Ecosystem Service Values Calculator

Step 1: If your project involves riparian area, enter the size of the area below.

Riparian areas are transitional zones between land and water along rivers, streams, and lakes and subject to frequent flooding.

Hectares (ha) Square Kilometers (km²) Acres

Landcover iLandcover is the physical material covering the earths surface. For the purposes of the calculator, it includes natural covers such as forests, grasslands, shrublands.	Area (ha)
Riparian iTransitional zones between land and water along rivers, streams, and lakes and subject to frequent flooding.

Step 1b: Type of Riparian Vegetation Cover

Riparian areas offer enhanced ecological functions compared to surrounding uplands, which can increase the value of several ecosystem services. For three services—Carbon Sequestration, Water Flow Regulation, and Nursery Population & Habitat Maintenance—no distinct riparian-specific values were available in the literature. To estimate these values, the calculator applies a weighted average based on the relative proportions of different land-cover types within the riparian zone. Please enter the percentage composition of each land-cover category within your project's riparian area.

Forest %

Wetland %

Grassland %

Shrubland %

Must total 100%.

Step 2: If your project involves other landcover types, exclusive of the riparian area, enter the size of the areas by landcover type below.

Do not include land already captured in the riparian category in Step 1.

Step 3: Select Applicable Ecosystem Services

Given the project under consideration, select the ecosystem services that are relevant to the project context. Choose only those that apply.

Annual Ecosystem Services Value Summary

Thank you to the Government of Alberta for their generous support of this project

Oldman Watershed Council's Ecosystem Value Calculator

Step 1: If your project involves riparian area, enter the size of the area below.

Step 1b: Type of Riparian Vegetation Cover

Step 2: If your project involves other landcover types, exclusive of the riparian area, enter the size of the areas by landcover type below.

Step 3: Select Applicable Ecosystem Services

Step 4 (optional): Volunteerism & Education Opportunity Benefits

Volunteerism

Education Opportunity Benefits

Step 5 (optional): Specify the Cost

Annual Ecosystem Services Value Summary