Amenity Value

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Amenity value

The idea that something has worth because of the pleasant feelings it generates to those who use or view it. This value is often used in cost-benefit analysis, particularly in shadow pricing , to determine the worth of natural resources that will not be harvested for economic gain. A virgin forest will have amenity value, but its value will decrease if the forest is harvested, thus the amenity value is compared to the value of the harvested timber.