Multiple Ecosystem Services Research Articles

Adaptability of Prunus cerasifera Ehrh. to Climate Changes in Multifunctional Landscape

Urban trees play a vital role in mitigating climate changes, maintaining the sustainability of ecosystems. This study focuses on the assessment of the resilience of cherry plums to climate changes, a fruit-bearing species that offers diverse ecosystem services within multifunctional urban and suburban landscapes. This study examines flowering and fruiting in the context of climate characteristics, expressed through the Day of the Year (DOY), Growing Degree Days (GDDs), and a yield over 17 consecutive years. The results indicate significant shifts in the DOY but not in the GDD, apart from the end of flowering. The onset of flowering was earlier and the end postponed, extending the phenophase by an average of 4 days. The cherry plum’s yield was unaffected by climate changes, including extreme events like a late-spring frost. The stability of the cherry plum was confirmed by the phenological patterns of the bullace (cherry plum and blackthorn hybrid) exhibiting repeated flowering in the warmest year of 2023. The cherry plum is an adaptive species, with a high adaptability to a changing climate and a high resistance to late-spring frosts; thus, it is a favorable choice in urban design and planning, demonstrating resilience to climate shifts and thriving in polluted urban environments. It is especially appreciated for multiple ecosystem services: biodiversity conservation in natural and semi-natural areas, yielding good provisions in challenging environments, and the preservation of ornamental values through an extended flowering phenophase.

Ecosystem services at risk from disturbance in Europe's forests.

Global change impacts on disturbances can strongly compromise the capacity of forests to provide ecosystem services to society. In addition, many ecosystem services in Europe are simultaneously provided by forests, emphasizing the importance of multifunctionality in forest ecosystem assessments. To address disturbances in forest ecosystem policies and management, spatially explicit risk analyses that consider multiple disturbances and ecosystem services are needed. However, we do not yet know which ecosystem services are most at risk from disturbances in Europe, where the respective risk hotspots are, nor which of the main disturbance agents are most detrimental to the provisioning of multiple ecosystem services from Europe's forests. Here, we quantify the risk of losing important ecosystem services (timber supply, carbon storage, soil erosion control and outdoor recreation) to forest disturbances (windthrows, bark beetle outbreaks and wildfires) in Europe on a continental scale. We find that up to 12% of Europe's ecosystem service supply is at risk from current disturbances. Soil erosion control is the ecosystem service at the highest risk, and windthrow is the disturbance agent posing the highest risk. Disturbances challenge forest multifunctionality by threatening multiple ecosystem services simultaneously on 19.8 Mha (9.7%) of Europe's forests. Our results highlight priority areas for risk management aiming to safeguard the sustainable provisioning of forest ecosystem services.

Spatio‐Temporal Dynamics of Aboveground Biomass in China's Oasis Grasslands Between 1989 and 2021

AbstractGrassland provides multiple ecosystem services and plays a key role in preventing desert encroachment and maintaining oasis stability. In China, the area of cropland in oases has expanded significantly in recent decades, which results in a rapid increase in agricultural water demand and encroachment on grassland subsistence space. However, our knowledge about how the expansion of cropland affects oasis grasslands remains limited. We used machine learning, temporal segmentation of spectral trajectories, and maximum covariance analysis to generate an annual oasis grassland aboveground biomass (AGB) data set at 30‐m resolution from 1989 to 2021 based on multiple remotely sensed and ground observation data sets, and investigated the dynamics of grassland AGB under cropland expansion in oases. We found that overall oasis grassland AGB increased significantly (0.3 gm−2 yr−1, P < 0.01) during 1989–2021, but trends in AGB were not consistent across basins. In the Yellow River, Turpan Hami, Qaidam, and southern Altai Mountains River Basins, AGB was dominated by a significant increase. Conversely, in all basins in southern Xinjiang, AGB showed a decreasing trend due to the rapid cropland expansion. Spatially, cropland expansion and AGB dynamics were strongly coupled. In regions characterized by agricultural concentration, grassland AGB benefitted from resource spillover via edge effects. However, in downstream areas or those with a low proportion of cropland, where most grasslands are distributed, the relationship between the two shifted to a trade‐off. Our study provides a scientific basis for identifying priority areas for ecological restoration and for science‐based planning of the scale of cropland in oases.

