Knowledge Of Ecosystem Services Research Articles

Perceptions and knowledge of ecosystem services in urban river systems, Eastern Cape, South Africa

AbstractThe ecosystem services concept has been studied in rural contexts but not as much in urban landscapes, particularly for aquatic ecosystems in Africa. There is little knowledge of how people perceive ecosystem services (ES) supplied by rivers in urban centres and the factors influencing their perceptions. To fill this gap, the research presented here addresses two objectives: 1) to assess local communities’ perception and knowledge of different types of ecosystem services of an urban river in South Africa, 2) to assess the influence of particular demographic characteristics (age and gender), socio-economic characteristics (education, housing type, income, and years of residence), and prior knowledge of the ecosystem services concept on people’s perception of the ecosystem services provided by the Swartkops River in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. To address these objectives, a team of ten trained field staff collected 181 surveys between May–June 2021 in communities within the river catchment. We used multinomial logit models to analyse the relationships between demographic and socio-economic variables, and people’s perception of ecosystem services. For the majority of the ecosystem services, there was almost an equal split between the perception “sometimes” and “never” that the river provides a particular ecosystem service, and people were less likely to say that the river always provide a particular service. Prior knowledge of the ecosystem services concept, years of residence, age, income and housing type significantly influence people’s perception of ecosystem services. Prior knowledge, was important for the intangible services, whereas years of residence was more important for tangible services with direct use value. Level of formal education was not a significant variable. An important implication of this study is that ecological interventions can be designed through an understanding of factors influencing people’s perceptions of ecosystem services.

Building the case for protecting urban nature: How urban planners use the ideas, rhetoric, and tools of ecosystem services science

Ecosystem services (ES) researchers have recognized the important role of urban planning decisions in influencing the quantity and distribution of ES in cities. However, knowledge about ES among planners is still modest, and more research is needed about planners’ experiences with ES. For this qualitative study, interviews and focus groups were conducted with actors with roles in urban planning in three Canadian cities. The aim was to understand participants’ knowledge of ES and how they use it. These early adopters were creative, practical, and politically astute in using ES ideas, rhetoric, and tools to build the case for natural urban ecosystems. ES was used in multiple and intersecting ways for awareness-raising, to justify the protection and restoration of natural ecosystems, to provide direction to plans, and to support and supplement existing planning approaches. The strategic use of ES was notable. As a boundary object, ES helped to bridge perspectives and to integrate policies. The ability of ES to facilitate policy coordination is promising. Further research on the effectiveness of ES to improve urban policy is needed.

Identification of bundles and driving factors of ecosystem services at multiple scales in the eastern China region

Intensive human activities have caused serious damage to the natural environment and threatened ecosystem services, while the relationships between ecosystem services at different spatial scales vary to some extent. Therefore, identifying different patterns, evolutionary trends, and influencing factors of ecosystem services at different scales is more helpful in providing scientific decision-making for sustainable ecosystem management. Taking eastern China as the research area, with the help of a Gaussian mixture model, redundancy analysis and geographically weighted regression models, the spatiotemporal pattern evolution of ecosystem services from multiple scale perspectives were conducted, and the interrelationships between ecosystem services and the driving factors were explored. It expanded the knowledge of ecosystem services, the relationships between ecosystem services, and how the socio-ecological drivers of ecosystems vary at different spatial scales, and enabled more precise manipulation of socio-ecological drivers through different driving models. The average value of ecosystem services in the southern region was 0.672, which was better than that in the northern region, which was 0.353. Ecosystem services were lower in regions with a wide distribution of arable land and high population density and economic development. The relationship between ecosystem services was more manifested as synergistic relationship. As the scale expanded, the synergies and trade-offs between most ESs were also stronger and the average increase was 18.42 %. Especially, the relationships between some services developed from synergistic relationships at small scales to trade-offs at the county level. From the perspective of ecosystem service bundle, the overall ecosystem environment of the research area has been greatly improved, with enhanced supply function and weakened vulnerability. The area of ecosystem provisioning bundles increased by an average of 10.31 % as the scale increased, while the ecosystem regulation bundle decreased by 7.33 %. By comparison, the non-spatially driven model had better accuracy at the scale of 1 km2 and 100 km2, while the spatially driven model had higher accuracy at the county scale. Besides, normalized difference vegetation index occupied an absolute dominant position, and the natural elements acted more at the micro-scale, while the socio-economic elements were more influential at the macro-scale. These results provided a basis for subsequent research on multi-scale ecosystem control and ecological compensation strategies, and showed that natural and social factors were scale-dependent, that it was necessary to study ecosystem services, and emphasized the importance of developing appropriate policies at particular scales.

