Environmental economics - Ecosystem services

Title

Rethinking ecosystem services to better address and navigate cultural values

Reference

Ecological Economics. Volume 74, February 2012, Pages 8–18

Author(s)

Kai M.A. Chan, Terre Satterfield, Joshua Goldstein

Study type

Peer Review Journal    

Abstract

Ecosystem service approaches have become a prominent basis for planning and management. Cultural services and non-use values are included in all major typologies and present some of the most compelling reasons for conserving ecosystems, though many barriers exist to their explicit characterization. The values that conform least well to economic assumptions—variously lumped together with/as cultural services—have proven elusive in part because valuation is complicated by the properties of intangibility and incommensurability, which has in turn led to their exclusion from economic valuation. We argue that the effectiveness of the ecosystem services framework in decision-making is thwarted by (i) conflation of services, values, and benefits, and (ii) failure to appropriately treat diverse kinds of values. We address this challenge by (1) distinguishing eight dimensions of values, which have implications for appropriate valuation and decision-making; (2) demonstrating the interconnected nature of benefits and services, and so the ubiquity of intangible values; (3) discussing the implications of these propositions for ecosystem-services research; and (4) outlining briefly a research agenda to enable decision-making that is ecologically appropriate and socially just. Because many ecosystem services (co-)produce ‘cultural’ benefits, full characterization of services must address non-material values through methods from diverse social sciences.

Policy theme(s)

Biodiversity >> Ecosystem services
Environmental economics >> Ecosystem services   

Keywords

Environmental policy; Environmental values and valuation; Ecosystem-based management; Incommensurability; Non-use values; Cultural ecosystem services

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Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

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kaichan@ires.ubc.ca

Title

Political affiliation and willingness to pay: An examination of the nature of benefits
and means of provision

Reference

Ecological Economics 75 (2012) 43–51

Author(s)

Diane P. Dupont and Ian J. Bateman

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

Non-market techniques are widely used for valuing environmental goods and services. Recent articles obtain results showing respondents to the right of the political spectrum are significantly less likely to vote in favour of environmental programs that provide public goods through public means. In consequence, their WTP is lower than that of individuals on the political left. We examine whether WTP differs systematically in accordance with political affiliation by using data from three stated preference surveys. We obtain results similar to the previous literature from only one survey. Our other two surveys employ different contexts that change the nature of the benefits from the good and/or its provision mechanism. The first of these finds no significant differences in WTP by respondent political affiliation and the second finds that respondents on the right of the political spectrum have statistically higher WTPs for a good when it is privately provided than under collective provision. Our results provide further support that context matters and that preferences elicited from surveys for environmental goods are not necessarily independent of the means by which the good is provided.

Policy theme(s)

Environmental economics >> Ecosystem services      
Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Stakeholder/public engagement

Keywords

Stated preference, Public provision, Private provision, Valuation, Political affiliation, Water

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Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800912000146

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diane.dupont@brocku.ca

Title

The challenge of monitoring biodiversity in payment for environmental service interventions

Reference

Biological Conservation
Volume 144, Issue 12, December 2011, Pages 2832–2841

Author(s)

Matt M. Sommerville, E.J. Milner-Gulland, Julia P.G. Jones

Study type

Peer Review Journal    

Abstract

Payments for environmental services (PES) aim to improve the supply of environmental services by making payments to service providers, which are conditional on the provision of those services. Payments cannot be conditional unless the service can be effectively monitored, making monitoring of service provision a central feature of PES. We introduce a framework for designing monitoring programmes in PES schemes for biodiversity conservation. We suggest that decisions must be made concerning the indicators to be used (e.g. species, threats or positive actions), how they will be monitored (e.g. using ground-based or remote-sensed data) and how the monitoring information will be used to differentiate payments (e.g. trends over time, performance relative to neighbouring sites, performance against a target). We then use this framework to examine the feasibility of monitoring species and threat indicators in a community-based biodiversity payment scheme in Menabe, Madagascar. We find that detecting population changes, differences between sites, or whether a target has been met is only feasible for the most common indicators, suggesting that it may not be possible to base payments on the species conservationists are most interested in. If payments need to be based on relatively common indicators, threat indicators may be more appropriate than common species indicators due to a stronger relationship to the service of interest (presence of a rare species). It is, however, possible to incorporate information from rare indicators using accumulation curves to compare between sites. This study highlights the impact of indicator choice on the monitoring effort required in a biodiversity PES. We urge caution in the design of payment schemes and suggest it can be detrimental to structure a scheme around an indicator that cannot be effectively monitored.