ESMAX for spatial agroecology: A conceptual spatial model for the quantification and visualisation of ES performance from different configurations of landscape

AbstractIntroductionAgriculture is confronted by the dual challenges of increasing global demand for food production while reducing negative impacts on the environment. One suggested solution is transitioning modern industrial agriculture to more agroecologically‐informed practices, thus realigning increased food production with the carrying capacity of Earth Systems. The transition to multifunctional agroecological systems, that promote the production of multiple ecosystem services (ES) as well as food production, requires an adaptive management process that addresses climate‐change, market complexity, practical implementation and knowledge transfer.Materials & MethodsThis work proposes a spatially explicit methodology to support this process. Spatial agroecology, in this context, combines a new Geographic Information Systems (GIS)‐based model (ESMAX) with development of a ‘solution space’ to assist stakeholders identify configurations of agroecological components (in this case, trees on farm) at the scale of a 1 ha paddock to supply a targeted range of regulating ES (cooling effect, flood mitigation and habitat). ESMAX uses distance‐decay characteristics specific to each type of regulating ES to quantify and visualise the influence of spatial configuration of ES‐supplying tree clumps on overall ES performance.ResultsThe results from this application of spatial agroecology suggest regulating ES production at farm and paddock scale is influenced by the arrangement of trees on farm. ESMAX's results show paddocks with large tree clumps return the best cooling effect, while small clumps deliver the best flood mitigation and most suitable habitat. Evenly dispersed arrangements of small tree clumps provide the best multifunctional performance across all three ES modelled in this work.ConclusionDesigned spatial agroecological interventions can affect landscape multifunctionality at paddock scale, where practical decisions are made and implemented. This provides spatially explicit support of an adaptive management process. Utilising agroecological systems as spatial mechanisms for supplying critical regulating ES also highlights a new function for agriculture in the Anthropocene epoch.

Integrating social-ecological system into watershed ecosystem services management: A case study of the Jialing River Basin, China

A severe decline in ecosystem services (ES) has accompanied the rapid development of human societies. There is a growing interest in considering ES management from a systemic and integrated perspective. Yet, researchers still need to explore effective ways to integrate human and natural systems for strengthening ES. This study proposes an integrating framework that connects the concept of social-ecological system (SES) with ES. We utilize land use types as indicators of basic SES structure and employ the InVEST model to evaluate typical ES in the Jialing River Basin (JRB). By analyzing spatial and temporal characteristics of SES and multiple typical ES, we investigate how ES is related to different SES types. The results reveal that: (1) from 1980 to 2020, the SES of the JRB underwent significant transformations, including a decrease in cropland areas, while construction land and forestland areas increased. Especially, construction land SES experienced an increase as high as 212.53%. (2) Regarding ES, water yield (WY) increased while soil conservation (SC), carbon storage (CS), and habitat quality (HQ) decreased. (3) The relationship analysis demonstrated disparities in levels of ES across various SES types. Construction land SES exhibited the highest average WY but lower SC, CS, and HQ values compared to forestland which had higher average SC, CS, and HQ instead. These findings imply that regional ES will be positively or negatively affected by transformation within SES. In the long run, it is crucial to synthesize both the characteristics of SES and functional benefits provided by ES in the JRB, then control the favorable transformations within SES to enhance a sustainable supply of ES. This study provides a novel methodology for connecting SES and ES comprehensively with new perspectives that will be beneficial for building regional SES management and ES enhancement.

Utilizing supply-demand bundles in Nature-based Recreation offers insights into specific strategies for sustainable tourism management