Assessing resident’s perception towards ecosystem services of urban green spaces in Delhi, India

ABSTRACT Recent rapid economic and infrastructure growth in India has led to degraded environmental conditions. Congested and densely populated urban areas have seen increased pollution, water pollution, and habitat and biodiversity loss. Urban green spaces (UGSs) are vital for improving such environmental qualities and coping with environmental challenges within cities. UGSs provide numerous tangible and intangible environmental, recreational/social, and economic benefits, also acknowledged as ecosystem services. This study assessed residents’ perceptions of UGSs ecosystem services in Delhi, India. The main objectives were to (1) understand residents’ visiting patterns of UGSs and corresponding socio-economic correlations (2) assess residents’ knowledge and perceptions of ecosystem services and disservices, and (3) ranking of ecosystem services provided by UGSs based on significance to the residents. This study is based on a survey of 620 randomly selected respondents in UGSs throughout the city. Most respondents knew about ecosystem services in UGSs and believed the ecosystem services outweighed any ecosystem disservices. The results also showed the importance of improving urban microclimate and environmental quality was emphasized. Interestingly, ecosystem services like improve mental health and aesthetic beauty rated high. The improvement of wildlife habitat, fresh water, water flow regulation & runoff mitigation and the collection of fuelwood, fruits, honey and medicine were not seen as important by the respondents. Residents more readily recognized UGSs’ direct benefits over the indirect benefits. Awareness of economic benefit was relatively high. Results from this research could help urban planners and developers to consider residents’ perceptions and expectations when designing UGSs.

Landscape features shape people’s perception of ecosystem service supply areas

Landscapes have typically been produced by varied, diverse, and long-term interactions between people and nature. However, most landscape planning and ecosystem service mapping approaches focus on the biophysical aspects of landscapes rather the social. Spatial representations of people’s perceptions, mental models, and local knowledge of ecosystem services can be created using participatory mapping. This study uses participatory mapping to identify how peoples’ perceptions of provisioning, regulating and cultural ecosystem service supply areas coincide or mismatch with the landscapes features of two Mediterranean river basin areas in north-eastern Catalonia, Spain. We found that the random forest and geographically weighted regression techniques are able to strongly associate landscape features with stakeholders’ perceptions of ecosystem supply areas. These results demonstrate that the stakeholders associate various geographic elements with different types of ecosystem service supply areas. Visible geographical features, such as a reservoir, mountains, wetlands, showed great importance in the perception of supply areas of ecosystem services, compared to ecological or biophysical indicators, when mapping and spatially associating certain benefits to ecosystem services supply areas. These findings reveal that, often, the ecological processes and dynamics of functioning of ecosystems are invisible and not fully understood. We argue that integrating these aspects into participatory landscape planning, policies and practice can make the invisible visible and, consequently, increase the understanding for a more targeted and effective management. This could allow stakeholders to better understand the ecological processes behind the visible geographic features of the landscape, fostering a shared knowledge and better environmental management outcomes.