Policy theme(s)

Biodiversity >> Ecosystem services
Environmental economics >> Ecosystem services      

Keywords

Biodiversity conservation; Conditional; Ecosystem services; Lemur; Madagascar; Statistical power; PES

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Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320711002990
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matt@iisd.org

Title

What are the costs and benefits of biodiversity recovery in a highly polluted estuary?

Reference

Water Research
Volume 46, Issue 1, 1 January 2012, Pages 205-217

Author(s)

M. Pascual, A. Borja, J. Franco, D. Burdon, J.P. Atkins, M. Elliott

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

Biodiversity recovery measures have often been ignored when dealing with the restoration of degraded aquatic systems. Furthermore, biological valuation methods have been applied only spatially in previous studies, and not jointly on a temporal and spatial scale. The intense monitoring efforts carried out in a highly polluted estuary, in northern Spain (Nervión estuary), allowed for the economic valuation of the costs and the biological valuation of the benefits associated with a 21 years sewage scheme application. The analysis show that the total amount of money invested into the sewage scheme has contributed to the estuary's improvement of both environmental and biological features, as well as to an increase in the uses and services provided by the estuary. However, the inner and outer parts of the estuary showed different responses. An understanding of the costs and trajectories of the environmental recovery of degraded aquatic systems is increasingly necessary to allow policy makers and regulators to formulate robust, cost-efficient and feasible management decisions.

Policy theme(s)

Environmental economics >> Ecosystem services   
Marine ecosystems >> Marine pollution
Water >> Water quality >> Wastewater treatment

Keywords

Biodiversity valuation; Water treatment investment; Recovery of aquatic systems; Nervión estuary; Basque country

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043135411006518
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mpascual@azti.es

Title

Community conservation and a two-stage approach to payments for ecosystem services

Reference

Ecological Economics
Volume 71, 15 November 2011, Pages 89-98

Author(s)

Matthew Cranford, Susana Mourato

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

Recent revisions to the theory and definition of payments for ecosystem services (PES) challenge the generally accepted dominance of direct incentives provided in a buyer–seller relationship. The revisionist thinking insists indirect incentives and a cooperative, reciprocal relationship are often more appropriate. Those characteristics, however, hark back to the indirect, cooperative interventions that constitute “community conservation”, which PES was originally designed as an improvement over. In that context, this study revisits the criticisms and potential benefits of community conservation. We analyze a case study of community conservation in Peru and find that it supported an uptake of forest-friendly behaviors. We take up the suggestion of a two-stage approach to PES, but refine it based on our results that indicate an important role for cognitive (e.g. education) alongside structural interventions (e.g. provision of alternatives), and a strong role for social consensus to support conservationist behavior. Community conservation can provide these elements in a first-stage of PES to create a social context conducive to conservation. Without creating that context first, PES could destabilize local resource management norms rather than improve on them. With the social context established, however, a market mechanism can be implemented in the second stage to reinforce the new conservationist behavior.

