The need for integrated valuation tools to support decision-making – The case of cultural ecosystem services sourced from geothermal areas

Abstract

Developing geothermal power projects may lead to trade-offs, whereby the economic and social benefits of the venture are difficult to compare with its cultural consequences, which include impacts to ES such as aesthetics, spiritual enrichment and inspiration. The socio-cultural rather than monetary character of such impacts reinforce the importance of a pluralist approach to valuation, in order to ensure that all human well-being impacts linked to the development of geothermal power projects are accounted for in appropriate decision-support tools, which can successfully integrate diverse values concerning the environment. In this short communication, this paper considers the various impacts to cultural ecosystem services that are associated with the development of geothermal power projects, and a literature review is conducted concerning the extent to which cultural impacts have been included within Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). Using the Search, Appraisal, Synthesis and Analysis, and snowballing methods, eight studies are identified. This review finds, with one exception, a lack of focus on cultural impacts and limited stakeholder consultation. This issue could potentially be of particular concern in relation to geothermal power projects impacting indigenous communities, whereby decision-making is frequently conducted according to the notion of the national good, with local interests relegated in importance.