Effects of connectivity on carbon and nitrogen stocks in mangrove and seagrass ecosystems

Seascape connectivity increases carbon and nitrogen exchange across coastal ecosystems through flow of particulate organic matter (POM). However, there are still critical gaps in knowledge about the drivers that mediate these processes, especially at regional seascape scales. The aim of this study was to associate three seascape-level drivers which could influence carbon and nitrogen stocks in intertidal coastal seascape: connectivity between ecosystems, ecosystem surface area, and standing vegetation biomass of ecosystems. Firstly, we compared whether connected mangrove and seagrass ecosystems contain larger carbon and nitrogen storage than isolated mangrove and seagrass ecosystems. Secondly, we compared autochthonous and allochthonous POM in mangrove patches and seagrass beds, simultaneously estimating the area and biomass relative contribution to POM of the different coastal vegetated ecosystem. Connected vs isolated mangrove and seagrass ecosystems were studied at six locations in a temperate seascape, and their carbon and nitrogen content in the standing vegetation biomass and sediments were measured. POM contributions of these and surrounding ecosystems were determined using stable isotopic tracers. In connected mangrove-seagrass seascapes, mangroves occupied 3 % of total coastal ecosystem surface area, however, their standing biomass carbon content and nitrogen per unit area was 9–12 times higher than seagrasses and twice as high as macroalgal beds (both in connected and isolated seascapes). Additionally in connected mangrove-seagrass seascapes, the largest contributors to POM were mangroves (10–50 %) and macroalgal beds (20–50 %). In isolated seagrasses, seagrass (37–77 %) and macroalgal thalli (9–43 %) contributed the most, whilst in the isolated mangrove, salt marshes were the main contributor (17–47 %). Seagrass connectivity enhances mangrove carbon sequestration per unit area, whilst internal attributes enhance seagrass carbon sequestration. Mangroves and macroalgal beds are potential critical contributors of nitrogen and carbon to other ecosystems. Considering all ecosystems as a continuing system with seascape-level connectivity will support management and improve knowledge of critical ecosystem services.

Social Perception of the Ecosystem Services of Prunus serotina subsp. capuli in the Andes of Ecuador

Ecosystem services (ES) refer to the benefits that people obtain from the ecosystem. In this sense, Prunus serotina is associated with the provision of ES; however, these services have been scarcely studied. The objective of this research was to determine the knowledge and perceptions of individuals in rural areas regarding the importance of ES, as well as the factors that influence them. Surveys were applied in three study areas (Chimborazo, Tungurahua, and Cotopaxi) of the central Andes of Ecuador that detailed the sociodemographic and perception characteristics of ES based on the predefined ES of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA). In the assessment, the interview data were analyzed to obtain the relationships between the variables using Spearman’s correlation in the R-studio software. The results showed that individuals’ level of education, age, and gender play an important role in variations in peoples’ knowledge of ES. A total of 21 ES were identified; the most representative services, according to their ecosystem category, were support (shelter for birds and insects and soil formation), provisioning (food, insecticide, wood, and firewood), regulation (improvement in the quality of air and climate regulation), and culture (scenic beauty and the maintenance of traditions). This analysis of the social perception of ES works as a strategy for the maintenance of Prunus serotina in the orchards and plots of families in the central Andes of Ecuador. The identification of ES through the social perception of their existence facilitates an understanding of the importance of ES in rural localities, which lays the foundation for strategies to be developed in the future for their conservation.

Combined artificial intelligence, sustainable land management, and stakeholder engagement for integrated landscape management in Mediterranean watersheds

In the context of water scarcity, soil erosion, and biodiversity decline, the Mediterranean basin urges to manage its nearly hundred coastal watersheds in a coordinated manner. To this end, we propose an integrated approach to model socio-ecologic scenarios with Sustainable Land Management (SLM) options at the watershed scale to strengthen the functioning of multiple Ecosystem Services (ES). This is tested in the Mijares watershed in eastern Spain. As a first step, we propose using integrated modeling technology to quickly assess areas of ecosystem goods and services supply and demand within the case study. To this end, we applied ARIES, an AI-driven online modeling platform widely used in the ES community. Then, we use this information to identify suitable SLM options documented in the WOCAT global database for providing the identified ES. Lastly, to adjust the results to the social-ecological context, we carry out consulting and participatory processes with key stakeholders to incorporate local knowledge of ES and capabilities to adopt SLM measures into the final proposal. As a result of this work, we can model various SLM scenarios, easing decision-making toward more integrated and sustainable land management in the watershed. Given the reproducibility of the used methodologies, our approach can be adopted in other Mediterranean contexts.

