Ecosystem Services Perspective Research Articles

Does higher access ensure greater wellbeing? ‒ In the perspective of forest ecosystem services of the Sundarbans mangrove forest, Bangladesh

This study presents the effects of access to Ecosystem Services (ESS) on human wellbeing. In order to fulfil the research objective, we interviewed villagers from 104 households who were exclusively engaged in collecting ESS. Data were also collected from key informants, local leaders, and official records. Higher access (HA) to ESS significantly increased the availability of cleaner water for domestic non-drinking purposes. Access to sufficient food, however, was significantly lower across the HA households because of greater involvement in ESS collection. Overall, in this society, HA families enjoyed significantly greater freedom than Lower access (LA) families. Increased competition for ESS extraction resulting from higher access significantly reduced a collector's physical strength and had larger negative impacts on their mental health (self-esteem decreased and anger level increased) compared to LA collector. There were also significantly stronger financial conditions in the HA families than LA families. Greater access encouraged frequent collaboration and cooperation between HA collectors for collecting more ESS leading to a significant enhancement in social cohesion in compare to LA families. Composite wellbeing scores of the respective wellbeing criteria show that only physical health and economic security would significantly improve with greater access to ESS collection. Thus, ESS can have significant impacts on human wellbeing. However, without integration of other wellbeing improvement programs, sole dependency on the ecosystems would cause resource degradation. These results would greatly assist to improve the current framework of ESS and human wellbeing.

Country-scale mapping of ecosystem services provided by semi-natural grasslands

Semi-natural grasslands harbour high biodiversity and play a key role in the supply of ecosystem services (ES). However, abandonment, changes in traditional management practices and agricultural intensification constitute a major threat to these grasslands worldwide and these practices have led to declines in species diversity. In this paper the multi-functionality of semi natural-grasslands is assessed from the ES perspective, within a range of common semi-natural grassland types throughout Estonia. The analysis follows a stepwise approach based on the ES cascade model. Firstly, analyses of the relationships between plant species distribution patterns and environmental factors are described. Secondly, the effect of grassland abandonment on plant species diversity, as well as on the presence of rare and protected plant species is tested. In order to overcome the lack of data on ES at the national scale, plant species diversity and soil organic carbon are tested as surrogate indicators for five ESS: pollination, herbs for traditional medicinal use, nutrient cycling, nutrient retention and biomass production. In the final step, the spatial distribution of ES is assessed, based on an ES hotspots map obtained by detecting areas where high levels of plant species diversity and soil organic carbon overlap. The results show that the majority of ES hotspots are present in wooded meadows and pastures. However, there is an important threat to these hotspots because 45% are not eligible for agri-environmental support.

A unified approach for protecting listed species and ecosystem services in isolated wetlands using community-level protection goals

The protection of listed species through the Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) process is encumbered by the number and diversity of species that need protection and the limited data available to inform assessments. Ecological communities within isolated ecosystems often contain a number of biologically diverse endemic, endangered, and threatened species, as well as providing numerous ecosystem services (ES). We propose an approach that develops community-level protection goals using isolated wetlands that includes both listed species and Service Providing Units (SPUs) that drive ES for ecological risk assessments (ERAs). Community-level protection goals are achieved by developing a protection community and weighing lines of evidence to determine a set of focal species within that community upon which to base the assessment. Lines of evidence include chemical mechanism of action, likely routes of exposure, and taxa susceptibility, as well as relationships among species, and other ecological factors. We demonstrate the process using case studies of chlorpyrifos in California vernal pools and coal ash effluent in Carolina bays. In the California vernal pool case study, listed species were the primary SPUs for the ES provided by the critical habitat. The weight of evidence demonstrated the honey bee as the focal species for the terrestrial environment and the vernal pool fairy shrimp as the focal species for the aquatic environment. The protection community within the Carolina bay case study was more taxonomically diverse than vernal pools for both listed species and SPUs, with amphibians identified as the focal species for which to target mitigation goals and hazard levels. The approach presented here will reduce the time and resource investment required for assessment of risk to listed species and adds an ES perspective to demonstrate value of assessments beyond listed species concerns.