Policy theme(s)

Biodiversity >> Ecosystem services
Environmental economics >> Ecosystem services   
Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Behavioural change

Keywords

Payments for ecosystem services; Community conservation; Incentives; Behavioral theory; Economic valuation; Polylepis

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Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800911003405
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m.c.cranford@lse.ac.uk

Title

Global mechanisms for sustaining and enhancing PES schemes

Reference

Ecological Economics
Volume 69, Issue 11, 15 September 2010, Pages 2075-2084
Special Section - Payments for Ecosystem Services: From Local to Global

Author(s)

Josh Farley , André Aquino, Amy Daniels, Azur Moulaert, Dan Lee and Abby Krause

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

An international payment for ecosystem service (IPES) schemes may be one of the only mechanisms available to stimulate the provision of vital non-marketed ecosystem services at the global level, as those nations that benefit from global ecosystem services (GES) cannot readily force other sovereign nations to provide them. Currently, international trade offers trillions of dollars in incentives for countries to convert natural capital into marketable goods and services, and few payments to entice countries to conserve natural capital in order to sustain critical non-marketed ecosystem services. We examine the biophysical characteristics of climate change and biodiversity to understand the obstacles to developing effective IPES schemes. We find that none of the existing schemes for providing GES are adequate, given the scale of the problem. A cap and auction scheme for CO² emissions among wealthy nations could fund IPES and simultaneously deter carbon emissions. To disburse funds, we should adapt Brazil's ICMS ecológico, and apportion available funds to targeted countries in proportion to how well they meet specific criteria designed to measure the provision of GES. Individual countries can then develop their own policies increasing provision of these services, ensured of compensation if they do so. Indirect IPES should include funding for freely available technologies that protect or provide GES, such as the low carbon energy alternatives that will be essential for curbing climate change. Markets rely on the price mechanism to generate profits, which rations technology to those who can afford it, reducing adoption rates, innovation and total value.

Policy theme(s)

Biodiversity >> Ecosystem services
Environmental economics >> Ecosystem services

Keywords

Payments for ecosystem services; Carbon sequestration; Biodiversity conservation; Incentive mechanisms

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy Thematic Issue

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N/A

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S092180091000073X  

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Joshua.farley@uvm.edu

Title

Common pool resource management and PES: Lessons and constraints for water PES in Tanzania

Reference

Ecological Economics
Volume 69, Issue 6, 1 April 2010, Pages 1253-1261
Special Section - Payments for Environmental Services: Reconciling Theory and Practice

Author(s)

Brendan Fisher , Kassim Kulindwa, Iddi Mwanyoka, R. Kerry Turner and Neil D. Burgess

Study type

Peer Review Journal 

Abstract

Research into common pool resources from the field and in the laboratory has provided a series of insights for the successful management of such resources. The consequences of action and inaction in managing common pool resources are often most strongly felt (gains or losses) by local people. Several ecosystem services can be considered CPRs but in some cases the benefits of (mis)management are enjoyed by one group while the costs are levied on another group. Here we discuss some of the key findings of the CPR literature and how these relate to key considerations for using PES as a management tool. We focus on the role that ecosystems play in regulating water flows in two basins in Tanzania where feasibility studies have been conducted for the potential implementation of PES for water. We find that the lessons from CPR research shed light on some of the key implementation problems for PES mechanisms, and provide a useful guide for highlighting important user-resource considerations especially in contexts similar to East Africa.

Policy theme(s)

Biodiversity >> Ecosystem services
Environmental economics >> Ecosystem services

Keywords

Ecosystem services; Common pool resources; Payments for ecosystem services; Water payments; Tanzania

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Selected for Science for Environment Policy Thematic Issue

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N/A

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bpfisher@princeton.edu

Title

Bridging the gap between forest conservation and poverty alleviation: the Ecuadorian Socio Bosque program

Reference

Environmental Science & Policy
Volume 14, Issue 5, August 2011, Pages 531-542

Author(s)

Free de Koning, Marcela Aguiñaga, Manuel Bravo, Marco Chiu, Max Lascano, Tannya Lozada and Luis Suarez

Study type

Peer Review Journal 

Abstract

The Socio Bosque program is a national conservation agreement scheme of the government of Ecuador. Socio Bosque consists of the transfer of a direct monetary incentive per hectare of native forest and other native ecosystems to individual landowners and local and indigenous communities who protect these ecosystems, through voluntary conservation agreements that are monitored on a regular basis for compliance. Two years after its creation, the program now includes more than half a million hectares of natural ecosystems and has over 60,000 beneficiaries. The characteristics of Socio Bosque make it a good example of a national conservation agreement scheme from which important lessons can be drawn: it is part of a clear government policy, combines ecosystem conservation with poverty alleviation, incentivizes and monitors local socio-economic investment, is transparent and straightforward, and has generated nation-wide participation of local and indigenous communities and farmer households. Socio Bosque furthermore sheds light on how benefit sharing mechanisms for national REDD+ strategies could work in practice.

