Accurate accounting: How to balance ecosystem services and disservices

Abstract

Ecosystem-based adaptation programs seek to use ecosystem services to help vulnerable human communities adapt to climate change impacts. Proponents of these programs cite biodiversity conservation as a critical co-benefit, however to date, limited studies examine the outcomes of ecosystem-based adaptation interventions, particularly in terms of implications for wildlife. This case study applies the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services framework to examine an ecosystem-based adaptation program in the Mt. Elgon region of Uganda. Participant interviews within communities previously enrolled in an ecosystem-based adaptation project are used to explore how these programs change local community members’ perceived relationships with nature, in the context of environmental change, and the potential implications for wildlife both within and outside of nearby Mt. Elgon National Park. Results indicate that ecosystem-based adaptation programs positively influenced participants’ reported conservation values, perceptions, and behaviors; however, wildlife disservices emerged as a significant factor influencing adaptation outcomes and biodiversity conservation co-benefits. This study underscores the importance of incorporating disservices into ecosystem-based adaptation to address factors that may undermine climate resilience gains, particularly as these and other nature-based climate solutions are implemented globally.