Balancing supply and demand in Nature-based Recreation (NbR) has the potential to yield co-benefits across multiple Ecosystem Services (ES), helping to make tourism activities more sustainable. However, a comprehensive understanding of supply-demand mismatches in NbR is challenging due to the complex interaction among various social, economic and ecological factors. This paper investigates mismatches in NbR supply and demand to provide insights for informing spatial and regional planning to achieve sustainable tourism. To this end, the paper uses a wide range of indicators such as biophysical attributes, accessibility and social indicators to map and assess NbR supply and demand, followed by the application of spatial statistics to analyse supply-demand mismatches. Cluster analysis was performed based on the supply-demand relationship to identify a typology of NbR ES across the study area in the north of Iran. The paper proposes an innovative application of recreation ES bundles with potential implications for sustainable tourism in a region marked as a hot spot for tourism. The analysis generated a typology of five bundles of NbR ES with differing recreational opportunities. Bundles 1 and 2, characterized by a supply surplus and substantial ecological value, are suitable for NbR activities such as camping, hiking, climbing, and birdwatching. In contrast, bundle 4 and 5 associated with urban centres, experience a supply deficit, making them less suitable for NbR. Bundle 3, characterized by a mixture of natural and productive lands, plays an important role in maintaining a balanced supply-demand state. This region holds potential for diverse forms of tourism, including rural and agricultural recreation such as farm tours and farm life experiences. Based on findings, the paper provides valuable insights for spatial and regional planning by proposing targeted strategies to sustainably manage tourism activities.

Blueprint for Blue Carbon: Lessons from Seychelles for Small Island States

Blue carbon has been proposed as a nature-based solution for climate change mitigation; however, a limited number of published works and data and knowledge gaps hinder the development of small island developing states’ (SIDS) national blue carbon resources globally. This paper reviews the blue carbon ecosystems of Seychelles as a case study in the context of SIDS, comparing estimations by the Blue Carbon Lab and recent blue carbon (mangrove and seagrass) evaluations submitted to the Seychelles national government. Mangroves (2195 ha, 80% in Aldabra Atoll) and seagrasses (142,065 ha) dominate in Seychelles, with coral reefs having the potential for carbon sequestration (169,000 ha). Seychelles is on track to protecting its blue carbon, but these systems are threatened by rising sea levels, coastal squeeze, erosion, severe storms, and human activities. The importance of carbon inventories, accounting institutions, and continuous monitoring of blue carbon systems is discussed. Blue accounting is necessary for accurate accounting of carbon sequestration and carbon storage, generating carbon credits, and representing impactful reductions in greenhouse gases for NDCs. Challenges and opportunities include policy legislation regarding ownership rights, accreditation and certification for carbon credits, sustainable financing mechanisms like natural asset companies and blue tokens, local engagement for long-term success, and carbon market dynamics following COP27. The restoration and regulation of blue carbon resources for optimal ecosystem services delivery, carbon inventories, and blue carbon policy are recommended development priorities. Blue carbon ecosystems have the potential to contribute to NDCs of SIDS while simultaneously offering sustainable development pathways for local communities through the multiple ecosystem services they provide.

Functional attributes in ecological restoration in tropical forests: strategies and perspectives

Tropical forests harbor high biodiversity but are facing intense fragmentation and isolation due to deforestation. The conservation of these forests requires reducing deforestation, restoring degraded areas, and expanding protected areas. Restoration areas are typically environments with different degradation histories, low nutrient availability, and high environmental variability. In this context, the use of functional groups has been employed to assess the successional trajectory of secondary forests. This study conducted a review based on empirical and theoretical literature available in the Scopus® and Web of Science® indexing databases over the past 10 years (2012-2022) within the theme of “functional attributes in ecological restoration.” In total, 1,941 publications were found. We evaluated and discussed the literature found through a theoretical approach to the content of the articles. Our research showed that functional characteristics in restoration areas are associated with multiple ecosystem service functions, including supporting, provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural services. We identified studies emphasizing the importance of considering functional attributes (response attributes and effect attributes) when selecting species for use in restoration projects. However, the functional approach in restoration projects, although growing in recent years, is still in its early stages. Given the challenges posed by the restoration decade, understanding the relationships between functional attributes and ecological restoration in tropical forests is necessary to fill existing gaps. We also emphasize the importance of disseminating and making local information on functional attributes available in data repositories to improve access to this information.