Policy theme(s)

Biodiversity >> Ecosystem services
Environmental economics >> Ecosystem services
Forests >> Forest governance and management
Sustainable development and policy assessment >> Sustainable economic development >> Sustainable development in developing countries

Keywords

Forest conservation; Conservation agreements; REDD+; Poverty alleviation; Ecuador

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N/A

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1462901111000657

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f.dekoning@conservation.org

Title

Why and how much are firms willing to invest in ecosystem services from tropical forests? A comparison of international and Costa Rican firms

Reference

Ecological Economics
Volume 69, Issue 11, 15 September 2010, Pages 2127-2139
Special Section - Payments for Ecosystem Services: From Local to Global

Author(s)

Thomas Koellner, Joachim Sell and Guillermo Navarro

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

In recent years, schemes for payment for ecosystem services PES have emerged in tropical countries. Besides public demand, the private demand offers the opportunity to develop PES. The goal of this paper is to investigate the potential demand by firms for four ecosystem services from tropical forests: biodiversity conservation, carbon sequestration, scenic beauty, and watershed protection. Those are the four granted in the forest legislation and rewarded in the PES scheme in Costa Rica. To explain stated willingness to invest WTI, we assess influential factors: expectations with respect to financial and non-financial benefits of investing in ecosystem services; experience with forest ecosystem services; firm attributes, like origin, sector membership, and size; and finally, perceived behavioral control. We sent a questionnaire to over 900 international and Costa Rican firms from different sectors. The low response rate of the survey of overall 6% can be explained by – in a business context – rather new topic of ecosystem services from tropical forests. The analysis showed that a firm's willingness to invest (WTI) depends on the origin of the firm. International firms are interested in buying certificates mainly for carbon sequestration; Costa Rican firms, for all four ecosystem services in the following order: watershed protection, biodiversity conservation, carbon sequestration, and scenic beauty. Indirect and non-financial benefits are surprisingly important and can impede the development of ecosystem service markets. At the same time, the activities of intrinsically motivated green entrepreneurs in a financially oriented firm setting might be a prerequisite within a firm context for bringing such innovative topics as ecosystem services from tropical forests to the table.

Policy theme(s)

Biodiversity >> Ecosystem services
Environmental economics >> Ecosystem services
Forests >> Forest governance and management

Keywords

Ecosystem services; Tropical forests; Business; Willingness to Invest WTI

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy Thematic Issue

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N/A

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800910002004

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thomas.koellner@uni-bayreuth.de

Title

Targeting and implementing payments for ecosystem services: Opportunities for bundling biodiversity conservation with carbon and water services in Madagascar

Reference

Ecological Economics
Volume 69, Issue 11, 15 September 2010, Pages 2093-2107
Special Section - Payments for Ecosystem Services: From Local to Global

Author(s)

Kelly J. Wendland, Miroslav Honzák, Rosimeiry Portela, Benjamin Vitale, Samuel Rubinoff and Jeannicq Randrianarisoa

