SAMPLING DESIGN FOR INTEGRATED NONCASH AND ECONOMIC VALUATION OF BIODIVERSITY – CASE STUDY

Biodiversity is the keystone of the ecosystem functioning, from which all functions are derived. The present paper deals with the sampling design aimed at integrated evaluation and valuation of biodiversity. The sampling design was applied in the area of the Forest Establishment of the Czech University of Life Sciences (CULS UFE) at Kostelec nad Černými lesy, which is characterized by heterogeneous site and landscape conditions. The information from two data sources was used for the area stratification and the proposal of the sampling design: (1) database of forest management plans; and (2) bitmapped layers of characteristics derived by common tools of GIS. The analysis of these data resulted in the identification of the three main stratificators, which significantly influence both the economic value of timber and the species richness – an important indicator of biodiversity. The stratificators are age category, stocking, and site category. Based on these stratificators the area was divided into 132 strata. Within these strata a broad spectrum of information was investigated using a two-phase sampling process. The suitability of the proposed sampling design was proven by the validation analysis of the collected inventory data