The “Ecological Value” (EV) term has been spread in the literature since 1860; however, there is no consensus on its definition and the criteria for its assessment. To identify, assess and summarize the main definitions, criteria, indicators and applications behind the EV term, we performed a systematic literature review of 209 articles published over the last 10 years. Methods included documentation of the following data: i) study area, ii) study subject, iii) study object; iv) criteria, indicators and methods used in the analyses, v) applications of the EV term, and vi) if the study was performed in a natural protected area. Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) was conducted to uncover the association among studies regarding the use of EV and to test for homogeneity among the articles publishing research involving EV. A bootstrap technique was used for MCA validation. The main findings exposed the polysemy of the term and the paucity in the definition, mainly derived by the lack of a theoretical framework. Only 74, out of the 209 revised articles, involved numerical analysis to evaluate criteria. The more recurrent criteria were those related with ecological properties (biodiversity, vulnerability) and with functional characteristics (fragmentation, connectivity and resilience). Remote sensing techniques were the more frequent method for the assessment of EV. The main applications in the use of this term were for natural and urban planning, biodiversity conservation and payment for ecosystem services. An explicit heterogeneity among articles, with and without numerical analysis, was denoted by MCA. Finally, we concluded that the EV term is highly related with the intrinsic values of the landscape.

“生态价值”(EV) 术语自 1860 年以来一直在文献中传播；然而，对其定义和评估标准没有达成共识。为了识别、评估和总结 EV 术语背后的主要定义、标准、指标和应用，我们对过去 10 年发表的 209 篇文章进行了系统的文献回顾。方法包括记录以下数据：i) 研究领域，ii) 研究主题，iii) 研究对象；iv) 分析中使用的标准、指标和方法， v) EV 术语的应用，以及 vi) 研究是否在自然保护区进行。进行多重对应分析 (MCA) 以揭示有关 EV 使用的研究之间的关联，并测试发表涉及 EV 研究的文章之间的同质性。引导技术用于 MCA 验证。主要发现暴露了该术语的多义性和定义的缺乏，主要是由于缺乏理论框架。在 209 篇修订后的文章中，只有 74 篇涉及数值分析来评估标准。经常出现的标准是与生态特性（生物多样性、脆弱性）和功能特征（碎片化、连通性和恢复力）相关的标准。遥感技术是评估电动汽车的更常用方法。使用该术语的主要应用是自然和城市规划、生物多样性保护和生态系统服务付费。MCA 表示有和没有数值分析的文章之间的明显异质性。最后，