but you will need to create an account to access the database. To do so, you simply click on login/sign up on the top right corner of esvd.net. and fill in the information. You can either log-in using a username and password combination or an email-address and a code.

How to query the ESVD using filters?

The ESVD offers various filters (ecosystem types, ecosystem services, country, continent, protection status, valuation method and open search) to enable more specific searches tailored to your preferences. To use them, simply select your search preferences on the right side of the screen (under "Filters") and click on "get valuations". The output of your search is shown on the left side of the screen and is by default shown in tabular form, but can also be shown in mapping form. Just above the output, you can see the number of value estimates available for your search.

Important to Note:

  • The more filters used, the smaller the data density you will have as a result.

  • You need to select at least one filter before obtaining the valuations. If you want all valuations, you can download the full ESVD as a CSV file at the bottom right.

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What does each filter option represent?

Biome / Ecozone: Under this filter, you can choose between 15 biomes and more than 80 ecozones according to the ESVD 2.0 Classification for biomes. 

 

Country / Continent: Using these filters, you can geographically select valuation estimates corresponding to different countries and continents for the country(ies) or territory(ies) that is the subject of the value observation.

 

Protection status: You can choose the protection status of the study site. There are three categories: No Protection, Partially protected and Protected.

 

Ecosystem services: 

 

Valuation Method: This filter allows you to select different valuation methods used to obtain the value observation. 

Free text search: This filter can be used for general searches, such as paper titles or authors. The search term must be in quotes for an exact match.

How are the results displayed?

To view the value estimates included in the ESVD, start by visiting the ESVD database page on esvd.net. Once there, set your search criteria using the “Filters” card on the right, and then click on “Get Valuations” to retrieve the results.

You have two options for displaying the results:

  1. Table: After retrieving the results, your search options will appear in a table format to the left of the filters. Each row represents a value estimate, with different columns showing various variables. You can adjust the column widths to view more detailed information, and you have the ability to scroll both vertically and horizontally. If you wish to download this data with additional details, click on “Download Valuations as CSV” in the action section. This will generate an Excel file containing all the information for the value estimates selected with your filters.

  2. Map: To view your search results geographically, click on “Show Map” after selecting “Get Valuations.” This will display the locations of the value estimates on a map. You can zoom in and out and hover over the pins to see information about the number of value estimates and their locations. Clicking on a pin will provide more detailed information about each value point at that specific study site.

For example, here is what is shown when looking for values specific to the Netherlands!

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What is the actions functionality?

The actions functionality on the right side of the display allows the user to further analyze the data and to contribute to new data. The four actions are the following:

  • Summary statistics: This functionality calculates the average values per ecosystem services per ecosystem type based on your search query. If you have searched for coral reefs in Asia, the summary statistics will provide the average value per ecosystem service in Asia in international dollars/hectare/year for 2020 price levels

  • Download valuations as CSV: This functionality allows you to download the data of your query and manipulate and/or analyze the data in your preferred statistical program.

  • Suggest a study: This functionality directs you to the page where you can suggest a study to be included in the ESVD.

  • Get full ESVD as CSV: This functionality allows you to download the complete ESVD and manipulate and/or analyze the data in your preferred statistical program.

What are the summary statistics and how are they computed?

The summary statistics show the mean standardised values for each selected ecosystem type (biome and ecozone) and ecosystem service. To enable comparison, values in the ESVD are standardised to a common set of units: International dollars/hectare/year in 2020 price levels. In most cases only a portion of the search results will be included in the calculation of summary statistics.

These are value records that:

i) Could be standardised to a common set of units (International dollars/hectare/year in 2020 price levels)

ii) Refer to only 1 ecosystem type and 1 ecosystem service (i.e. records with multiple services or biomes are not included)

iii) Do not use value transfer as a valuation method. To filter for outliers, a common outlier exclusion rule (OER) based on a standard boxplot graph is used.

 

The OER defines observations as outliers that are either located before the first quantile minus 1.5 times the interquartile range or beyond the third quantile plus 1.5 times the interquartile range on a logarithmic scale.

What ecosystem services and ecosystem type classifications does the ESVD use?

The ESVD uses two classifications for biomes and ecosystems: the ESVD 2.0 Biomes and Ecosystems classification, and the TEEB classification. For ecosystem services, we use the TEEB, CICES, and SEEA classifications. Learn more about our classifications through this link.

What is the Value Transfer Tool?

The Value Transfer Tool (VTT) allows users to estimate ecosystem service values based on value transfer functions developed by the ESVD team. The VTT has been developed to better and more precisely estimate the value of ecosystem services making use of the enormous wealth of data in the ESVD and other spatially referenced bio-physical and socio-economic variables. Currently this tool is available for a limited set of ecosystems related to tropical forests and agricultural ecosystems and will be expanded to include other ecosystems in the near future. Find more information on the VTT here.

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What is the Valuation Studies List?

The Valuation Studies List (VSL) comprises all the valuation studies associated with the ESVD. The VSL includes:

  • Studies currently included in the ESVD.

  • Studies reviewed by our team but excluded because they did not meet our selection criteria (see question 11).

  • Studies in our repository which are currently unchecked and pending review.

 

The VSL provides a comprehensive overview of the status of all studies related to the ESVD, whether they are included, excluded, or awaiting evaluation (classified as unread). The VSL can be accessed under the ‘Suggest a study’ tab.

What studies are included in the ESVD?

The ESVD includes a wide range of ecosystem service valuation studies, covering all forms of publication, such as peer reviewed scientific and journal articles, official reports, working papers, conference papers, dissertations, NGO reports and other grey literature items. We accept studies regardless of publication year, geographic location, or scale—ranging from small habitat parcels to biomes on a global scale.

 

Studies can address any ecosystem or biome, including complexes of multiple ecosystems, but they do not include abiotic natural resources (e.g., mineral deposits). The focus is on studies that assess any ecosystem service or bundles of multiple ecosystem services, excluding abiotic natural processes (e.g., wind, solar) or human inputs into production.

 

Only studies reporting values in monetary terms are included; those only using qualitative or biophysical units are not. Additionally, we include studies that apply primary valuation methods, but largely exclude those relying on value (benefit) transfers from other studies, or meta-analysis. Note that a portion of the monetary values comes from specific funder requests. Other data is included based on identified gaps in geographies, ecosystems and ecosystem services.

How can I suggest a study?

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To propose a study, PhD thesis, report, journal article, conference paper, or book section containing the monetary valuation of ecosystem services, use the "Suggest a Study" functionality [Include link]. You will need to provide the study title, a brief description of why you believe the study should be included in the ESVD, and attach the PDF.

 

Before submitting, you can check if the study is already in our repository via the "Valuation Studies List" functionality just below. After an internal review, your proposed study may be included in the ESVD.

If you have more than one study to propose for inclusion, please contact us directly via email.

How can I become a reviewer and make the ESVD more robust?

In the ESVD, we are constantly searching for experts to help us improve our data quality. If you are interested in becoming one of our data reviewers, please contact us directly via email. Let us know your areas of interest and which biomes you specialize in. We will get in touch with you shortly.​

How can I do a project with the ESVD?

We are always open for collaboration to make nature count in decision-making.  You are more than welcome to get in touch with us to do a project on the ESVD. We participate in a wide range of projects, ranging from research to capacity building and from tool development to application of the ESVD in decision-making. Please get in touch via esvd@fsd.nl or reach out to the ESVD team.

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