National Ecosystem Assessment Research Articles

Validation and limitations of large-scale forest condition indicators – An example from Hungary

As the multi-scale study of biodiversity is extremely resource-intensive, proxy indicators taken from various databases are often used to answer questions on a larger spatial scale. Considering differences in the scale and methods, the application of such indicators (especially from different monitoring systems) requires careful consideration and standard methods of validation.In order to demonstrate this, we validated the results of the MAES-HU (National Ecosystem Assessment of Hungary) forest condition assessment (based on the Hungarian NFD – National Forestry Database) with thematically richer, finer-scale field data. We also examined the relationships of some MAES-HU indicators with other variables significant for nature conservation, not currently included in the NFD. We found the MAES-HU scoring was similar to the fine-scale score results in the case of tree species composition indicators, however, less so for structural indicators. The MAES-HU assessment uses the values of the NFD, averaged for forest management units, and thus tends to underestimate structural variety. This highlights a potential loss of important conservation-related information. During the examination of relationships with other indicators that are not included in the large-scale MAES-HU assessment, we found that the presence of large-diameter and old trees correlates with tree-related microhabitats and large standing deadwood, but no relationship was found for other investigated indicators (game pressure, further deadwood indicators). This highlights the need for integrating some key conservation indicators (presence of old and large trees, quantity and quality of standing and lying deadwood) into existing forest monitoring systems in order to optimise the resources dedicated to multipurpose data collection. Our study also highlights that applying indicators as proxies requires the full knowledge of monitoring methods and validated indicator-indicanda relationships.

The natural capital indicator framework (NCIF) for improved national natural capital reporting

It is now widely recognised that components of the environment play the role of economic assets, termed natural capital, that are a foundation of social and economic development. National governments monitor the state and trends of natural capital through a range of activities including natural capital accounting, national ecosystem assessments, ecosystem service valuation, and economic and environmental analyses. Indicators play an integral role in these activities as they facilitate the reporting of complex natural capital information. One factor that hinders the success of these activities and their comparability across countries is the absence of a coherent framework of indicators concerning natural capital (and its benefits) that can aid decision-making. Here we present an integrated Natural Capital Indicator Framework (NCIF) alongside example indicators, which provides an illustrative structure for countries to select and organise indicators to assess their use of, and dependence on, natural capital. The NCIF sits within a wider context of indicators related to natural, human, social and manufactured capital, and associated flows of benefits. The framework provides decision-makers with a structured approach to selecting natural capital indicators with which to make decisions about economic development that take into account national natural capital and associated flows of benefits.

Using a multivariate regression tree to analyze trade-offs between ecosystem services: Application to the main cropping area in France

Analysis of trade-offs and synergies between ecosystem services (ES) and their underlying drivers is a main issue in ES research. The analysis is complex and requires innovative analytical approaches. To address this complexity, we used an original approach that combines a multivariate regression tree (MRT), data analysis, and spatial mapping. We applied this approach to the main cropping region in France (mainly the Paris basin of production) using an existing dataset (i.e. soil, climate, crop sequences and management) from the French National Ecosystem Assessment to determine relationships between agricultural production, two services to farmers – nitrogen provision to crops and water provision to crops – and three services to society – blue water provision, water quality regulation, and climate regulation. To support land managers and decision-makers, we also analyzed the extent to which manageable soil properties and agricultural practices (crop rotation and management) are major drivers of trade-offs or synergies. We demonstrated that water quality regulation, nitrogen provision to crops, and climate regulation have synergistic relationships in production situations in the northeastern region of the study area due to the types of crop rotation, frequency of cover crops in the crop rotation, the soil pH, and the soil available water capacity. We also identified that cover crops, while promoting these three ES, can drive a trade-off between two key water-related services: water provision to crops and blue water provision (i.e. between a service to farmers and one to society). By capturing non-linear relationships and threshold effects, our MRT-based approach overcomes the main limitations of classic statistical approaches. The approach is also spatially explicit and simple and intuitive to interpret, especially for non-scientists; our results thus provide researchers and ecosystem managers (e.g. agricultural policy makers) with key information to design ecosystem management strategies that promote a balanced bundle of ES.

