Abstract: Aquatic germplasm resources conservation zone plays vital roles in protecting aquatic biodiversity, aquatic germplasm resources and their habitats, having great value of ecosystem services. Taking the National Aquatic Germplasm Resources Conservation Zone for Paragyrops edita and Penaeus penicillatus in the Beibu Gulf of South China as a case, and based on field investigation, an evaluation was made on the total value of ecosystem services (VES) of this conservation zone by the methods of market value, shadow project, and travel cost, etc. The total VES of the Conservation Zone in 2008 amounted to 836087.52×10⁴ ￥, with an average VES per unit area of 7321.26×10⁴ ￥·hm^-2. Among all the service function types, the value of provision service was 585078.42×10⁴ ￥, occupying 69.98% of the total VES, and those of regulation service and culture service were 182680.00×10⁴ ￥ and 68329.10×10⁴ ￥, occupying 21.85% and 8.17% of the total, respectively. The large value of the ecosystem services indicated the vital role of the Conservation Zone in maintaining the biological production of Beibu Gulf and in promoting the sustainable economic development of the surrounding areas of the Gulf. Some suggestions were made on the construction of the criteria of ecosystem services value evaluation, strengthening of related basic theoretical research, and acceleration of the establishment of ecological compensation mechanisms for aquatic germplasm resources conservation zone.

Key words: litter decomposition, lignin, cellulose, natural evergreen broad-leaved forest.