Importance of ecosystem services and ecological security patterns on Hainan Island, China

The identification and restoration of damaged ecosystems are key to achieving ecological conservation and sustainable. Hainan Island is experiencing a serious crisis of biodiversity and habitat degradation. Therefore, its ecological conservation has become a priority and challenge for China. This study aimed to construct a multi-level ecological security pattern (ESP) based on the synergy of multiple ecosystem service functions and identify important ecological elements and ecological restoration areas. Based on the InVEST model, the circuit theory model, and a series of GIS spatial analysis methods, the importance of ecosystem functions (biodiversity maintenance, water conservation, carbon sequestration, and soil conservation) was evaluated, and ecological sources, ecological corridors, ecological pinch points, and ecological barrier points were identified. The results are as follows: 1) The best habitats in Hainan Island were distributed in the central mountainous area with diverse ecosystems, with an area of 10982.5 km2, accounting for 34.25% of the total suitable habitats. Low-level habitats are mainly distributed on tableland and coastal zones. Human disturbance is the direct cause of landscape patch fragmentation in low-level habitat areas. 2) A total of 65 large ecological sources with a total area of 8238.23 km2 were identified, which were concentrated in the biodiversity and water conservation areas in the central part of the island. 3) Crucial areas in Hainan Island mainly comprised forests and water bodies. Ecological corridors radiated across the entire area in the form of a spider web and connected all important ecological patches, including 138 ecological corridors (73 primary ecological corridors and 65 secondary ecological corridors), 222 ecological pinch points, and 198 ecological barrier points. In addition, the identified areas for restoration are primary areas in urgent need of protection and restoration. In general, the ecological pinch points are natural conservation areas supplemented by anthropogenic restoration, and the ecological barrier points demand equal attention for anthropogenic restoration and nature conservation. The ecosystem protection plan developed in this study will enrich the theoretical achievements of territorial spatial ecological planning in Hainan Island, and provides clear guidance for alleviating the contradiction between land use and economic development in Hainan Island.

Identifying priority areas for conservation: using ecosystem services hotspot mapping for land-use/land-cover planning in central of Iran.

The modeling and mapping of hotspots and coldspots ecosystem services (ESs) is an essential factor in the decision-making process for ESs conservation. Moreover, spatial prioritization is a serious stage in conservation planning. In the present research, based on the InVEST software, Getis-Ord statistics (Gi*), and a set of GIS methods, we quantified and mapped the variation and overlapping among three ESs (carbon storage, soil retention, and habitat quality). Furthermore, an approach was proffered for detecting priority areas to protect multiple ecosystem services. Hotspots recognized via the Gi* statistics technique contain a higher capacity for supplying ESs than other areas. This means that protecting these areas with a bigger number of overlapped hotspots can provide more services. Results indicated that population growth accompanied by the increase in construction sites and low-yield agricultural lands in the Zayanderood dam watershed basin has resulted in ES losses. This situation is represented by increasing soil erosion, reduced carbon storage, reduced biodiversity, and fragmented habitat distribution due to land-use change. The statistically significant carbon storage, soil retention, and habitat quality hotspots with above 95% confidence level account for 21.5%, 39.3%, and 16.9% of the study area, respectively. Therefore, a clear framework was presented in this study for setting ES-based conservation priority. Decision makers and land-use planners can also combine this technique into their framework to identify and conserve ES hotspots to support their targeted ecosystem policies.

Research on the Optimization of Urban Ecological Infrastructure Based on Ecosystem Service Supply, Demand, and Flow

Ecological infrastructure plays a crucial role in strengthening the relationship between humans and the environment by optimizing ecological space and resource allocation in urban environments. However, there are few studies on the functional assessment and spatial and temporal evolution of ecological infrastructure and its layout optimization. In this study, we developed an ecological infrastructure optimization method based on ecosystem service supply, demand, and flow in Yantai City as the study area; identified the spatial extent of urban ecological infrastructure and its spatial and temporal changes based on the spatial quantification of multiple ecosystem services; assessed whether the existing ecological infrastructure could satisfy the needs of the urban residents by calculating the ecosystem service supply and demand indexes; and used the spatial quantification of ecosystem service flows to optimize the spatial layout of urban ecological infrastructure. This study shows that, from 2010 to 2018, ecological infrastructure in Longkou, Zhaoyuan, and Laiyang decreased, contrasting with the growth in the existing peripheral areas. The study found a clear spatial mismatch between the supply and demand of ecosystem services, especially in the central urban areas, suggesting that the existing infrastructure was unable to satisfy the needs of high-demand areas. This study assessed the peripheral areas of the city using comparative ecological radiation force (CERF), including 314.64 km2 of environmentally beautiful village units as key components of ecological infrastructure in Yantai City. These findings are crucial for sustainable environmental management and urban development strategies.