의사결정 지원을 위한 국가 생태계 평가체계 구축

의사결정 지원을 위한 국가 생태계 평가체계 구축

Mapping Cultural Ecosystem Services Enables Better Informed Nature Protection and Landscape Management

Cultural ecosystem services (CES) have specific richness and diversity provision patterns related to particular landscape features and land cover forms. Studies of their spatial distribution, however, are quite rare in the Slovak Republic and surrounding countries. This paper links land cover information based on an ecosystem services (ES) matrix, field survey data and GIS method to assess CES supply in two selected Slovak regions. Our main focus is on the ecologically more valuable ‘hot-spots’ where socio-cultural values accumulate. We determined their spatial distribution, and our comparison with lower cultural value areas confirmed that mountainous landscapes have the highest capacity to provide CES. This especially applies to the landscapes under National Park protection. While Slovak forests, rocks and water areas also form essential ecosystems for overall CES provision, the lowest overall capacity is in areas with residential buildings, construction, industrial and other artificial habitats. Finally, a comparison of our results with the National Ecosystem Assessment indicates that our detailed CES assessment will be more effective in supporting future participatory planning and management processes.

A fulfilled human life: Eliciting sense of place and cultural identity in two UK marine environments through the Community Voice Method

Human impacts on the marine environment threaten the wellbeing of hundreds of millions of people. Marine environments are a common-pool resource (CPR) and one of their major management challenges is how to incorporate the value of ecosystem services to society in decision-making. Cultural ecosystem services (CES) relate to the often intangible benefits people receive from their interactions with the natural environment and contribute to individual and collective human wellbeing. Priority knowledge gaps include the need to better understand shared values regarding CES, and how to effectively integrate these values into decision-making. We filmed 40 Community Voice Method interviews with marine stakeholders in two areas of the UK to improve on the valuation of coastal and marine CES. Results show that cultural benefits including sense of place, aesthetic pleasure and cultural identity were bi-directional, contributed directly to a ‘fulfilled human life’ and were associated with charismatic marine life and biodiversity. Other-regarding self-transcendence values were salient underscoring a desire for sustainable marine management. We critically reflect on our analytical framework that integrates aspects of the UK National Ecosystem Assessment and IPBES conceptual frameworks. The thematic codebook developed for this study could prove useful for future comparative studies in other marine CES contexts. We propose that values-led management could increase the efficacy of marine planning strategies.

Analysing the prevalence of ecosystem services in the objectives and policies of Scotland's National Marine Plan

Scotland's National Marine Plan (NMP) consists of various objectives and policies which aim to support sustainable development within the marine environment while upholding the integrity of the ecosystem through the adoption of an ‘ecosystem approach to planning’. While this approach is not new, momentum has been gaining in research for accounting for the relationships between physical, chemical, and biological elements, functions, and processes of an ecosystem in marine spatial planning. Given that the NMP is under statutory review in 2017–2018 following three years since its publication, the outputs of this paper aim to inform the review by exploring how national and sectoral objectives and policies address ecosystem service sections and phases by using the UK National Ecosystem Assessment classification system as a reference. The analysis demonstrates that cultural benefits are the most accounted for, while the cultural final services which underpin such benefits are the least accounted for. Furthermore, there are no national objectives or policies which account for provisioning final services. The paper provides 12 distinct policy recommendations to enhance the uniformity of ecosystem services in the NMP.

Scenario analysis of emissions structure under climate change in China

This study calculated the CO2 emissions due to fossil fuel consumption in China during 2000–2015 with consideration of the regional coal-, oil-, and gas-related variations. We used logarithmic mean Divisia index methods to establish the primary influencing factors of CO2 emissions, and we extended the UK National Ecosystem Assessment Scenarios to forecast future CO2 emissions related to fossil fuel use during 2020–2030. It was determined economic development is the main reason for increased CO2 emissions, and that energy intensity and energy structure decreased CO2 emissions. Finally, we considered six scenarios to predict the future development of coal, oil, and gas consumption in China. Six scenarios including Go with the Flow, Nature@work, Green and Pleasant Land, World Market, National Security and Local Stewardship, results show Green and Pleasant Land will induced coal and oil emission decrease and gas emission slightly increase. The results obtained based on analysis of CO2 emissions and identification of regional influencing factors could provide useful information for decision makers regarding the allocation of fossil fuel use.

