In recent years, there has been a marked proliferation in the literature on economic approaches to ecosystem management, which has created a subsequent need for real understanding of the scope and the limits of the economic approaches to ecosystems and biodiversity. Within this Handbook, carefully commissioned original contributions from acknowledged experts in the field address the new concepts and their applications, identify knowledge gaps and provide authoritative recommendations.The Handbook offers a wealth of case studies and further:- identifies the conceptual underpinnings of the economics of ecosystems and biodiversity- demonstrates new research methodologies and their applications- provides authoritative assessment of the recent results and findings in ecosystems services and biodiversity valuation and accounting- provides the reader with the state of the art of the research on the economics of ecosystem services and biodiversity- provides spatial explicit tools for mapping ecosystem services values for land-use planning, including in the context of business and industry.This authoritative assessment will appeal to researchers and academics at both the advanced undergraduate and post-graduate levels of environmental economics and ecological economics. Policy-makers in government, business and conservation sectors will find much to engage them as the work will prove essential for implementing effective response policies for the management of ecosystems and biodiversity.Contributors: P. Ala-aho, I. Anastasiou, J.Angulo-Valdés, V. Babalos, T. Badura, K.J. Bagstad, H.E. Balbach, E.B. Barbier, A.A. Batabyal, A. Bien, L.M. Brander, A. Catzim-Sanchez, H. Chen, W.W.L. Cheung, J.C. Cooper, J. Coria, G. Cucuzza, A.T. de Blaeij, T. Dedeurwaerdere, M. De Salvo, S. Di Falco, S.T.M. Dissanayake, A.K. Duraiappah, W.H Durham, R. Eskelinen, T. Figueredo Martín, P. Fong, M. Gemma, J.M. Gowdy, M. Honey, G.W. Johnson, T. Karjalainen, M. Kettunen, B. Klöve, E. Kougea, P. Koundouri, P. Kumar, V.W.Y. Lam, G.-M. Lange, V. Linderhof, A. Markandya, J. Maté, L. Mazza, C. Mena, Y. Mitani, E. Naikal, D. Narita, S. Navrud, P. Nijkamp, P.A.L.D. Nunes, H. Önal, R.R. Palatnik, C. Palmer, S. Parks, M. Pascual, M. Pérez-Soba, F.Pina-Amargós, N.B.P. Polman, L. Pratt, M. Pulido-Velazquez, M.J. Punt, D. Quiroga, K. Rehdanz, S. Reinhard, K. Reinikainen, E. Robinson, P.M. Rossi, G. Samonte, A. Seidl, D. Semmens, M. Shechter, B. Shitovitz, G. Signorello, R.D. Simpson, G. Slean, H.G. Smith, R.B.W. Smith, T. Sterner, M. Stithou, U.R. Sumaila, D. Suman, R.T. Tawfik, P. ten Brink, R.S.J. Tol, R.K. Turner, M. van der Heide, E.C. van Ierland, P. Verweij, F. Villa, S. Waage, X. Wang, H.-P. Weikard, J.D. Westervelt, M. Winograd, S. Withana, S. Zemah-Shamir