The Socio-Cultural and Spiritual Dimensions on Non-marketed Environmental Valuation

The present review aims to strengthen both the theoretical foundation and real-world relevance of environmental valuation methods, especially in regions marked by cultural diversity or spiritual significance. Its goal is to explore how embracing sociocultural pluralism can support more inclusive, meaningful, and accepted environmental decisions, encouraging deeper public engagement, emotional connection, and long-term care for nature. The novelty lies in integrating these qualitative dimensions into environmental valuation by monitoring 103 studies from Scopus and Web of Science databases in the period 2010-2025. The paper follows a structured path, it surveys key literature, outlines the chosen methodology, presents context-specific findings with the comparison of two distinct frameworks (sociocultural and economic), and reflects on implications for both policy and academic frameworks. It offers three main contributions: (i) it highlights the importance of integrating psychological and sociocultural elements into sustainable development framework; (ii) advocates the spiritual capital as a valuable assets through which ecosystems can be understood and supported based on services to ecosystems; and (iii) it demonstrates how values, norms, and perceptions can shape pro-environmental behaviours (PEBs) and policy pathways for sustainable development.