National scale mapping of ecosystem services in Israel – genetic resources, pollination and cultural services

The Israel - National Ecosystem Assessment (I-NEA) project aims to present a comprehensive picture of the state and trends of Israel's ecosystem services across all ecosystems, by integrating existing data and information collected from a wide range of sources. Although there is a lack of information about the spatial distribution of ecosystem services’ provisioning in Israel, their mapping constitutes an important part of the assessment.In this paper, we present a national-scale mapping of three ecosystem services, each of them implemented using different methods: 1) Genetic resources service, mapped using spatial observations of the Crop Wild Relatives species; 2) potential of pollination service, which is provided by wild bees, mapped using an expert-based habitat model related to land use and land cover; and 3) cultural service of recreation, mapped by analysing the distribution of geotagged digital photographs uploaded to social media resources. The derived maps visualise, for the first time in Israel, the spatially distributed values of the three ecosystem services. Supply hotspots with high values for all three services were identified, as well as spatial differences amongst the ecosystem services. These national-scale maps provide overlooked insights and can be very useful for strategic discussions of stakeholders and decision-makers but should be regarded with caution given existing knowledge gaps and possible inaccuracies due to data scarcity and low resolution.

Mainstreaming ecosystem science in spatial planning practice: Exploiting a hybrid opportunity space

This paper develops a framework for improved mainstreaming of ecosystem science in policy and decision-making within a spatial planning context. Ecosystem science is advanced as a collective umbrella to capture a body of work and approaches rooted in social-ecological systems thinking, spawning a distinctive ecosystem terminology: ecosystem approach, ecosystem services, ecosystem services framework and natural capital. The interface between spatial planning and ecosystem science is explored as a theoretical opportunity space to improve mainstreaming processes adapting Rogers’ (2003) diffusion model. We introduce the twin concepts of hooks (linking ecosystem science to a key policy or legislative term, duty or priority that relate to a particular user group) and ‘bridges’ (linking ecosystem science to a term, concept or policy priority that is used and readily understood across multiple groups and publics) as translational mechanisms in transdisciplinary mainstreaming settings. We argue that ecosystem science can be embedded into the existing work priorities and vocabularies of spatial planning practice using these hooks and bridges. The resultant framework for mainstreaming is then tested, drawing on research funded as part of the UK National Ecosystem Assessment Follow-On programme (2012–2014), within 4 case studies; each reflecting different capacities, capabilities, opportunities and barriers. The results reveal the importance of leadership, political buy in, willingness to experiment outside established comfort zones and social learning as core drivers supporting mainstreaming processes. Whilst there are still significant challenges in mainstreaming in spatial planning settings, the identification and use of hooks and bridges collectively, enables traction to be gained for further advances; moving beyond the status quo to generate additionality and potential behaviour change within different modes of mainstreaming practice. This pragmatic approach has global application to help improve the way nature is respected and taken account of in planning systems nationally and globally.

Integrated Approaches for National Ecosystem Assessment in South Korea

Ecosystem services are the benefits people obtain from ecosystem functions. Ecosystem services can be quantified through an ecosystem assessment. Its goal is to assess the effects of changes in the ecosystem to support human welfare. Ecosystem services assessment approaches support policy, decision-making, and implementation to protect biodiversity and ecosystem at national, regional and global levels. For natural resources management National Ecosystem Assessment (NEA) was recently undertaken in Belgium, Spain, France and the UK, along with other ecosystem assessments at the national level. In South Korea, sustainable use of ecosystem services has attracted the interest of a range of policy makers. Although there is a greater concern for biodiversity and ecosystem services, linking ecosystems with conservation planning in South Korea remains a challenge. There is no implementation, framework or manual for NEA at the national level. Thus, this study proposes integrated assessment approaches that could be applied for decision-making at the national level in South Korea. This study demonstrated conceptual approaches step by step description for supporting natural resources management at national level. The proposed approaches can provide useful information for ecosystem services assessment, habitat conservation, conservation planning, and decision-making at the national level.