Flow of mangrove ecosystem services to coastal communities in the Brazilian Amazon

Mangrove forests are broadly recognized to support a variety of ecosystem services on coastal margins worldwide. These services may significantly contribute to the wellbeing of millions of people, but there is limited information about their importance in the Global South. This study mapped for the first time the flow of ecosystem services in Brazilian Amazon mangroves, which represent over 700,000 ha of mangroves in the country. We also identified the spatial changes in the flow of services across coastal landscapes, including urban, agricultural upland areas and coastal natural protected areas. Our matrix model indicated that mangroves, waterbodies, sandflats and mudflats are critical to the flow of multiple ecosystem services, including provisioning (fish, mariculture), cultural (historical and intrinsic value, research, and education), and regulation (climate, flood control, nursery, and breeding grounds). Social economic context, occupation, education, and residence time are important factors influencing villagers to identify the flow of ecosystem services, which could be compared across other coastal marine reserves in South America that have similar management of natural resources. Adjacent coastal upland habitats such as forests and croplands are important to support many provisioning ecosystem services to coastal villagers that would otherwise be obtained from mangroves, suggesting that protecting these connected habitats and supporting small-scale agriculture may help to avoid deforestation of mangrove forests. As over 80% of the mangroves in the country are managed as extractive reserves and may support communities with comparable socio-economic characteristics, we provide a foundation for the development and replication of ecosystem services assessments in Brazilian mangroves, which cover an area of over 1 million hectares. Our work highlights the importance of mangrove forests in providing food, and cultural services and to increase local climate resilience of coastal villages in the Amazon coast.

Natural/Small Water Retention Measures: Their Contribution to Ecosystem-Based Concepts

The increasing incidence of droughts and heavy rainfall events is exacerbating conflicts between human and environmental demands for water. However, through providing multiple water-related ecosystem services and benefits simultaneously, Natural/Small Water Retention Measures (NSWRM) can mitigate such competing claims. Thus, they also contribute to the achievement of various Sustainable Development Goals and environmental targets set out in water- and agriculture-related policies of the European Union. In particular, NSWRM provide for the sound management of watersheds, which can significantly contribute to improved water quality and availability—as well as improving the resilience of agriculture and society. This paper demonstrates how NSWRM fit into the framework of ecosystem-based concepts, including Natural Water Retention Measures (NWRM), Green Infrastructure (GI), Sustainable Land Management (SLM), Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA), and Nature-based Solutions (NbS). NSWRM, as a distinct concept, bring added value to the other concepts by focussing on easy-to-implement, modestly sized, localised technical solutions to problems associated with water management, sediment, and nutrient loss. Through experience under the EU Horizon 2020 project OPTAIN (“OPtimal strategies to retAIN and re-use water and nutrients in small agricultural catchments across different soil-climatic regions in Europe”), we show what NSWRM are, how they are linked to each of the ecosystem-based concepts, and how they can help add value to these concepts. Fourteen case studies are drawn upon from diverse countries across Europe. As a result of this analysis, we present the potential for the application of NSWRM in the context of these concepts, while helping to identify planning tools, the expertise required, and potential funding mechanisms.

Multi-ecosystem services differently affected by over-canopy and understory nitrogen additions in a typical subtropical forest.

Obtaining a holistic understanding of the impacts of atmospheric nitrogen deposition on multiple ecosystem services of forest is essential for developing comprehensive and sustainable strategies, particularly in heavy N deposition regions such as subtropical China. However, such impacts remain incompletely understood, with most previous studies focus on individual ecosystem function or service via understory N addition experiments. To address this knowledge gap, we quantified the effects of over-canopy and understory N additions on multiple ecosystem services based on a 7-year large-scale field experiment in a typical subtropical forest. Our results showed continued over-canopy N addition with 50 kg ha-1 year-1 over a period of 4-7 years significantly increased plant nutrient retention, but did not affect the services of soil nutrient accumulation, water yield, C sequestration (in plants and soil), or oxygen release. There were trade-offs between the soil and plant on providing the services of nutrient accumulation/retention and C sequestration under over-canopy N addition. However, without uptake and retention of tree canopy, the trade-off between soil and plant were more weaken under the understory N addition with 50 kg ha-1 year-1 , and their relationships were even synergetic under the understory N addition with 25 kg ha-1 year-1 . The results suggest that understory N addition cannot accurately simulate the effects of atmospheric N deposition on multiple services, along with mutual relationships. Interestingly, the services of plant N, P retention, and C sequestration exhibited a synergetic increase under the over-canopy N addition but a decrease under the understory N addition. Our results also found tree layer plays a primary role in providing plant nutrient retention service and is sensitive to atmospheric N deposition. Further studies are needed to investigate the generalized effects of forest canopy processes on alleviating the threaten of global change factors in different forest ecosystems.

