Het natuurlijk kapitaal van de Lutkemeerpolder

Resúmen

Due to high demands for housing and economic activities the main green infrastructure (groen scheggen) of Amsterdam is under pressure. The Lutkemeerpolder, part of this green infrastructure (Scheg van West) will be transformed into a business park; a choice that was made twenty years ago but the development still meets resistance from local residents. Foundation Behoud Lutkemeerpolder asked the Science Shop of Wageningen University and Research to determine the value of the ecosystem services of the polder. The research, based on The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB, 2010) highlight for important ecosystem services: 1) food production, 2) air purification, 3) recreation, and 4) the effect of greenery on housing prices. The total monetary value of the ecosystem services is estimated at 1.5 to 8.6 million euros per year. These values were not included in the decision making twenty years ago. It is recommended to reconsider the decision made at the time and calculate the consequences of various development scenarios. The need to take care of the remaining nature has only grown over the past twenty years. Ecosystem services can no longer be taken for granted.