Using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to quantify the economic value of ecosystem services

Abstract

Modeling tools simulate the functioning of ecosystems and their interactions with human activities, helping decision makers understand how interventions impact ecosystems and evaluate management strategies. This leads to informed decisions that balance human development and environmental protection. Among these models, Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) stands out for its ability to simulate multiple biophysical processes that can be linked to the provision of ecosystem services (ES). Although SWAT has been successfully applied for the evaluation of ES, the development of complementary approaches that translate the results of SWAT into monetary terms is still in its early stages. To narrow this gap, this review article aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of the literature on the relationship between SWAT model results and economic analysis. Specifically, the review summarizes the research conducted on the use of SWAT model results to estimate economic values, including the different methodologies used and the types of economic values estimated. The review will also discuss the limitations and challenges of these approaches, provide a critical evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the research in this area, and provide recommendations to strengthen SWAT application for the economic evaluation of management strategies.