Urban pondscape connecting people with nature and biodiversity in a medium-sized European city (Geneva, Switzerland)

The current progressive increase in urbanisation is a contributing factor to the alarming rate of decrease in biodiversity worldwide, so it is critical to propose new solutions that bring nature, and their associated benefits, back to cities. Urban ponds and pondscapes are potential Nature-based Solutions that play a crucial role in the conservation and promotion of biodiversity, as well as providing other ecosystem services. Therefore, it is important to understand people's perception of the contribution that these ponds/pondscapes make in their daily lives. The aim of this study was to assess public perception of the value of the multiple ecosystem services, here referred to as Nature's Contributions to People (NCPs), provided by urban ponds with a focus on biodiversity. To achieve it, we conducted a face-to-face questionnaire survey among 331 visitors of urban parks and nature reserves in a medium-sized European city (Geneva, Switzerland). The results show that people highly value the different contributions provided by urban ponds, and that contact with nature is the main motivation for visiting urban pondscapes. Their positive view about the provided NCPs and also their acknowledgement of an improved quality of life suggest a public acceptance of these ponds. We also found that gender and income do not influence public perception of the contributions provided by urban pondscapes. Additionally, the biodiversity of urban ponds was highly appreciated, but there was a knowledge gap relating to biodiversity conservation, as both native and exotic species were valued equally. In conclusion, ponds are Nature-based Solutions that are very well adapted and accepted in cities, and in the future they should be part of the greening (and blueing) of urban planning to conserve and enhance freshwater biodiversity whilst also providing NCPs.

Sociocultural valuation of human impacts on marine ecosystems: the case of the National Marine Park of Alonissos in Greece

ABSTRACT Conservation priority ecosystem components provide multiple ecosystem services. However, different human activities have placed significant pressures on marine ecosystems and the biodiversity they support, resulting in the degradation of the respective services. In the present study, we combine a choice experiment for the valuation of related ecosystem services with the Cumulative Impact Assessment method, to estimate the value of human impacts on three conservation priority habitats (the seagrass meadows, the gorgonian forests and the coralligenous reefs) of the National Marine Park of Alonissos Northern Sporades in Greece. The results indicate significant values and thus raise flags for more effective decisions related to environmental policies, such as the Programmes of Measures under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

Severe and frequent extreme weather events undermine economic adaptation gains of tree-species diversification

Forests and their provision of ecosystem services are endangered by climate change. Tree-species diversification has been identified as a key adaptation strategy to balance economic risks and returns in forest stands. Yet, whether this synergy between ecology and economics persists under large-scale extreme weather events remains unanswered. Our model accounts for both, small-scale disturbances in individual stands and extreme weather events that cause spatio-temporally correlated disturbances in a large number of neighboring stands. It economically optimizes stand-type allocations in a large forest enterprise with multiple planning units. Novel components are: spatially explicit site heterogeneity and a comparison of economic diversification strategies under local and regionally coordinated planning by simplified measures for α\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\alpha$$\\end{document}, β\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\beta$$\\end{document}, and γ\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\gamma$$\\end{document}-diversity of stand types. α\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\alpha$$\\end{document}-diversity refers to the number and evenness of stand types in local planning units, β\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\beta$$\\end{document}-diversity to the dissimilarity of the species composition across planning units, and γ\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\gamma$$\\end{document}-diversity to the number and evenness of stand types in the entire enterprise. Local planning led to stand-type diversification within planning units (α\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\alpha$$\\end{document}-diversity), while regionally coordinated planning led to diversification across planning units (β\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\beta$$\\end{document}-diversity). We observed a trend towards homogenization of stand-type composition likely selected under economic objectives with increasing extreme weather events. No diversification strategy fully buffered the adverse economic consequences. This led to fatalistic decisions, i.e., selecting stand types with low investment risks but also low resistance to disturbances. The resulting forest structures indicate potential adverse consequences for other ecosystem services. We conclude that high tree-species diversity may not necessarily buffer economic consequences of extreme weather events. Forest policies reducing forest owners’ investment risks are needed to establish stable forests that provide multiple ecosystem services.