Creating ‘new’ commons for the twenty-first century: innovative legal models for ‘green space’

We all need space; unless we have it, we cannot reach that sense of quiet in which whispers of better things come to us gently. (Hill 1883)This article considers legal models for creating new commons as a community resource (‘green space’) in English law. It presents a strategy for creating ‘new’ commons to ‘re-purpose’ land for public recreation and to (re)-connect people and nature. This will require the creation of common rights – a species of private property right – over private land, to facilitate its registration as common land with open public recreational access. The article considers the types of private property right appropriate and necessary to achieve this overriding purpose, and considers the narratives of locality and identity which this model for ‘new commons’ could engender. Victorian philanthropists such as Sir Robert Hunter and Octavia Hill led a defensive response to the ‘old’ enclosure movement. Establishing ‘new commons’ would, by contrast, start to address some of the concerns raised by the ‘new’ enclosure movement, by offering a vision for a model of urban common that can provide spaces for human interaction, interdependence and cooperation from which no one is excluded. This would also contribute to addressing key modern public policy objectives for reconnecting people and nature, and contribute to the development of cultural ecosystem services of the kind envisaged by the UK National Ecosystem Assessment and the Biodiversity 2020 strategy for England.

Ecosystem services in global sustainability policies

Global sustainability policies, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or the Aichi Targets, aim to ensure sustainable development, including improved human well-being and the conservation of nature. Although not yet explicitly used to evaluate the progress towards sustainable development, the ecosystem service concept implies a direct link between biodiversity and human well-being. This study explores how and which ecosystem services are currently considered in the SDGs and the Aichi Targets. We also identify which information might be already available for monitoring the progress towards their goals by reviewing national ecosystem assessments. This allows the identification of the main knowledge gaps for monitoring progress towards these global sustainability targets.There is a wealth of information on all major ecosystem services categories which is directly relevant for the Aichi Targets and the SDGs. The top 25% most cited ecosystem services across both policy documents are: Natural heritage and diversity, Capture fisheries, Aquaculture, Water purification, Crops, Cultural heritage & diversity and Livestock. Most monitoring information recommended for the global sustainability goals, as well as in the information available from national assessments, is biased towards supply related aspects of ecosystem services flows. In contrast, there is much less information on social behaviour, use, demand and governance measures. Indicators are rarely available for all aspects of a specific ecosystem service.The national statistical bureaus currently in charge of providing observations for reporting on SDGs, could be well placed to address this bias, by integrating ecological observations with socio-economic statistics into socio-ecological indicators for ecosystem services flows. IPBES can potentially address the gaps identified in this paper by improving coverage of the different dimensions of ecosystem services flows.

Supplied, demanded and consumed ecosystem services: Prospects for national assessment in Russia

The National assessment of ecosystem services of Russia is an urgent task taking into account their key importance for maintaining the quality of life of the population and the regulation of biosphere processes. The purpose of the present paper is to propose a natural science methodology for evaluation supplied, demanded and consumed ecosystem services for national ecosystem assessment of Russia.Supplied ecosystem services were considered as services produced by ecosystems regardless of presence or absence of people, demanded – as the volume of services that is necessary for people and economy, consumed – as services actually used by people. Ratios between these three volumes of ecosystem services reveal the degree of service use and degree of meeting the demand for service that are analogous to indices of ecosystem service budget.The proposed methodology was tested in the preparation of the Prototype of the National Report on Ecosystem Services of Russia. Ecosystem services of air and water purification are considered as examples in the present paper.These examples demonstrate that proposed methodology is useful for estimation of surplus or deficit in ecosystem services across regions and identification of ecological risk areas. It also allows regional comparison at national level.

Towards a National Ecosystem Assessment in Germany: A Plea for a Comprehensive Approach

We present options for a National Ecosystem Assessment in Germany (NEA-DE) that could inform decision-makers on the state and trends of ecosystems and ecosystem services. Characterizing a NEA-DE, we argue that its cross-sectoral, integrative approach would have the advantages of increased scientific understanding, addressing specific policy questions and creating science-policy dialogues. Challenges include objections against a utilitarian perspective, reservations concerning power relations, and responsibilities concerning the funding.

