Economic value evaluation of wetland service in Yeyahu Wetland Nature Reserve, Beijing

Based on multi-source data, this paper evaluated the economic value of ecological services in the Yeyahu Wetland Nature Reserve, Beijing, China. The ecological services of wetland included gas regulation, water quality improvement, biodiversity maintenance, erosion control, water supply, recreational opportunity, raw material supply and existence value. Multiple conventional evaluation methods were used to calculate the value of eight wetland services. The results showed that significant values came from biodiversity maintenance and recreational opportunity. The main reasons were as follows. Firstly, Yeyahu Wetland Nature Reserve was the habitat for migrant birds, and government had payed more efforts to protect precious birds. Secondly, the population is large in Beijing. People enjoyed going outside and enjoyed the natural and artificial wetland scenes. At the same time, most people were prepared to pay for wetland conservation. The decline of vegetation cover made the economic value of erosion control the lowest. While the shrink of water resource and the deteriorative water quality caused the economic value of water supply lower. The evaluation results could help decision-makers understand the present status of the Yeyahu Wetland Nature Reserve and provide a scientific basis for strategic decision.