Consumer willingness to pay for farmed seaweed with education on ecosystem services

Kelp aquaculture in the US is expected to grow significantly in the coming years. While the market potential is substantial, increasing demand is widely seen as a key step towards realizing this potential. Recent work on restorative aquaculture practices has led to increased study and valuation of ecosystem services of kelp aquaculture. This study demonstrates the efficacy of education on ecosystem services of kelp aquaculture as marketing material for kelp end products. Through an online willingness to pay survey, this study found a significant increase in consumer willingness to pay for end products after a brief education on ecosystem services. Price point of the product, income, gender, knowledge of ecosystem services, and frequency of kelp product consumption were found to be significant predictors of the magnitude of change in consumer willingness to pay. Of the four major categories of ecosystem services, supporting services were reported to be most important to consumers. These findings can guide private and public organizations in marketing efforts to drive consumer behavior and to actualize the large potential of kelp aquaculture in the USA.

Analyzing forest residents' perception and knowledge of forest ecosystem services to guide forest management and biodiversity conservation

Forest ecosystem services (FES) are perceived and valued differently by different occupational groups. It is necessary to understand the various viewpoints and determinants, which have significant implications for forest management and biodiversity conservation. This suggests a need for diverse site-specific socio-cultural valuations of ecosystem services (ES) worldwide to enhance our understanding of the complexity of human-nature interactions in different social-ecological systems. In an investigation of a study area of local communities around the Hara Biosphere Reserve in the Persian Gulf, we analyze how various people and groups value FES, the determinants of various perceptions, and the implications of people's perceptions of FES for forest management and biodiversity conservation. Using the exploratory sequential mixed method, data were collected through a household questionnaire survey of 155 randomly selected people and through interviews with key informants and authorities. A decision tree was used to classify major occupational groups, and a path analysis was used to identify direct and indirect relationships among factors affecting FES perceptions. On average, the residents of the park identified 71% of the total FES that were supplied, with the cultural services as the most widely identified, followed by provisioning, supporting and regulating services. Different occupational groups perceived FES divergently. This was associated with their economic dependence on FES, age, education, proximity to the reserve, and their attendance at environmental workshops. Considering general forest management, the study provides three suggestions. Firstly, socio-cultural valuations of FES are needed to identify and compare how different occupations value ecosystems and how their services contribute to the welfare of the residents. Secondly, education initiatives should elaborate how hidden/omitted functions of the ecosystem are associated with people's well-being, thus providing them with strong motivation to support conservation programs. Thirdly, making cultural services more accessible and profitable to the public links nature conservation with social and economic well-being, and reduces overharvesting of provisioning services.

Fisheries as ecosystem services: A case study of the Cauvery river basin, India

Habitat alterations and fragmentation caused by anthropogenic modifications of the riverine landscape have affected fish biodiversity by reducing the number of fish species. Fish are a major element of the aquatic environment, and they play an important role in maintaining ecosystem resilience. However, an incomplete understanding of links between river ecosystem functions and processes with fisheries is one of the major reasons for the alarming rate of decline of fish species. Recognizing the ecosystem services generated by fish populations is essential and is one step toward comprehensive, ecosystem-based management of riverine fisheries. Therefore, this paper is motivated by the need to explore the dimensions of fisheries as an ecosystem service. The data was collected from primary field observations and checklist-based key informant interviews at the seventeen fishing sites selected across an 800 km river stretch of the river. In addition, two focused group discussions with fishers at two sampling sites were held to provide first-hand knowledge of ecosystem services generated by fisheries. At first, the role of fisheries in generating ecosystem services for riverine ecosystem functioning and human demands is outlined using the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment approach. Then, the findings of a survey carried out from the headwaters to the delta of the Cauvery river are presented detailing the fisheries provisioning services, livelihoods, and other ecosystem services. The findings showed that the provisioning and cultural services are highly represented among the four categories of ecosystem services identified by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. However, in the literature reviewed, supporting, and regulating services are not well-represented. Based on these findings, the applicability of the ecosystem service concept can be elaborated to inform researchers and policymakers to enhance conservation efforts for fisheries.