基于生态系统服务视角的山水林田湖草生态保护与修复——以洞庭湖流域为例

基于生态系统服务视角的山水林田湖草生态保护与修复——以洞庭湖流域为例

Tackling challenges for Mediterranean sustainable coastal tourism: An ecosystem service perspective

Coastal tourism is a growing industry sector in the Mediterranean Basin. This and the other human activities occurring along the coastline share space and resources, leading to conflicts for divergent uses. Moreover, the overexploitation of natural resources degrades and depletes coastal habitats, with negative feedback effects for all human activities. Hence, both tourism and the other human activities have to consider their dependence on coastal ecosystem services, and act at technical and policy level to reach a compromise that preserves natural resources in the long term. Here we provide a conceptual framework illustrating the complex relationships and trade-offs among threats from coastal tourism and from other human activities and coastal ecosystem services, with a focus on cultural ones. We discuss the negative feedbacks on tourism development and provide examples of geospatial analysis on cumulative threats generated by other human activities and affecting tourism itself. The proposed conceptual framework and the threat analysis aim at highlighting the negative feedback effects of human driven threats on the development of Mediterranean coastal tourism, through an ecosystem service perspective. Both tools provide valuable insight for supporting decision makers and planners in achieving integrated coastal management, with a focus on sustainable tourism.

The Inclusion of Ecosystem Service Valuations in Bioenergy Cost Analysis: A Case Study of Constructed Wetlands in the Neotropics

From an ecosystem services perspective, wetlands are among the most valuable ecosystems per unit area on earth. Here, we investigate the ability of a constructed wetland to provide two ecosystem services – biomass for bioenergy and wastewater treatment – using Costa Rica as a case study for a Neotropical developing world context. In the absence of wastewater treatment ecosystem services, biomass production costs are expected to range from 243 to 1287 $ dry Mg−1 depending on model assumptions. When ecosystem services are valued based on a contingent valuation method and given optimistic capital cost assumptions, the costs of biomass production range from 38 to −290 $ dry Mg−1. Negative costs indicate income and suggest that under certain assumptions, the value of water treatment services is large enough to pay for wetland operations, and that biomass can be provisioned for free while still maintaining system profitability. The analysis suggests that the valuation of multiple ecosystem services may alter the economic sustainability of some biomass for bioenergy production systems.

Evaluating the use of fire to control shrub encroachment in global drylands: A synthesis based on ecosystem service perspective

With the proliferation of woody plant species in much of the world's grasslands, human has manipulated landscape fire to return their forage provisioning service. Yet other ecosystem services (e.g., carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, erosion control) in the post-managed areas compared to those previously available in the shrub-encroached area are largely unknown, including trade-offs between ecosystem services. Using data from previous publications, we quantitatively synthesized the sustainability of fire as shrub management practice, expressed as its efficacy to control shrubs and its capacity to maintain different ecosystem services. A simple indicator (δ), defined as the ratio of an observed ecological attribute between area experiencing shrub management and untreated control, was used to quantify the changes. Our results showed that fire could be an effective strategy to control shrubs and to increase forage provisioning service (δherbaceous biomass = 1.39). However, there are possible trade-offs with other ecosystem services (e.g., erosion control, nutrient cycling) when a 54% increase in bare soil cover (δbare soil = 1.54) and ~74% loss of biological soil crusts cover (δbiological crust = 0.26) were found. Because increasing forage provisioning at the cost of other ecosystem services might not be sustainable, management should focus on strategies to minimize such trade-offs, which may include but not limited to rotational grazing, adjustment in stocking rate, or supplementary external inputs (e.g., fertilizer). Unless those measures are employed, there is possible emergence of a novel crash (i.e., vegetation- and resource-poor scabland) resulting from a combination of soil erosion and high vulnerability of burnt landscape to exotic species invasion.

