Evaluating the economic co-benefits of soil carbon sequestration: The test case of the UK

There are no known valuations for ecosystem service flows from soil carbon for any country or region in the world. In this paper we make a first attempt to generate such data. The study aims were: develop a framework for acquiring international data for application to a specific region (UK); determine whether data limitations render it insufficient to inform the design of policies to encourage more C sequestration. Total ESS flows from existing soil carbon stock were estimated at £ 1140/ha, excluding food and feed. Accounting for different soil types and land uses, total ecosystem service value delivered by soil carbon in England and Wales, adjusted for C stock, was £ 50.8 billion (0–30 cm) and £ 59.7 billion (0–100 cm). The limited international data lacks both depth and coverage, with some ESS very under-represented. A further significant data weakness is that valuations represent ESS flows from the total stock of carbon in soils, rather than the more policy-useful metric of ESS flows from additions to carbon in soils. Further studies are needed to create a more varied range of experimental sites, using a mix of valuation methods, but particularly those that capture the preferences of a variety of stakeholders. In spite of these data limitations, this study has successfully demonstrated that there are significant ESS benefits of C sequestration beyond climate regulation, both for the farmer and wider society. We contend that this evidence is sufficient for use by policy makers in the design of policies to stimulate farming for greater ESS provision.