This book concerns the application of environmental economic analysis to real-world decision-making. In particular it seeks to demonstrate a number of ways in which geographical information systems (GIS) can be employed to enhance such analyses. We have written it because, in our opinion, GIS techniques can considerably improve the way in which the complexities of the real world can be brought into economic cost-benefit analyses (CBA), so reducing the reliance upon simplifying assumptions for which economists are infamous.

As we are primarily interested in demonstrating the flexibility and applicability of GIS techniques to a diversity of situations, we assume no prior knowledge of such techniques and avoid unnecessary technicalities wherever possible by referring the interested reader to related academic papers throughout. In so doing it is our objective to appeal to students, researchers, academics and, in particular, decision-makers and analysts across a broad spectrum of disciplines including economics (especially environmental, agricultural and resource economics), geography, land use planning and management, environmental science and related policy studies.

The application of GIS to environmental economic analyses is introduced gradually through the use of a diverse land use change case study. This concerns the potential for converting surplus agricultural land to multipurpose woodland in Wales. However, neither the specifics of this case study nor its location need be of particular interest to the reader as the study is designed primarily to demonstrate the flexibility of the underlying approach.