Being efficient and green by rethinking the urban-rural divide—Combining urban expansion and food production by integrating an ecosystem service perspective into urban planning

A pressing issue for mankind is how to combine urban expansion and food production for present and future generations. Using a case study example –the Stockholm County in Sweden- we illustrate how incorporating an ecosystem service perspective into urban planning may help us rethink the urban-rural divide in order to facilitate a sustainable development of the urban agricultural landscape of Stockholm. In our case study we show that semi-natural pollinator habitats will be 12 times as affected by the planned urban expansion than farmland. Hence, the fate and management of semi-natural pollinator habitats need to be prioritized at least as much as saving productive areas for farming in the urban expansion process. We also show that urban green areas, through their potential to act as semi-natural habitats, provide a tangible link between the pollination service and the urban planning process, contributing to a better grounding of the urban expansion in an ecosystem service reality. Also, acknowledging that land use types typically classified as “urban”, such as urban green areas, can ecologically support many “rural” ecosystem services, like pollination and food production, contributes to overcoming the, often unconstructive, urban-rural divide.We conclude that beneath the apparent direct trade-offs between finding suitable land for urban expansion and preserving land for food production, there is potential for compromises, opportunities and synergies.

Spatial alternatives for Green Infrastructure planning across the EU: An ecosystem service perspective

Target 2 of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 aims at the deployment of Green Infrastructure (GI) and the restoration of at least 15% of degraded ecosystems. We assess different alternatives for the spatial planning of GI and ecosystem restoration across the European Union by using spatial conservation prioritization tools. We compared three different scenarios for the identification of priority areas in which the ecosystem service potential, beneficiaries (i.e. people) and ecosystem condition play different roles. As an example of GI restoration, we also assessed the cost-effectiveness of removal of invasive alien species in the areas prioritized under each scenario.The comparative assessment of the spatial alternatives for GI shows synergies and conflicts. We found that GI could be efficiently established close to densely populated areas, since high multi-functionality is delivered in these locations (close to human settlements). However, restoration costs, such as the removal of invasive alien species, were higher in such areas given the influence of urban pressures. We also found that GI prioritized in areas under poor ecosystem condition would require a larger spatial extent of implementation, due to a lower ecosystem service potential per unit area.Given the scarcity of resources for investment in GI and ecosystem restoration, win-win situations should be identified where GI designation can deliver several policy objectives simultaneously. The prioritization framework we have presented here could also be applied at the country or regional level to support local planning.

Agronomic and economic evaluation of Vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides L.) as means for phytoremediation of diesel polluted soils in Israel

Soil pollution in Israel, due to diesel contamination, is a major concern, with gas stations, factories and refineries being the main polluters (>60%). Vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides L.) is a perennial grass belonging to the Poaceae family, and is recognized world-wide for its potential as a plant with phytoremediation traits to contaminated soils. It is demonstrated here to decrease diesel contamination in field and court-yard trials. Chemical soil analysis indicated up to a 79% decrease (P < .05) in diesel pollution of contaminated soil planted with Vetiver; and at high soil contamination levels of 10 L/m2, a significant (P < .05) reduction of 96, 96 and 87% was recorded at soil depths of 0–20, 20–40 and 40–60 cm, respectively. Furthermore, in field plots contaminated with diesel and planted with Vetiver, weeds' biomass recovered to non-polluted levels following 8 to 9 months of Vetiver treatment. An economic evaluation conducted based on the cost-benefit analysis (CBA) principles, utilizing the Net Present Value (NPV) compared phytoremediation to other currently used decontamination procedures. The economic comparison showed that phytoremediation cleanup costs are lower and more beneficial to society at large, primarily from an ecosystem services perspective. Combining the results of the agronomic examination with the economic valuation, this research pointed out that phytoremediation with Vetiver has a non-negligible potential, making it a good solution for cleansing diesel from soils on a state-wide scale in Israel and worthy of further research and development.

