The Value of Biodiversity in India’s Forests

This paper attempts to value the biodiversity functions of India’s natural ecosystems and suggest a method to adjust national (GDP) and state income (GSDP) accounts. The main objectives of this study are: (1) Identify appropriate indicators to assess the state of biodiversity in different states in India based on the available data from secondary sources. (2) Estimate the value of biodiversity in Indian forest ecosystems. (3) Estimate the value of the depletion of biodiversity due to forest losses in different Indian states. The paper discusses the biodiversity profile in India, the ways to estimate the value of biodiversity in India and draws policy implications of the findings of the paper. [Monograph 4]