Values of ecosystem services: oxygen production in the forests of Belgrade

Forests produce oxygen, which is necessary for human existence, and bind CO2 , thus contributing to the reduction of global warming. Precisely forest biomass is the basic parameter in evaluating the amount of produced oxygen and bound carbon. In the past 50 years, more oxygen has been used, expressed in percent age, than in the entire Anthropocene. The reduction of oxygen, in the late 21st century, may become one of the dominant problems for the survival of life on Earth. With the annual oxygen consumption of only 10 billion tonnes, the human race would face danger in 100,000 years, with high concentrations of carbon dioxide at the same time. With an increase in oxygen consumption by 1.1%, this kind of danger would appear in 700 years. Different methods were used in iden tifying the cost of human life (use of resources, statistical methods, methods of determining human capital, questionnaires, etc.). The cost of a human life in the UK is estimated at EUR 3.1 million, in Latvia - EUR 320,000, in Luxembourg – USD 5.0 million, in Sweden - EUR 2.6 million and in Portugal - EUR 2.3 mil lion. The cost of human life is determined based on age, sex, educational level, acquired qualification and social status. By using the known statistical data and adopting relevant methodologies, we have assessed that a human life in Serbia is worth EUR 368,000 (based on data for the second quarter of 2021). The total value of oxygen produced in the forests of Belgrade amounts to EUR 703,223 million and provides life for 1,910,954 inhabitants. According to the data of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia, Belgrade had 1,694,056 inhabitants in 2019, which means that the existing forest ecosystems meet the current needs of the population. However, if we include other “consumers” of oxygen (cars, in dustry, etc.), we can conclude that the amount of oxygen produced in the forests of Belgrade is insufficient