Green open spaces in the perspective of ecosystem services (a case study of green open spaces in the urban area of Yogyakarta)

&lt;p&gt;Green&#x0D; Open Spaces (GOS) have a variety of ecosystem services which can be utilized by&#x0D; society. This study aims to identify criteria for determining ecosystem&#x0D; services in GOS, to study the conditions and distributions of potential&#x0D; ecosystem services in the Urban Area of Yogyakarta (UAY)’s GOS, and optimize&#x0D; the existing ecosystem services in GOS. The research’s locations include GOS in&#x0D; UAY consisting of urban forests, city parks, riverbanks, and greenbelts, for a&#x0D; total of twelve research locations. The identification of the criteria for GOS&#x0D; was accomplished with the expert opinion and comparative methods resulting in&#x0D; weight values. The field data and expert assessments were analyzed through a&#x0D; scoring analysis to quantify the level of ecosystem services in each research&#x0D; location. This data was further analyzed by examining the area allotments&#x0D; within the existing regulatory framework to the determine the conditions of GOS&#x0D; with optimal ecosystem services. The&#x0D; results of the study show that each of the sixteen examined criteria plays a role in ecosystem services. The values&#x0D; of ecosystem services of GOS in UAY show different values for each type of GOS.&#x0D; In general, the ecosystem services in urban forests are rated favourably in each category, while city parks&#x0D; and riverbanks moderate ratings, and greenbelts have the lowest average&#x0D; performance of any GOS. Based on the results, optimizing ecosystem services in&#x0D; UAY’s GOS can be accomplished by strengthening their performance in each criteri&lt;span lang="IN" style=""&gt;on&lt;/span&gt; with the most attention paid to each GOS’s&#x0D; allotment type.&lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;&#x0D; &lt;!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--&gt;&lt;br&gt;&#x0D; &lt;!--[endif]--&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Governance of the water-energy-food security nexus: A multi-level coordination challenge

The Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus is increasingly perceived as promising approach to overcome governance failures in dealing with complex and interconnected resource management challenges. Are such expectations warranted and what is required to mobilize the transformative potential inherent in this approach? The paper addresses these questions and argues in favour of developing a nexus paradigm which guides processes of purposeful design and of self-organization of nexus governance systems. Such a paradigm could be anchored in addressing water, energy and food security from a nexus perspective if such a security concept is appropriately defined and operationalized. To develop the argument, governance challenges arising from the different logics of the concepts of water, energy and food security are addressed with a definition for WEF security from a nexus perspective. An analytical framework using a network and ecosystem services perspective is introduced. The power of the approach introduced is illustrated for a typical case to identify coordination failures and persistent sustainability problems but as well leverage points for transformative change. The paper concludes by elaborating on the transformative potential of the SDGs and on the role of a WEF nexus approach in realizing such a potential.

An ecosystem services perspective for classifying and valuing the environmental impacts of geothermal power projects

An ecosystem services perspective can provide a useful means of understanding, in human well-being terms, the type, scale and value of environmental impacts deriving from the deployment of renewable energy technologies. This paper provides the first thematic review of the ecosystem service impacts commonly associated with developing geothermal areas for power projects. In this study, the typical ecosystem service impacts of geothermal power projects are classified using the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES) typology. Next, in order to develop a guide for future practitioners, an analysis is conducted of the most suitable valuation methods for the respective ecosystem service impacts. A pluralist approach is advised to aide decision-making, involving the use of monetary and non-monetary information. A number of non-market valuation studies may be required to estimate the total economic value of affected geothermal ecosystems, likely including the contingent valuation and travel cost methods. The more intangible ecosystem services associated with geothermal areas, such as artistic inspiration and landscape aesthetics, are best valued using non-monetary approaches, including deliberative methods. Finally, in recognition of the importance of having a strong physical basis underpinning non-market valuation techniques, this paper critically assesses the merits of the most appropriate data sources for future environmental economists working in a geothermal context. A literature review reveals that neither Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) nor Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) studies in a geothermal context have embedded an ecosystem service perspective into their processes. EIA are closest to fulfilling the needs of environmental economists, encompassing the majority of ecosystem service impacts, yet further methodological progress is recommended to ensure that all project stakeholders are given voice and arbitrage in the data-gathering process.

