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Multiscale scenarios for nature futures Targets for human development are increasingly connected with targets for nature, however, existing scenarios do not explicitly address this relationship. Here, we outline a strategy to generate scenarios centred on our relationship with nature to inform decision-making at multiple scales.

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This study seeks to estimate the value of forest ecosystem services provided by a protected area in a biodiversity hotspot in India. The novelty of the study rests in that it addresses some of the shortcomings identified in existing literature by also estimating the value of several intangible benefits ignored in most valuation studies as well as estimating the value of disservices of forests such as wild life damages and forest fires, and the added value obtained by forests as compared to from alternative landscapes for selected services.Evidence presented here suggests that the total net value of ecosystem services provided by the Nagarhole national park in Karnataka, India is quite high and significant. The total net value of benefits (i.e. value of services minus disservices) provided by the park ranges between US$13-148 million per annum or US$204-2296 per ha per annum using alternate valuation methods. More significant is that the added value of benefits from the park is higher as compared to from alternative landscapes considering just three ecosystem services i.e. water and soil conservation, and carbon sequestration services.The estimates also provide support for the viability of markets for particular ecosystem services. If these are internalised in decision making it could strengthen the economic case for conserving forests in developing countries such as India where there is great pressure to relax forest laws and divert forests to non-forest uses to fuel economic growth.

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