Correlation Between Community Knowledge Level of River Ecosystem Services and Littering Behavior in Belawan Hilir Sub-watershed

Belawan watershed is one of the watersheds that have a primary role in North Sumatra Province. The flow of the Belawan watershed crosses 2 (two) regencies/cities, i.e., Deli Serdang Regency and Medan City. In more detail, Medan City is located in the Belawan Hilir Sub-watershed. Several main rivers in Medan have been polluted and shallowed, as a result of people's habit of littering the river. People who live around the Belawan watershed have a significant role in the sustainability of the river and its ecosystem services. This study aims to analyze the level of community knowledge of river ecosystem services in the Belawan Hilir sub-watershed and to measure the correlation between the community knowledge level and the behavior of river littering. The respondents were sampled using Simple Random Sampling, while the number of samples was calculated using the Slovin formula. Data was collected through structured interviews by compiling a list of questions (questionnaires). The correlation between community knowledge levels and behavior of river littering was determined using spearman correlation analysis. The community knowledge level was 63% (good category). There was a moderate-positive correlation between the community knowledge level and the behavior of river littering (0.512 correlation coefficient). Community awareness can be increased through online-based socialization using social media or by providing more waste management training programs.

The role of education in biodiversity conservation: Can knowledge and understanding alter locals’ views and attitudes towards ecosystem services?

Climate change, human population growth and land use change are among the most important threats to nature and ecosystem services. Local appreciation of ecosystem services and knowledge of how the foundation of these services is affected by local livelihoods are important for the sustainability of natural resources and thus may fundamentally affect human well-being. In this study, we tested how student knowledge, attitudes and views towards ecosystem services and biodiversity changed due to an education programme. We assessed the before and after knowledge, attitudes, and views of 180 level-two secondary school students in the Ngorongoro District, Tanzania. Findings suggested an increased proportion of students could identify ecosystem services after the education programme, with increased knowledge of ecosystem services and their importance being attributed to developing understandings of negative outcomes caused by climate change, human population growth and land use change. The increased awareness of ecosystem services gained via the education programme suggests that education programmes can be an important tool in conservation biology. Therefore, we recommend that education programming dealing with threats to ecosystem services and biodiversity should be included in school curricula, especially for students close to protected areas.

Local ecological knowledge of coffee agroforestry farmers on earthworms and their relation to soil quality in East Java (Indonesia)

Abstract. Mardiani MO, Kusumawati IA, Purnamasari E, Prayogo C, van Noordwijk V, Hairiah K. 2022. Local ecological knowledge of coffee agroforestry farmers on earthworms and their relation to soil quality in East Java (Indonesia). Biodiversitas 23: 3344-3354. Farmers manage their land-based on their understanding of biotic and abiotic factors, including soils, and how these factors affect crop growth and productivity. Their local ecological knowledge (LEK) is built upon intergenerational transfer and can use concepts that don’t directly match those of current science-based ecological knowledge. We explored farmer LEK related to soil organic matter management and earthworms in coffee-based agroforestry systems on volcanic slopes in East Java (Indonesia) by in-depth interviews with key informants and by surveying the concurrence of respondents, stratified by gender and age, with resulting statements. The term used in the local language for earthworms (‘cacing tanah’) included a range of species. According to 22% (n=48) of farmers, small earthworms (probably Pontoscolex corethrurus) are harmful to coffee trees because they eat the roots. Also, 54% (n=48) of farmers thought earthworms that eat soil cause a decrease in soil volume. However, according to the farmers, large earthworms (reddish-brown) can fertilize the soil by leaving their casts on the soil surface. Such worms are often found in coffee agroforestry systems. Farmers have little explicit knowledge of the activities of earthworms and their relation with litter as a source of food. Farmer knowledge of ecosystem services provided by earthworms can enrich current scientific literature and trigger a two-way dialogue.