Impacts of forestry on boreal forests: An ecosystem services perspective.

Forests are widely recognized as major providers of ecosystem services, including timber, other forest products, recreation, regulation of water, soil and air quality, and climate change mitigation. Extensive tracts of boreal forests are actively managed for timber production, but actions aimed at increasing timber yields also affect other forest functions and services. Here, we present an overview of the environmental impacts of forest management from the perspective of ecosystem services. We show how prevailing forestry practices may have substantial but diverse effects on the various ecosystem services provided by boreal forests. Several aspects of these processes remain poorly known and warrant a greater role in future studies, including the role of community structure. Conflicts among different interests related to boreal forests are most likely to occur, but the concept of ecosystem services may provide a useful framework for identifying and resolving these conflicts.

An approach to ecosystem-based management in maritime spatial planning process

Sustainable development is the framing concept assuring that resources are exploited while maintaining the ability of these natural resources to provide for future generations. With human dependence on marine resources increasing, Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) has been identified as a suitable approach to ensure sustainable development. In order to achieve this, the core principles and elements of EBM should be operational in the maritime/marine spatial planning (MSP) process to ensure that human activities in marine space are ordered to attain ecological, economic and social objectives. However, policies from various states and organizations sometimes do not set a clear precedence for translating principles of EBM and present different and complex approaches to an ecosystem-based marine spatial planning (EB-MSP). Again, a feasible methodology for EBM to be operational in MSP is still vague. This paper therefore presents results from a survey and review of MSP initiatives in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Results showed that essential MSP steps and elements such as adaptive management, setting of planning boundaries, understanding and analysing the ecosystem and future conditions are not fully operational. This paper focuses on a methodology for EB-MSP and gives recommendations on how to ensure that EBM is operational at each stage of an MSP process. It stresses the importance of setting planning boundaries beyond jurisdictional borders to consider bio/eco-regions and cover near-shore waters, the need to have a cross-sector integration, understanding the ecosystem through having an ecosystem service perspective and having a legal framework to ensure that results from monitoring and evaluating of plans are adapted through review and revision.

Tourism in sub-global assessments of ecosystem services

ABSTRACTPublished in 2005, the United Nations Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) stressed that influencing governments, businesses and communities to address the supra-national challenge of limiting biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation requires a fuller understanding of the range of values and benefits people derive from ecosystems, including tourism. The MA was informed by, and has shaped, several conceptually and methodologically distinctive sub-global assessments (SGAs) of ecosystem services. Through content analysis, this paper is the first detailed examination of how tourism features in 14 extant SGAs identified in a database held by a major supra-national environmental organization. Although the SGAs should have incorporated the widest range of specialist subject expertise, tourism scholars played only peripheral roles in producing them even for territories where tourism is a significant land use. The SGAs examined did not benefit from the extensive body of knowledge relating to sustainable tourism. Limited portrayals of tourism restrict the capacity of SGAs in their current format as management solutions. It is also contradictory to the ethos, principles and purpose of ecosystem assessments. With the ecosystem services perspective set to become more important to policy and decision making, the paper argues for greater incorporation of recent progress in sustainable tourism in ecosystem assessment.

Developed-developing world partnerships for sustainable development (1): An ecosystem services perspective

Developing-developed world partnerships potentially present win-win opportunities for addressing climate-active gas emissions at lower cost whilst propelling developing nations on a lower-carbon trajectory, as carbon emissions, capture and storage are geographically independent. Expanded PES (payment for ecosystem service) principles provides a framework for assessing the transparency and efficacy of partnerships, tested on the model developed by The Converging World (TCW). The TCW partnership model currently links south-west England and Tamil Nadu, raising funds for wind turbines in India to avert emissions from conventional sources and reinvesting operating surpluses into restoration of tropical dry evergreen forest (TDEF). Over assumed 100-year progression to climax community, 123ha of restored TDEF sequesters a conservatively calculated 270,545,880 tCO2. This forest area is restored using operating surpluses from a 2.1MW turbine, which generates renewable energy over 20-year operating life conservatively calculated as averting 80,000 tCO2e compared to a conventional energy mix. Forest restoration funded from turbine generation surpluses represents a substantial ‘multiplier effect’, providing around 3000 times greater overall carbon reductions. Climate regulation is one of a linked set of ecosystem services, albeit a driving ‘anchor service’, that may be optimised to increase overall benefits to stakeholders and contribute to UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Combining Ecosystem Services with Cost-Benefit Analysis for Selection of Green and Grey Infrastructure for Flood Protection in a Cultural Setting

