Public support for restoration: Does including ecosystem services as a goal engage a different set of values and attitudes than biodiversity protection alone?

The ecosystem services concept has come into wide use in conservation and natural resource management, partly due to its appeal as an anthropocentric rationale for protecting and restoring nature. Proponents of the ecosystem services concept expect that presenting these arguments alongside biodiversity arguments should lead to a broader base of support for conservation. This raises the question of whether support for activities that ensure ecosystem service provision relates to different sets of core values, or environmental attitudes, than support for biodiversity protection. We surveyed adult Australians to evaluate the influence of values and attitudes on willingness to pay for different habitat restoration outcomes. We hypothesized that when restoration is framed with an anthropocentric rationale (such as ecosystem service provision), support for restoration would align more strongly with anthropocentric or self-centered values and attitudes. Specifically, we tested if preference for ecosystem service benefits over biodiversity attributes, as indicated by willingness to pay in different restoration scenarios, is more strongly associated with self-enhancing (Egoistic) than self-transcending (Altruistic and Biospheric) values, and more associated with a pro-use attitude towards nature (Utilization) than an anti-use attitude (Preservation). We found that support for habitat restoration is generally based on ecocentric values and attitudes, but that positive associations between pro-environmental behavior and Egoistic values emerge when emphasis is placed on ecosystem service outcomes. Individuals scoring higher on Egoistic/Utilization metrics were also more likely to anticipate disservices from restoration. Attitudes predicted behavioral intention (willingness to pay) better than core values. Our results support the notion that the ecosystem services concept garners nontraditional backers and broadens the appeal of ecological restoration.

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The influence of landscape context on the production of cultural ecosystem services

10.21203/rs.3.rs-310439/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kim Christie Zoeller ◽

Georgina G. Gurney ◽

Graeme S. Cumming

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Ecosystem Service ◽

Service Provision ◽

Species Recognition ◽

Individual Species ◽

Cultural Ecosystem Services ◽

Multi Scale ◽

Multi Level ◽

Cultural Ecosystem Service ◽

Biophysical Attributes

Abstract Context: Recent efforts to apply sustainability concepts to entire landscapes have seen increasing interest in approaches that connect socioeconomic and biophysical aspects of landscape change. Evaluating these connections through a cultural ecosystem services lens clarifies how different spatiotemporal scales and levels of organisation influence the production of cultural benefits. Currently, however, the effects of multi-level and multi-scale ecological variation on the production of cultural benefits have not yet been disentangled.Objectives: To quantify the amount of variation in cultural ecosystem service provision by birds to birders that is due to landscape-level attributes.Methods: We used data from 293 birding routes and 101 different birders in South African National Parks to explore the general relationships between birder responses to bird species and environmental conditions, bird-related observations, the biophysical attributes of the landscape and their effect on bird-related cultural benefits.Results: Biophysical attributes (particularly biome, vegetation type, and variance in elevation) significantly increased the percentage of variance explained in birder benefits from 57–65%, demonstrating that birder benefits are derived from multi-level (birds to ecosystems) and multi-scale (site to landscape) social and ecological interactions.Conclusions: Landscape attributes influence people’s perceptions of cultural ecosystem service provision by individual species. Recognition of the complex, localised and inextricable linkage of cultural ecosystem services to biophysical attributes can improve our understanding of the landscape characteristics that affect the supply and demand of cultural ecosystem services.

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Modelling Hydrological Ecosystem Services – A state of the art model comparison

10.5194/hess-2017-436 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Anna Lüke ◽

Jochen Hack

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Ecosystem Service ◽

Service Provision ◽

Input Data ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Simulation Models ◽

Service Models ◽

Water Assessment ◽

Soil And Water

Abstract. Different simulation models are used in science and practice in order to incorporate hydrological ecosystem services in decision-making processes. This contribution compares three simulation models, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool, a traditional hydrological model, and two ecosystem services models, the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs model and the Resource Investment Optimization System model. The three models are compared on a theoretical and conceptual basis as well in a comparative case study application. The application of the models to a study area in Nicaragua reveals that a practical benefit to apply these models for different questions in decision-making generally exists. However, modelling of hydrological ecosystem services is associated with a high application effort and requires input data that may not always be available. The degree of detail in temporal and spatial variability in ecosystem service provision is higher when using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool compared to the two ecosystem service models. In contrast, the ecosystem service models have lower requirements on input data and process knowledge. A relationship between service provision and beneficiaries is readily produced and can be visualized as a model output. The latter is especially useful for a practical decision-making context.