Study type

Peer Review Journal 

Abstract

Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) are generating a lot of attention among conservationists because they have the potential to create new funding opportunities for biodiversity protection and other ecosystem services that contribute to human well-being. A number of recent publications have suggested ways to target and implement PES projects in order to maximize their cost-effectiveness and efficiency, and the Heredia Declaration (this issue) sets forth a list of agreed-upon principles concerning the use of PES schemes. One of those principles concerns the “bundling” of joint products of intact ecosystems in PES schemes in order to maximize the benefits to society. There have been several recent studies focusing on the degree of overlap between biodiversity and other ecosystem services and therefore the opportunities and constraints to bundling these services. Building on this idea, the bulk of this paper focuses on developing a method of selecting sites for PES where the main interest is to bundle biodiversity with other ecosystem services. We focus our analysis on Madagascar, a country with globally important biodiversity that is also beginning to explore the utility of PES as a conservation mechanism. Specifically, we assess the opportunities for bundling biodiversity conservation with carbon and water services at the national scale and identify where using PES to protect these areas of multiple benefits would be most cost-effective and efficient. This analysis identifies almost 30,000 km² — out of 134,301 km² — of natural habitat that could potentially meet biodiversity conservation goals and protect additional ecosystem services through a PES scheme. One of the places identified by our methodology corresponds to an ongoing conservation project that has already begun using payments from carbon emission reductions to protect standing forests and restore important biodiversity corridors — the Ankeniheny-Mantadia-Zahamena Biodiversity Conservation and Restoration Project. This project site was selected for its high biodiversity and carbon values, lending credibility to our spatial targeting methodology and providing a case study to draw insights on how multiple-benefit PES schemes can be implemented in biodiversity “hotspots”. In the discussion section of this paper we draw on experiences from this project to consider how many of the principles outlined in the Heredia Declaration affect implementation of PES schemes in Madagascar, providing lessons forsimilar countries experimenting with PES for biodiversity conservation.

Policy theme(s)

Biodiversity >> Ecosystem services
Environmental economics >> Ecosystem services

Keywords

Biodiversity; Bundling; Carbon; Madagascar; Payments for ecosystem services; Water quality

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Selected for Science for Environment Policy Thematic Issue

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N/A

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800909000044

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mhonzak@conservation.org

Title

Reconciling theory and practice: An alternative conceptual framework for understanding payments for environmental services

Reference

Ecological Economics
Volume 69, Issue 6, 1 April 2010, Pages 1202-1208
Special Section - Payments for Environmental Services: Reconciling Theory and Practice

Author(s)

Roldan Muradian , Esteve Corbera, Unai Pascual, Nicolás Kosoy and Peter H. May

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

This article provides an alternative and novel theoretical approach to the conceptualization and analysis of payments for environmental services (PES). We devote special emphasis to institutional and political economy issues, which have been somewhat neglected in the literature on PES. We argue that the Coasean and pure market approach dominating the conceptualization of PES in the literature cannot be easily generalized and implemented in practice. By contrast, taking into account complexities related to uncertainty, distributional issues, social embeddedness, and power relations permits acknowledging the variety of contexts and institutional settings in which PES operate. The alternative approach presented in this introductory article to the special section may be more appealing to PES practitioners, since while avoiding restrictive and prescriptive standpoints, it allows some key sources of complexities they usually deal with on the ground to be more easily understood

Policy theme(s)

Biodiversity >> Ecosystem services
Environmental economics >> Ecosystem services            

Keywords

Payment for environmental services; Political economy; Institutions; Social embeddedness; Power relations

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy Thematic Issue

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N/A

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800909004558

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r.muradian@maw.ru.nl

Title

Adoption of payments for ecosystem services: An application of the Hägerstrand model

Reference

Applied Geography
Volume 31, Issue 2, April 2011, Pages 668-676

Author(s)

Dan van der Horst

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

Many governments are now offering incentive payments to private land owners to adapt their management of the land in such a way as to safeguard or enhance ecosystem service provision. These are offered to individual land owners, whose decisions may be influenced by economic rationality, but also other factors. Understanding factors such as social capital and neighbourhood networks is particularly relevant as these can help to create local patterns of high and coordinated uptake. This is important because the delivery of many ecosystem services depends on spatial patterns of interventions at the landscape scale, i.e. at spatial scales of multiple farms. To date little empirical work has been carried out to estimate the extent and relative importance of local land owner networks on entry into ecosystem services payment schemes. This study demonstrates a method to detect possible relationships between farm locations and the time of adoption. Based on Thorsten Hagerstrand’s model of innovation diffusion as a spatio-temporal process, a simulation approach is used to detect spatio-temporal clustering in the uptake of a case study ESP scheme, the Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) scheme in Scotland. The analysis reveals clear spatio-temporal uptake patterns at different spatial scales and in different types of rural spaces. It is argued that these findings have relevance for local adaptation of policies, both to liaise more effectively with sections of the farming community, and to achieve better uptake patterns at the landscape scale.