Knowledge Gleaned From the First Great Georgia Pollinator Census

AbstractIn August 2019, Georgians were provided the opportunity to participate in a pollinator census, called the Great Georgia Pollinator Census (https://GGaPC.org). This initiative evolved from two pilot projects conducted in 2017 and 2018. Citizen scientists counted insects and placed them into one of eight insect categories: (1) carpenter bee, Xylocopa sp. (Hymenoptera: Apidae); (2) bumble bee, Bombus sp. (Hymenoptera: Apidae); (3) honey bee, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae); (4) small bee (Hymenoptera); (5) wasp (Hymenoptera: Vespidae); (6) fly (Diptera); (7) butterfly or moth (Lepidoptera); or (8) other insects. This project was a yearlong effort that included assisting Georgians in creating sustainable pollinator habitat and increasing participant knowledge of insects and insect-mediated ecosystem services. A sustainable education effort involved the use of a website, newsletters, social media, University of Georgia Extension personnel, and project partners. Over 4,500 participants recorded over 151,000 insect counts in 135 Georgia counties, including 134 schools. Data analysis indicated a significant difference between pollinator counts in rural and urban areas (e.g., carpenter bees were more abundant in urban than in rural areas). Analysis also showed a significant influence of the local presence of honey bee hives on relative proportion of other pollinators as represented in the survey counts.

Incorporating ecosystem services to assess progress towards sustainable development goals: A case study of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, China

To promote coordinated development of the global economy, society, and environment, The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations (UN) specifies 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) with 169 nested targets. Studies have shown that a healthy ecological environment and stable ecosystem services (ESs) provide an important foundation for achieving the SDGs. Due to the lack of quantitative methods for assessing the contribution of ESs to SDGs, very few empirical studies have been conducted to examine how knowledge of ESs can guide regional sustainable development. From the perspective of an ES cascade, we proposed a systematic approach for quantifying progress towards environment-related SDGs in terms of ES indicators, based on the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB). The scores of multiple SDGs and the SDG Index increased significantly across the YREB from 2000 to 2015, mainly attributed to the improvement of food and water provisioning services. Significant spatiotemporal variation in sustainable development levels was observed between provinces within the YREB. For example, the sustainable development levels in the eastern YREB clearly trailed those in the central and western YREB, and the SDG scores and SDG Index scores declined gradually. Among 11 provincial regions in the YREB, the SDG Index scores of nine provincial regions increased gradually, whereas those of Zhejiang and Shanghai declined. Strengthening the assessment of the ES value for generating more comprehensive ES indicators and applying an integrated ES-based approach for monitoring and comparing the process of local and global sustainable development, are promising areas for future research.

Economic Valuation of Ecosystem Service Benefits and Welfare Impacts of Offshore Marine Protected Areas: A Study from the Baltic Sea

Knowledge of ecosystem services (ES) and the benefits provided by offshore marine areas, including the welfare impacts from the establishment of marine protected areas (MPAs) is still limited. In the present study we evaluated benefits from ES, citizens’ willingness-to-pay for potential changes in the provision of ES, and welfare losses to citizens due to restrictions on economic activities from establishing new offshore MPAs in Latvian waters. The scenarios for the economic valuation were based on analysing the supply of ES from the protected marine habitats, showing changes in the ES supply in policy relevant scenarios of the MPA size. Our study evaluates a wide array of ES delivered by offshore protected habitats and reveals that citizens’ willingness-to-pay for preserving habitats and ES supply exceeds their welfare losses from restrictions in economic activities. Our approach supports the prioritisation of habitat types according to their contribution to ES supply and benefits for citizens. The analysis can be complemented with spatial data regarding distribution of habitats, providing an opportunity to identify areas with the highest ES benefits to support marine protection and spatial planning.

