ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses total economic value at greater length, reviewing common estimation methods and discussing a few other valuation issues. It reviews the data sources for each type of value considered. The chapter presents the value loss estimates for the Amazon, the aggregation with the non-Amazon states, and the revised income accounting. The Amazon contains direct value other than that resulting from sale of commercial wood products that can consist of either goods or services. The goods are comestibles such as nuts and fruits, as well as non-comestibles such as latex, rubber, some oils, and resins. Recreation value is the most easily measured among these services; many potential educational benefits may presently remain undiscovered, and the Amazon’s value to indigenous people is not reflected in the market. The Amazon also generates a wealth of indirect ecological benefits. For example, its dense vegetation sequesters carbon from the atmosphere, at least in part serving as a defense against global warming.
