Conduct ESE Interpretive Analyses

Subtask Description:
Scope of Economic Component model: results, limits, opportunities for sustainable development.

Action points of the implementation:
Each of the ESE component models needs to be fully checked to ensure that it represents the part of the system that it is designed to represent. A series of runs will be carried out on each of the component models to identify any problems prior to their inclusion in the full simulation model. These analyses and descriptions interpret the simulation results of the EC model and its objectives.

Result: Documentation showing the interpretive analysis of the economic component model.

Area:
Himmerfjärden , Sweden

Policy Issue:
Eutrophication status and reduction.

Human Activities:
Urban sewage discharge, agriculture and industrial activity, tourism.

General Information:
Nutrient loading has caused increased turbidity, loss of biodiversity, including submerged aquatic vegetation, deep water oxygen def iciency, phytoplankton blooms and biodiversity loss. The main stakeholder concerns are connected with tourism, recreational activities and nature enjoyment, and the sustainable implementation of WFD that poses economic challenges for several activities in the area.

Example of Implementation:
How would the recreational demand change in response to increased transparency of the Himmerfjarden because of reduced nutrient inputs? In this case, two area of analysis are implied:

1) The nutrient reduction involves the natural and economic components. The effectiveness and the short-term costs of measures needed to reduce the nutrient loading would be analyzed (simulated). These costs could then be compared with some of the benefits derived, e.g. recreational value to the local economy. Other consequences of the changed ecosystem may or may not be analyzed but should be discussed.

2) The recreational demand involves both social and economic components, in response to changes in the water quality, through the social benefit of an expanded recreational resource and the willingness of tourists to pay (contribute to the local economy) for this resource.

Comments:
Scope and Limitations of the implementation: For the first SAF applications, we are necessarily limiting the scope of the economic valuation (see discussion above on “scaling” in Introduction under Implementation). The example of economic assessment chosen for simulation analysis must be limited to the virtual system and treat one or more of its scenarios. This is partially pre-determined in the expression of the scenarios.

Contact: Frida Franzen frida@enveco.se