Policy theme(s)

Agriculture >> Agricultural management >> Agri-environment schemes
Biodiversity >> Ecosystem services
Environmental economics >> Ecosystem services            

Keywords

Innovation-diffusion; Farmer decision making; Neighbourhood networks; Payments for ecosystem services (PES); Agri-environmental schemes (AES); Environmentally sensitive areas (ESA)

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Selected for Science for Environment Policy Thematic Issue

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d.vanderhorst@bham.ac.uk

Title

Encouraging collaboration for the provision of ecosystem services at a landscape scale—Rethinking agri-environmental payments

Reference

 Land Use Policy
Volume 29, Issue 1, January 2012, Pages 244-249

Author(s)

Katrin Prager , Mark Reed, Alister Scott

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

In this viewpoint we draw on insights from participatory agri-environmental policy making, spatial planning and collaborative approaches to environmental management. We propose steps for planning, design and implementation of agri-environmental payment schemes that will encourage collaboration and co-ordinated actions at a landscape scale to contribute more effectively to the continued provision of ecosystem services.
We illustrate how future policies could be designed to encourage collaboration and co-ordinate actions at a landscape scale to enhance the provision of ecosystem services. We combine insights from research on participatory agri-environmental policy making with research on collaborative approaches to environmental planning and management. We reiterate a need for participatory and collaborative approaches that facilitate a process of communication, negotiation and feedback. We propose steps for planning, design and implementation of agri-environmental payment schemes that will contribute to more effective provision of ecosystem services at a landscape scale. Currently, application of our proposed process is in its infancy; existing real-world examples only cover selected steps.

Policy theme(s)

Agriculture >> Agricultural management >> Agri-environment schemes
Biodiversity >> Ecosystem services
Environmental economics >> Ecosystem services   

Keywords

Collaboration, agri-environmental payments, landscape, multiple scales, ecosystems services, ecosystem approach, participatory approaches, policy making, policy implementation

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Selected for Science for Environment Policy Thematic Issue

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N/A

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http://www.mendeley.com/research/encouraging-collaboration-provision-ecosystem-services-landscape-scalerethinking-agrienvironmental-payments/#

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Katrin.prager@hutton.ac.uk

Title

Identifying governance strategies that effectively support ecosystem services, resource sustainability, and biodiversity

Reference

PNAS March 29, 2011 vol. 108 no. 13 5308-5312
EU funded

Author(s)

R. E. Kenward , M. J. Whittingham, S. Arampatzis, B. D. Manos, T. Hahn, A. Terry, R. Simoncini, J. Alcorn, O. Bastian, M. Donlan, K. Elowe, F. Franzén, Z. Karacsonyi, M. Larsson, D. Manou, I. Navodaru, O. Papadopoulou, J. Papathanasiou, A. von Raggamby, R. J. A. Sharp, T. Söderqvist, Å. Soutukorva, L. Vavrova, N. J. Aebischer, N. Leader-Williams, and C. Rutz

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

Conservation scientists, national governments, and international conservation groups seek to devise, and implement, governance strategies that mitigate human impact on the environment. However, few studies to date have systematically investigated the performance of different systems of governance in achieving successful conservation outcomes. Here, we use a newly-developed analytic framework to conduct analyses of a suite of case studies, linking different governance strategies to standardized scores for delivering ecosystem services, achieving sustainable use of natural resources, and conserving biodiversity, at both local and international levels. Our results: (i) confirm the benefits of adaptive management; and (ii) reveal strong associations for the role of leadership. Our work provides a critical step toward implementing empirically justified governance strategies that are capable of improving the management of human-altered environments, with benefits for both biodiversity and people.

