Biological Control

SEEA EA

Name Used: Biological Control Services

Service Category: Regulating and maintenance services

Definition: see sub-categories

See Valuation Methods Appendix for Economic Value, Valuation Methods, and Metrics.

Name Used: Pest Control Services

Service Category: Regulating and maintenance services

Definition: Biological control services are the ecosystem contributions to the reduction in the incidence of species that may prevent or reduce the effects of pests on biomass production processes or other economic and human activity. This may be recorded as a final or intermediate service.

Name Used: Disease Control Services

Service Category: Regulating and maintenance services

Definition: Disease control services are the ecosystem contributions to the reduction in the incidence of species that may prevent or reduce the effects of species on human health. This is most commonly a final ecosystem service.

CICES

Name Used: Pest & Disease Control

Service Category: Regulation and Maintenance

Definition: Pest and Disease Control refers to the ecological functions that naturally regulate the incidence of pests, including invasive species, and diseases within an environment. Both aspects are quantified by metrics such as the reduction in incidence, risk, and the area protected, and are further categorized by the type of living system involved, like specific predator-prey relationships or microbial communities. These natural control mechanisms contribute to ecosystem health and stability, often mitigating the need for synthetic interventions.

Economic Value Calculated: No

Valuation Methods: n/a

Metrics: included in definition

ESVD 2020

Name Used: Biological control

Service Category: Regulating

Definition: Biological control as categorized by TEEB in ESVD include Seed dispersal, Pest control, Disease control, Biological Control (unspecified)..

Economic Value Calculated: Yes

Valuation Methods: The ESVD 2020 report offers a total of 4,042 value estimates, with 36 specific to biological control. See the Valuation Methods Appendix.

Metrics: $/ha/yr; ESVD is working on other qualitative and quantitative metrics.

FEMA ESV 2022

Name Used: Biological Control

Service Category: Regulating

Definition: Providing pest, weed, and disease control

Economic Value Calculated: Yes

Valuation Methods: Avoided Cost

Metrics:

Riparian: Rein (1999) employed the avoided cost method to show that riparian buffers help farmers by reducing the need for herbicides against invasive weeds and benefit communities by minimizing mosquito breeding grounds through erosion prevention. The study suggests using an average of these values for national application, noting that this is a conservative estimate as it doesn't account for other potential pests.

IPBES NCP

Name Used: Regulation of detrimental organisms and biological processes

Service Category: Regulating NCP (Regulation Of Environmental Processes)

Definition: Regulation, by ecosystems, of the populations of species that are pathogens, pests or invasive alien species and that affect humans or the organisms on which humans depend, directly or indirectly.

Economic Value Calculated: No

Valuation Methods: n/a

Metrics: Population density of detrimental organisms, Ecosystem resilience

ENCORE

Name Used: Pest control

Service Category: Regulation & Maintenance

Definition: Provided through direct introduction and maintenance of populations of the predators of pests or invasive species.

Economic Value Calculated: No

Valuation Methods:

Metrics: Ecosystem integrity

Name Used: Disease control

Service Category: Regulation & Maintenance

Definition: Ecosystems play important roles in the regulation of diseases for human populations as well as for wild and domesticated flora and fauna.

Economic Value Calculated: No

Valuation Methods:

Metrics: Human health

TNFD Environmental Assets & Ecosystem Services

Uses SEEA EA

InVEST

Not classified in InVEST.

Swiss Re BES Index

Not listed as an ES category but does reference IPBES - NCP framework.