Not just an engineering problem: The role of knowledge and understanding of ecosystem services for adaptive management of coastal erosion

Coastal ecosystems are recognized as important providers of ecosystem services such as carbon storage, increased fish productivity, and wave energy reduction. In a context of climate change, coastal ecosystems are exposed to erosion and subject to coastal squeeze, even as they provide natural coastal protection against extreme weather. While civil engineering solutions often take centre stage in mitigating coastal erosion and protecting infrastructure from storms and sea level rise, we seek to explore the social dimension of adaptive management of socio-ecological systems and more specifically the role of knowledge and learning. Using an ecosystem services (ES) framework, we provide a first evaluation of local stakeholders’ perceptions of coastal habitats in maritime Quebec. The findings demonstrate the importance of a social approach for coastal ES valuation, in particular in addressing the complex question of cultural ES. A better understanding of the links between coastal stakeholders and their natural environment can help decision-makers and practitioners design conservation management and coastal adaptation measures mainstreaming the role of coastal habitats. Nevertheless, a change towards a socio-ecological perspective will require long-lasting processes that build on social capacities, such as flexible institutions and multilevel governance systems.

Eliciting local knowledge of ecosystem services using participatory mapping and Photovoice: A case study of Tun Mustapha Park, Malaysia.

Protected areas in Malaysia have always been managed using top-down approach that often exclude the local communities, who are the main users of ecosystem services, from the planning and management. However, a newly established multiple-use marine park in Malaysia, Tun Mustapha Park (TMP), aims for inclusivity in managing the park. This research explores different participatory approaches (i.e. participatory mapping and Photovoice) to understand the ecosystem services and the dynamics surrounding the services in TMP. Community-based organisations and a mariculture farm in TMP were invited to participate in this work. The participants mapped the ecosystem services and provided in-depth qualitative data that supported the maps, besides highlighting ecological, sociocultural and economic issues surrounding the ecosystem services. Furthermore, the participants provided suggestions and recommendations that carry political effects. Therefore, the participatory approaches employed here had provided rich visual and spatial data to enhance the ecosystem-based management of TMP besides empowering the participants to voice out for their communities. The results generated from this work were also further utilised to fill in the gaps of knowledge in a separate ecosystem service assessment matrix. However, the output from participatory approaches should not be considered as the ultimate outcome but rather as supplement to the planning and management of TMP due to potential human errors and biases. Although the participatory approaches came with limitations and challenges that may have affected the findings here, these nonetheless had provided support to the capability of local communities to provide information crucial for management of protected areas as well as room for improvement for further work.

Scientific evidence for ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction

Ecosystems play a potentially important role in sustainably reducing the risk of disaster events worldwide. Yet, to date, there are few comprehensive studies that summarize the state of knowledge of ecosystem services and functions for disaster risk reduction. This paper builds scientific evidence through a review of 529 English-language articles published between 2000 and 2019. It catalogues the extent of knowledge on, and confidence in, ecosystems in reducing disaster risk. The data demonstrate robust links and cost-effectiveness between certain ecosystems in reducing specific hazards, something that was revealed to be particularly true for the role of vegetation in the stabilization of steep slopes. However, the published research was limited in geographic distribution and scope, with a concentration on urban areas of the Global North, with insufficient relevant research on coastal, dryland and watershed areas, especially in the Global South. Many types of ecosystem can provide sustainable and multifunctional approaches to disaster risk reduction. Yet, if they are to play a greater role, more attention is needed to fill research gaps and develop performance standards.