Policy theme(s)

Environmental economics >> Ecosystem services   
Resource efficiency >> Materials >> Material efficiency
Sustainable development and policy assessment >> Environmental governance and law                                                             

Keywords

adaptive governance; Convention on Biological Diversity; knowledge leadership; Millennium Ecosystem Assessment; policy making

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Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

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N/A

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http://www.pnas.org/content/108/13/5308.short
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reke@ceh.ac.uk

Title

Unfolding the organised irresponsibility: Ecosystem approach and the quest for forest biodiversity in Finland, Peru, and Russia

Reference

Forest Policy and Economics
Volume 13, Issue 3, March 2011, Pages 159-165

Author(s)

Juha Hiedanpaa, Juha Kotilainen and Matti Salo

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

The decline of biological diversity is one of the major global concerns of our time. Despite all the efforts over the past 15 years since the Rio Summit, we have seen no improvement in the state of biodiversity; in fact, if anything, the decline has accelerated. The paper argues that problematic institutional incentive structures are an important contributing factor that aggravates biodiversity crisis worldwide. In this, countries do differ from each other, but in essence biodiversity loss has become more severe because of the empty status function for biodiversity and the organised irresponsibility allowed by erroneous natural resources policies not able to reasonably and efficiently address the interlinkedness of human and ecological systems. The paper uses Finland, Peru, and Russia as examples. The paper concludes by offering an explanatory hypothesis how slowly acknowledged significance of ecosystem functions and, consequently, ecosystem approach is initiating changes in the governance principles of forest resources in these three countries – and why.

Policy theme(s)

Environmental economics >> Ecosystem services >> Ecosystem service identification
Forests >> Forest protection >> Forest biodiversity

Keywords

Biodiversity crisis, Institutional economics, Incentive structure, Organised irresponsibility, Ecosystem approach, Ecosystem services

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N/A

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Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1389934110001656
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juha.hiedanpaa@rktl.fi

Title

Unfolding the organised irresponsibility: Ecosystem approach and the quest for forest biodiversity in Finland, Peru, and Russia

Reference

Forest Policy and Economics
Volume 13, Issue 3, March 2011, Pages 159-165

Author(s)

Juha Hiedanpää, Juha Kotilainen and Matti Salo

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

The decline of biological diversity is one of the major global concerns of our time. Despite all the efforts over the past 15 years since the Rio Summit, we have seen no improvement in the state of biodiversity; in fact, if anything, the decline has accelerated. The paper argues that problematic institutional incentive structures are an important contributing factor that aggravates biodiversity crisis worldwide. In this, countries do differ from each other, but in essence biodiversity loss has become more severe because of the empty status function for biodiversity and the organised irresponsibility allowed by erroneous natural resources policies not able to reasonably and efficiently address the interlinkedness of human and ecological systems. The paper uses Finland, Peru, and Russia as examples. The paper concludes by offering an explanatory hypothesis how slowly acknowledged significance of ecosystem functions and, consequently, ecosystem approach is initiating changes in the governance principles of forest resources in these three countries — and why.

Policy theme(s)

Environmental economics >> Ecosystem services >> Ecosystem service identification
Forests >> Forest protection >> Forest biodiversity

Keywords

Biodiversity crisis, Institutional economics, Incentive structure, Organised irresponsibility, Ecosystem approach, Ecosystem services

Entry Source:

N/A

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Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1389934110001656
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juha.hiedanpaa@rktl.fi

Title

Urban forests and pollution mitigation: Analyzing ecosystem services and disservices

Reference

Environmental Pollution
Volume 159, Issues 8-9, August-September 2011, Pages 2078-2087

Author(s)

