Abstract: According to the connotation of ecosystem services, an evaluation index system for the agro-ecosystem services in the Haihe River basin of China was established, and the economic value  of the agro-ecosystem services and environmental costs were evaluated by the methods of market valuation, shadow price, and opportunity cost. In 2005, the total environmental benefit value of the agro-ecosystem services in the basin was 180.264 billion RMB, with the regulation value of 79.416 billion RMB (44.06%) and the supporting value of 100.848 billion RMB (55.94%). Provision and cultural services were not considered in this research. From the viewpoint of functional type, the ecosystem services value from high to low was in the order of oxygen release > water conservation > nutrient cycling > soil conservation > waste purification > environmental purification > carbon sequestration > straw returning. The environmental costs of the agro-ecosystem  were quite high (42.293 billion RMB), among which, fertilizer loss was 427.42×10⁴ t, equivalent to 15.191 billion RMB, and greenhouse gases production was calculated as 3599.65×10⁴ t CO₂, equivalent to 27.102 billion RMB.

Key words: Haihe River basin, agro-ecosystem, services, value