Ecosystem services and the idea of shared values

Ecosystem services conceptualise the diverse values that ecosystems provide to humanity. This was recognised in the United Kingdom's National Ecosystem Assessment, which noted that appreciation of the full value of ecosystem services requires recognition of values that are shared. By operationalising the shared values concept, it is argued that the contribution of ecosystem services to human well-being can be represented more holistically. This paper considers current understanding of shared values and develops a new metanarrative of shared values beyond the aggregated utilities of individuals. This metanarrative seeks to conceptualise how values can be held both individually and communally, and what this means for identifying their scale and means of enumeration. The paper poses a new reading of the idea of shared values that reconciles the elicitation of pre-formed individual values with the formation and expression of shared social values. The implication is that shared values need to be conceived as normative constructs that are derived through social processes of value formation and expression. Shared values thus do not necessarily exist a priori; they can be deliberated through formal and informal processes through which individuals can separate their own preferences from a broader metanarrative about what values ought to be shared.

Subjective well-being indicators for large-scale assessment of cultural ecosystem services

The substantial importance of cultural benefits as a source of human well-being is increasingly recognised in society-environment interactions. The integration of cultural ecosystem services (CES) into the ecosystem services framework remains a challenge due to the difficulties associated with defining, articulating and measuring CES. We operationalise a novel framework developed by the UK National Ecosystem Assessment that identifies CES as the interactions between environmental spaces (i.e. physical localities or landscapes), and the activities that occur there. We evaluate the benefits of the CES provided by 151 UK marine sites to recreational sea anglers and divers, using subjective well-being indicators. Factor analysis of an online questionnaire with 1220 participants revealed multiple CES benefits that contribute to human wellbeing e.g. including ‘engagement with nature’, ‘place identity’ and ‘therapeutic value’. In addition to regional differences, we also found that biophysical attributes of sites, such as the presence of charismatic species and species diversity, were positively associated with provision of CES benefits. The study provides evidence that could be used to inform designation of protected areas. The indicators used in the study may also be adapted for use across a range of marine and terrestrial spaces for improved integration of CES in environmental decision-making.

Aesthetic and spiritual values of ecosystems: Recognising the ontological and axiological plurality of cultural ecosystem ‘services’

This paper explores spiritual and aesthetic cultural values associated with ecosystems. We argue that these values are not best captured by instrumental or consequentialist thinking, and they are grounded in conceptions of nature that differ from the ecosystem services conceptual framework. To support our case, we engage with theories of the aesthetic and the spiritual, sample the discourse of ‘wilderness’, and provide empirical evidence from the recent UK National Ecosystem Assessment Follow-on Phase. We observe that accounts of spiritual and aesthetic value in Western culture are diverse and expressed through different media. We recognise that humans do benefit from their aesthetic and spiritual experiences of nature. However, aesthetic and spiritual understandings of the value of nature lead people to develop moral responsibilities towards nature and these are more significant than aesthetic and spiritual benefits from nature. We conclude that aesthetic and spiritual values challenge economic conceptions of ecosystems and of value (including existence value), and that an analysis of cultural productions and a plural-values approach are needed to evidence them appropriately for decision-making.

National Ecosystem Assessments in Europe: A Review.

National ecosystem assessments form an essential knowledge base for safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystem services. We analyze eight European (sub-)national ecosystem assessments (Portugal, United Kingdom, Spain, Norway, Flanders, Netherlands, Finland, and Germany) and compare their objectives, political context, methods, and operationalization. We observed remarkable differences in breadth of the assessment, methods employed, variety of services considered, policy mandates, and funding mechanisms. Biodiversity and ecosystem services are mainly assessed independently, with biodiversity conceptualized as underpinning services, as a source of conflict with services, or as a service in itself. Recommendations derived from our analysis for future ecosystem assessments include the needs to improve the common evidence base, to advance the mapping of services, to consider international flows of services, and to connect more strongly to policy questions. Although the context specificity of national ecosystem assessments is acknowledged as important, a greater harmonization across assessments could help to better inform common European policies and future pan-regional assessments.

China's national ecosystem assessment

Ecosystem Services China recently completed its first National Ecosystem Assessment covering the period 2000–2010. Ouyang et al. present the main findings of the assessment. Investment in the restoration and preservation of natural capital has resulted in improvements at the national level in most of the major ecosystem services measured. In particular, food production, carbon sequestration, and soil retention showed strong gains; on the other hand, habitat provision for biodiversity showed a gradual decline. Regional differences remain nonetheless, and there are serious environmental challenges still to be met in areas such as air quality and the wider global footprint of raw material imports. Science , this issue p. [1455][1] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aaf2295