Francisco J. Escobedo, Timm Kroege and John E. Wagner

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to integrate the concepts of ecosystem services and disservices when assessing the efficacy of using urban forests for mitigating pollution. A brief review of the literature identifies some pollution mitigation ecosystem services provided by urban forests. Existing ecosystem services definitions and typologies from the economics and ecological literature are adapted and applied to urban forest management and the concepts of ecosystem disservices from natural and semi-natural systems are discussed. Examples of the urban forest ecosystem services of air quality and carbon dioxide sequestration are used to illustrate issues associated with assessing their efficacy in mitigating urban pollution. Development of urban forest management alternatives that mitigate pollution should consider scale, contexts, heterogeneity, management intensities and other social and economic co-benefits, tradeoffs, and costs affecting stakeholders and urban sustainability goals.
Environmental managers should analyze ecosystem services and disservices when developing urban forest management alternatives for mitigating urban pollution.

Policy theme(s)

Urban environment >> Urban biodiversity
Biodiversity >> Ecosystem services >> Ecosystem services
Air pollution >> Managing emissions >> Reduction measures

Keywords

Scale, Context, Management intensity, Heterogeneity, Economic value

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749111000327
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Contact the study author at:

fescobed@ufl.edu

Title

Reference

Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 9: 278–286.
doi:10.1890/100084

Author(s)

Miguel N Bugalho, Maria C Caldeira, João S Pereira, James Aronson, and Juli G Pausas

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

Mediterranean cork oak savannas, which are found only in southwestern Europe and northwestern Africa, are ecosystems of high socioeconomic and conservation value. Characterized by sparse tree cover and a diversity of understory vegetation - ranging from shrub formations to grasslands - that support high levels of biodiversity, these ecosystems require active management and use by humans to ensure their continued existence. The most important product of these savannas is cork, a non-timber forest product that is periodically harvested without requiring tree felling. Market devaluation of, and lower demand for, cork are causing a decline in management, or even abandonment, of southwestern Europe's cork oak savannas. Subsequent shrub encroachment into the savanna's grassland components reduces biodiversity and degrades the services provided by these ecosystems. In contrast, poverty-driven overuse is degrading cork oak savannas in northwestern Africa. 'Payment for ecosystem services' schemes, such as Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification or Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation and enhancement of carbon stocks (REDD+) programs, could produce novel economic incentives to promote sustainable use and conservation of Mediterranean cork oak savanna ecosystems in both Europe and Africa.

Policy theme(s)

Environmental economics >> Ecosystem services >> Ecosystem services
Forests >> Forest protection >> Deforestation and degradation
Forests >> Forest protection >> Forest biodiversity

Keywords

N/A

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://www.frontiersinecology.org/beyond/?p=275
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Contact the study author at:

migbugalho@isa.utl.pt

Title

The quantification and valuation of ecosystem services

Reference

Ecological Economics
Volume 70, Issue 3, 15 January 2011, Pages 497-502

Author(s)

Mark Sagoff

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

This paper explores differences between economic and ecological criteria for identifying, measuring, and evaluating ecosystem services. It argues that economic stakeholders (user groups) generally do well in identifying these services and assigning prices to them. These prices arise spontaneously in-and serve to coordinate-market activity related to the environment. The relevant ecological information which markets gather and apply tends to be dispersed, contingent, particular, local, transitory, and embedded in institutions and practices. Ecologists and other scientists, in contrast, often seek to understand how ecosystems work and which populations and processes provide ecosystem services. The knowledge science seeks, unlike the information markets gather, tends to be centralized, collaborative, collective, and consensus-based; science pursues concepts and principles that are timeless and general rather than ephemeral and site-specific. The paper contrasts the dispersed and decentralized information organized by markets with the collective and centralized knowledge characteristic of science. The paper argues that the conceptual distance between market-based and science-based methods of assembling information and applying knowledge defeats efforts to determine the 'value' of ecosystem services in any integrated sense.

Policy theme(s)

Biodiversity >> Ecosystem services
Environmental economics >> Ecosystem services

Keywords

Ecosystem services, Hayek, Ecological economics

Entry Source:

N/A

Referred to in EC doc:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

View this study at:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800910004246
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Contact the study author at:

msagoff@gmu.edu