Remediation and nature and landscape protection services are segments of the
environmental services sector. Remediation services entail the cleanup of soil and
water environments after contamination has occurred, while nature and landscape
protection services involve the prevention or mitigation of future soil and water
contamination as well as the protection of soil and water ecosystems. The
environmental services sector as a whole has received special emphasis in the World
Trade Organization (WTO), as the reduction or elimination of barriers affecting trade
in such services has been identified in the Doha Ministerial Declaration as one of the
principal goals of the present negotiating round. Moreover, environmental issues
have become increasingly tied to international trade and investment, such that the
environmental impact of trade agreements is more likely to be evaluated and
considered as a critical component of the policy under consideration. This report
provides an overview of U.S. and foreign markets for remediation and nature and
landscape protection services; examines trade and investment in remediation and
nature and landscape protection services markets, including barriers affecting such
trade and investment; and discusses existing regulatory practices. Information is
presented on both developed- and developing-country markets.
The largest markets for remediation services are in developed economies, with the
United States ranking as the world’s largest such market. There does not appear to
be a well-defined market for nature and landscape protection services among the
markets selected for analysis (Australia, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, the
European Union, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, the United States, and developing
countries considered as a group), as a wide variety of laws and regulations pertain to
the market, and there are few firms that specialize in the industry. However, the
prevalence of biodiversity-related regulations in these markets as well as widespread
membership in multilateral conventions on nature and landscape protection issues
demonstrate global awareness of such concerns.
The extent of cross-border trade and investment in remediation and nature and
landscape protection services markets is small compared with some other segments of
the environmental services industry, but is expected to grow in the long term, as the
markets for these services mature outside of the United States. Few of the countries
selected for discussion in this report have explicit restrictions on trade in remediation
and nature and landscape protection services. However, regulations and practices
that pertain to all sectors, or to related sectors such as engineering and environmental
consulting, can potentially affect trade in the remediation and nature and landscape
protection services industries.

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apec.responsepointpros.com/uploads/docs/USITCRemediationServices.pdf