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Determining the value or worth of biodiversity is complex. Economists typically subdivideutilitarian or use values of biodiversity into direct use value    for those goods that are consumed directly, such as food or timber, and indirect use value    for those services that support the items that are consumed, including ecosystemfunctions like nutrient cycling.

There are several less tangible values that are sometimes called non-use or passive values , for things that we don't use but would consider as a loss if they were to disappear; these include existence value    , the value of knowing something exists even if you will never use it or see it, and bequest value    , the value of knowing something will be there for future generations ( Moran and Pearce 1994 ). Potential or Option value refers to the use that something may have in the future; sometimes this isincluded as a use value, we have chosen to include it within the passive values here based on its abstract nature. The componentsincluded within the category of "utilitarian" values vary somewhat in the literature. For example, some authorsclassify spiritual, cultural, and aesthetic values as indirect use values, whiles others consider them to be non-use values,differentiated from indirect use values -- such as nutrient cycling -- because spiritual, cultural, and aestheticvalues for biodiversity are not essential to human survival. Still others consider these values as separate categories entirely. (Seealso, Callicott 1997 , Hunter 2002 , Moran and Pearce 1994 , Perlman and Adelson 1997 , Primack 2002 , Van Dyke 2003 ). In this module, we include spiritual, cultural and aesthetic values as a subset of indirect values or services, asthey provide a service by enriching our lives ( ).

Categories of values of biodiversity
Direct Use Value (Goods) Indirect Use Value (Services) Non-Use Values
Food, medicine, building material, fiber, fuel Atmospheric and climate regulation, pollination, nutrient recycling Potential (or Option) Value Future value either as a good or a service
Cultural, Spiritual, and Aesthetic Existence Value Value of knowing something exists
Bequest Value Value of knowing that something will be there for future generations
Some authors choose to differentiate Cultural, Spiritual, Aesthetic, and Non-Use Values from those services that providebasic survival needs such as the air we breathe.

Practice Key Terms 6

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Source:  OpenStax, What is biodiversity. OpenStax CNX. Feb 05, 2009 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col10639/1.1
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