The replacement value of wetlands in Sweden

Wetlands, in Sweden and elsewhere, have been suggested as effective and low-cost sinks for agricultural pollution. This paper estimates the value of using wetlands for abatement of agricultural nitrogen load on the Baltic Sea. A replacement value of wetlands is estimated for Sweden. The replacement value is defined and estimated as the difference between two cost-effective reductions of agricultural nitrogen pollution: one that uses wetlands for nitrogen abatement, and one that does not. It is shown that the use of wetlands as nitrogen sinks can reduce the total abatement costs of nitrogen emissions by 30% for Swedish agricultural sources of nitrogen pollution.