Calibrating ecosystem models to support ecosystem-based management of marine systems

Abstract Ecosystem models, such as Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE), provide a platform to simulate intricate policy scenarios where multiple species, pressures, and ecosystem services interact. Complex questions often return complex answers, necessitating evidence and advice to be communicated in terms of trade-offs, risks, and uncertainty. Calibration procedures for EwE, which can act as a source of uncertainty and bias in model results, have yet to be explored in a comprehensive way that communicates how sensitive model outputs are to different calibration approaches. As the EwE community has grown, multiple divergent approaches have been applied to calibrate models through the estimation of vulnerability multipliers: parameters that augment the consumption rate limits of predators. Here we explore the underlying principles of vulnerability multipliers as well as existing calibration approaches and their justification. Two case studies are presented: the first explores how vulnerability multipliers emerge based on the chosen calibration approach using simulated data, while the second takes two operational EwE models (Irish Sea and Northwest Atlantic Continental Shelf) and compares their outputs when calibrated following alternate calibration approaches. We show how calibration approaches can impact model-derived advice and provide a list of best practice recommendations for EwE calibration.

European Permanent Grasslands: A Systematic Review of Economic Drivers of Change, Including a Detailed Analysis of the Czech Republic, Spain, Sweden, and UK

Permanent grasslands (PG) feature in the European rural landscape and represent a major agricultural production resource. They support multiple non-provisioning ecosystem services (ES), including climate regulation, flood control, biodiversity, and pollination. PG are at risk of loss or degradation due to agricultural land use and land management changes. The objective of this systematic review is to identify the main economic influences shaping management and maintenance of PG, and the risks and opportunities for delivery of a range of ES. A total of 51 papers were included. Relevant policy interventions and economic drivers are identified in relation to how they shape the management of EU grasslands over time and across farming systems, countries, or biogeographic zones. A high reliance on public payments from the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), with uneven impact on mitigating PG losses and associated ES provisions, was identified, which needs to be considered in relation to ongoing CAP reform. There is a gap in the literature regarding economic tipping points for change. Future research needs to identify and map ES provisions by PG along with trade-offs and synergies, and link this to policy. There are substantive challenges to maintaining Europe’s PG area and management, which must be addressed through EU-wide instruments.

Mapping and Analyzing the Spatiotemporal Patterns and Drivers of Multiple Ecosystem Services: A Case Study in the Yangtze and Yellow River Basins

The Yangtze River Basin (YZRB) and the Yellow River Basin (YRB), which are crucial for ecology and economy in China, face growing challenges to ecosystem service (ES) functions due to global population growth, urbanization, and climate change. This study assessed the spatiotemporal dynamics of ESs in the YZRB and the YRB between 2001 and 2021, comprehensively encompassing essential aspects such as water yield (WY), carbon sequestration (CS), soil conservation (SC), and habitat quality (HQ) while also analyzing the trade-offs and synergies among these ESs at the grid cells. The GeoDetector was employed to ascertain individual or interactive effects of natural and anthropogenic factors on these ESs and their trade-offs/synergies. The results showed that (1) from 2001 to 2021, the four ESs exhibited significant spatial disparities in the distribution within two basins, with the overall trend of ESs mainly increasing. YZRB consistently exhibited substantially higher ES values than the YRB. (2) Complex trade-offs and synergies among these ESs were apparent in both basins, characterized by distinct spatial heterogeneity. The spatial relationships of WY–CS, WY–SC, CS–SC, and CS–HQ were mainly synergistic. (3) Precipitation, potential evapotranspiration, elevation, land use and land cover (LULC), and slope influenced ESs in both basins. Notably, interactive factors, particularly the interactions involving LULC and other factors, demonstrated more robust explanatory power for ESs and their trade-offs/synergies than individual drivers. These findings significantly affect the refined ecosystem management and sustainable development decision-making in large rivers or regions.