Economic Losses From Marine Pollution Adjacent to Pearl River Estuary, China

In attempt to highlight the socio-economic importance and the impact of industrialization and urbanization activities on marine ecosystem, the total economic value of marine ecosystem adjacent to Pearl River estuary of China and its economic losses from current pollution were calculated in this paper. It indicated that total economic value of the studied marine ecosystem amounted to 3.05×104 million US$ annually, among which the value of industrial utilization was the most important. The current pollution situation caused an economic loss of 5.04×103 million US$ annually, which accounted for 16.5% of the total economic value of the marine ecosystem. Further assessment on pollution damages to marine ecosystem showed that ecosystem functions such as regulation, purification, research and fishery were impaired significantly.