$ value of 1SqM of bush

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jason
$ value of 1SqM of bush

I'm no mathimatician or micro thinker, but I'd like your thoughts on how one can work out a vale of one square metre of natural bush.

It seems to me untill a true vale is found, natural habitat will always be the one paying for humans jobs and growth. Not humans do it better and wiser. I found a scientific explination that it takes 7 to 8 15 metre trees to clean and make enough air to sustain a human for 12 months. see here http://www.sciencefocus.com/qa/how-many-trees-are-needed-provide-enough-oxygen-one-person 

But when you start to put a value on the years taken, the micro organisms in the soil, the making of soil, insects to polinate, insects to bore holes and bring down trees to rot, insects to feed birds, birds to carry seeds, birds to make breading holes, mamales to help fertalise.  Control water run off to reduce flooding, transfering of neitrients, reduce silt transfere, make clean water and so on.  It must be easily $2000-3000 or per metre quite easily.  Particularly the way humans like to charge. 

I asked the Greens if thay knew anything but they don't.  I beleive Mt Crosby weir west of Brisbane  after it filled with silt from a flood; was priced off to either rebuild it, or clean up and rehabitate the catchement.  The catchement one. And I have heard of some wetlands in America came out on top as it was worth more than the planned housing estate for it.  So if you are a tree hugger like me, as far as I can see because the environment can't speak, we have to.

I'd love to hear your input on what you think, how a value can be reached, the pro's or con's with methadology. What ever.    

Woko
Woko's picture

Regrettably, humans are only able to think short term, it seems, & therefore are only able to calculate the monetary value of a piece of land in terms of what it will bring on the market or what the timber will sell for or how many potatoes it will grow until the land's nutrients are exhausted. But rarely, if ever, are the opportunity costs part of calculating the immediate value of the bushland so any dollar value will be absurdly inaccurate. 

 As you imply, Jason, some people are able to consider the environmental services a piece of bush provides such as absorbing carbon dioxide or erosion prevention. The value of these services is much more difficult to calculate partly because of the complex variables involved. Often these variables are out of the reach of the understanding of human valuers since so many of them have great difficulty in seeing relationships between different factors. They are so often blind to cause & effect so addicted are they to short term monetary gain. 

Then there are the intrinsic values of a piece of bushland. How do you place a monetary value on the sense of wonder that comes from observing the interactions between the elements in bushland or the colors of a Rainboe Bee Eater or the way in which the bushland responds to a storm or climate change? How do you place a dollar value on the very existence of a piece of bushland, something which, if destroyed, can never, ever be exactly replaced? 

My view is that valuing a piece of bushland is way beyond the scope of mere human-derived market forces of supply & demand. And yet, some say that unless we can give bushland a dollar value we won't be able to argue for its retention. Priceless doesn't wash with money-addicted developers. So therein, perhaps, lies one of the greatest risks to bushland: it's impossible to put an accurate price on it. 

jason

Its a big ask, but if an Australian can build and programme a satelite to fly for 20 years than pull up and land using old 386 computers, than this can be done.

I'm going to send Adam Spencer and Karl Kruszelnicki an email.  Might even CC Peter Garrett if I can get his contact.  I think if something reputable can be put together it's a game changer. Someone will have the money to back it.  Just need the right brains working on it. I'm hoping a few key people will know the quite achievers who are the real brains needed.  Councils and governments will have to consider it because they are addicted to their power and votes. Developers will have to pull their socks up or be left in the dark. I think there are enough people wqho care for and appreciate the environment to make the differance, it just needs to be put to them in a language they understand. No one wants to see the the Great Barrier Reef die.  No one is happy to see Koalas' go extinct.    

I'm not against jobs and growth, just sick and tired of builders using insulation as an example of being green, while the air con units roar 3/4 of the year because the house if very very badly desinged.  We have the brains to build far better than we do, we're just lazy becase its like a building industry gravey train.   

Ipswich Shire Eastern flanks

Woko
Woko's picture

While I doubt that many folk want to see the destruction of the Great Barrier Reef or the extinction of the Koala my strong impression is that the vast majority of people are quite indifferent to those possibilities. If it were otherwise there would be lots more protective agitation than there has been to date. 

jason

yes I guess why bother.  People tend to listen to a politician who is usually a business man in their previous life as well as the current, over a scientist who are the earths doctors.  Better to sit and watch the Rio Olympics and shake their heads at the fall out of too big a population and no environment.  And to feel warm and safe thay can still swim in their own bay so it can't happen here.  However I  watch my neighbour dumping his vehicles radiator coolant into the creek several times over the past few months while he chases a water leak.  I guess when the poltician tells me all is well its an isolated act, I can beleive him as they did perhaps in Rio.       

It's obviuos poeple think I am either a fool, or don't give a rip around here.  The lack of comment eventualy has to be noticed.  I thank you woko for being the one who always contributes. To my posts as well as others.  Be it what you like or don't like to hear, you contribute.  You are a true voice for what can't speak.  Caring for the environment has become to hard for me, and creates to much anxiety and depression. Then to add things like m councillor can't even find 30 seconds to respond yes, no, thinking about it, to an email a sent requesting tree panting in the park.  The sitting federal memeber in the family leaves me speachless and in a tail spin whenever he talks about jobs and groth.  Not one word on the environment, it's just a platform to go forward on and nothing more.  

So time to crawl under a rock and let things take their corse.  My garden is going well, their is always something to read, watch, create or attent to regarding it.  I can find santuary behind the metal fence. Actually I can almost understand why prisoners want to go backin after release.  I can't function in the common world, just don't see it like them.     

Good luck woko, I have learned so much from you. Thank you 

fairwell. 

Ipswich Shire Eastern flanks

Woko
Woko's picture

It is indeed very easy to become discouraged & feel overwhelmed in the face of all the wrecking of the environment that is occurring, Jason. But consider that, although you've so far been unable to extend your influence to a broader scale, you have brilliantly responded to these outrageous forces of destruction by creating your own piece of natural environment. This is something few Australians have done so you are quite a unique human being & certainly not one of the radiator coolant brigade. 

Whether it's on the balcony of a high rise apartment or across a block of degraded land each of us has the capacity to exercise positive environmental influence. We each can work within what we determine to be our own sphere of influence. Maybe our best influence is exercised by writing letters to the editor or broadcasting indigenous seed into degraded areas. Sure, we can so often see how much needs to be done & be highly motivated to do it but it can be extremely energy & spirit sapping to try to take it all on at once. However, much can be achieved by making small gains in your own way. Feeling content with that generates energy for the next small task.

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