The present paper describes a methodological framework that combines ecosystem services (flood protection, education, art/culture, recreation and tourism) with economic analysis for selection of multifunctional measures for flood resilience. The framework includes active stakeholder participation and it consists of the four main components: (1) identification and valuation of ecosystem services pertinent to the project site under various mitigation scenarios, including baseline (pre-mitigation conditions); (2) evaluation of most effective flood mitigation measures through hydrodynamic simulations, and evaluation of economic viability using cost-benefit analysis; (3) selection of measures through consideration of ecosystem services, and solicitation of stakeholders’ inputs; (4) development of the conceptual landscape design. Application of the framework was demonstrated in a case study of Ayutthaya Island, Thailand. Results of our research suggest that taking a holistic perspective of ecosystem services and economic assessments, marshalled through active stakeholder participation, has the potential to achieve more ecologically sustainable and socially acceptable solutions for flood protection in areas with cultural heritage. However, there is still a considerable challenge in taking this framework to a full-scale practical implementation, and this mainly relates to the selection of indicators that can enable proper application of ecosystem services.

Ecological landscape regulation approaches in Xilingol, Inner Mongolia: an urban ecosystem services perspective

ABSTRACTMost cities or leagues in Inner Mongolia are the result of resource-based industrialization processes and animal husbandry development, leading to a heterogeneous composition and configuration of urban areas seldom guided by proper urban ecological landscape regulation policies. In this paper, we chose Xilingol as a case study, and put forward novel ecological landscape regulation approaches based on ecosystem services (ES) for achieving sustainable development in it. An urban ES simulation model and an urban classification model were used to assess the change of ES and to guide the future urban ecological landscape regulation. The results showed a rapid land use change in different subsystems of Xilingol from 2008 to 2013, providing relative values of each type of land per unit in three subsystems (core urban area, suburb and rural), and detected the change of ES in three subsystems and the change of ES per capita in the whole administrative urban area. We suggest that (a) long-term, stable, and ecosystem-services-based land use policies and urban ecological landscape regulation approaches are needed; and (b) highlight an urban ecological landscape regulation approach covering economic, social and natural dimensions for achieving sustainable development.

Sustainable Resource-based City Planning Using Urban Ecosystem Services

Most resource-based cities (RBC) are the result of resource-based industrialization processes, leading to a heterogeneous composition and configuration of urban areas seldom guided by proper urban planning policies. Furthermore, this urbanization has resulted in severe fragmentation of urban ecosystems and generated negative impacts to human well-being. In this paper, we put forward a novel urban planning approach using an ecosystem services perspective for achieving sustainable development in Chinese RBC. An urban ecosystem services simulation model, built using an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and expert opinion, and an urban classification model, built usingcommuting radius and geographic information system (GIS), were used to assess past urbanization and to guide the future urban planning. The results showed a rapid land use change in different sub-systems of Tangshan city from 1990 to 2010, providing relative values of each type of land per unit in three sub-systems, and detected the change of ecosystem services in three sub-systems and the change of ecosystem services per capita in the whole administrative urban area. We suggest that (a) long-term, stable, and ecosystem-services-based land use policies and urban planning approaches are needed; (b) the optimum adjustment of the human-natural relationship should be implemented into suburb for priority; and (c) highlight an urban planning approach covering economic, social, and natural dimensions for achieving sustainable development.