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Disentangling the Multidimensional Relationship between Livestock Breeds and Ecosystem Services

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11092548 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 2548

Author(s):

Elena Velado-Alonso ◽

Antonio Gómez-Sal ◽

Alberto Bernués ◽

Daniel Martín-Collado

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Ecosystem Service ◽

Service Provision ◽

Farming System ◽

Ecosystem Processes ◽

Natural Factors ◽

System Sustainability ◽

Cultural Entities ◽

Livestock System

There is an increasing interest in assessing livestock breed contributions to ecosystem services (ES) and including this knowledge in decision making. However, this task has been limited due to the complexity of the multidimensional relationship between livestock diversity and ecosystem services. In this work, we elaborate on the livestock breed characteristics central to developing a comprehensive approach to livestock breed inclusion in the ecosystem services framework. Thus, we explore the multidimensional nature of livestock breeds, i.e., as eco-cultural entities, biodiversity components, and drivers of livestock system heterogeneity and functioning. First, anthropogenic and natural factors have acted jointly to develop breeds as eco-cultural entities. This fact represents an opportunity to move toward farming system sustainability by Nature-Based Solutions and Nature’s Contribution to People paradigms. Second, livestock breeds are components of biodiversity, and as such, can be framed as goods, as final ecosystem services, and as regulators of ecosystem processes. Third, livestock breeds contribute to livestock system heterogeneity and resilience. By integrating these aspects, we might better understand how livestock breeds provide and modulate ecosystem service provision and, therefore, how to improve breed conservation and livestock policies toward farming system sustainability.

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Devising Urban Biodiversity Habitat Provision Goals: Ecosystem Services Analysis

Forests ◽

10.3390/f10050391 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 391 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Maibritt Pedersen Zari

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Ecosystem Service ◽

Service Provision ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Urban Environments ◽

Comparative Case Study ◽

Urban Habitat ◽

Urban Green ◽

Analysis Methodology ◽

Negative Environmental Impact

This paper employs a unique ecosystem services analysis methodology to evaluate how cities could support or generate ecosystem services. Ecosystem services analysis can provide quantifiable goals for urban ecological regeneration that are determined by the site-specific ecology and climate of an urban area. In this research, the ecosystem service of habitat provision is the key focus. The role of urban green space and urban forests is crucial within this. Setting ambitious targets for urban ecological performance and ecosystem services provision is of great importance due to the large negative environmental impact that cities currently have on ecosystems and, therefore, ecosystem service provision, and because healthier ecosystems enable humans to better adapt to climate change through creating potentials for increased resilience. A comparative case study analysing the ecosystem service of habitat provision in two existing urban environments with similar climates (Cfb according to the Köppen Climate Classification System) but in different parts of the world, namely Wellington, New Zealand and Curitiba, Brazil, was conducted to examine how the ecosystem services analysis concept can used to devise urban habitat provision goals. The paper concludes that, although achieving habitat provision goals derived from ecosystem services analysis in urban areas is likely to be difficult, determining quantitative site- and climate-specific staged goals could enable urban design professionals to increase the effectiveness of conservation and regeneration efforts in terms of ecosystem service provision from urban green and blue spaces.

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Comparing the Applicability of Commonly Used Hydrological Ecosystem Services Models for Integrated Decision-Support

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su10020346 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 346 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Anna Lüke ◽

Jochen Hack

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Ecosystem Service ◽

Service Provision ◽

Input Data ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Simulation Models ◽

Service Models ◽

Water Assessment ◽

Soil And Water

Different simulation models are used in science and practice in order to incorporate hydrological ecosystem services in decision-making processes. This contribution compares three simulation models, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool, a traditional hydrological model and two ecosystem services models, the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs model and the Resource Investment Optimization System model. The three models are compared on a theoretical and conceptual basis as well in a comparative case study application. The application of the models to a study area in Nicaragua reveals that a practical benefit to apply these models for different questions in decision-making generally exists. However, modelling of hydrological ecosystem services is associated with a high application effort and requires input data that may not always be available. The degree of detail in temporal and spatial variability in ecosystem service provision is higher when using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool compared to the two ecosystem service models. In contrast, the ecosystem service models have lower requirements on input data and process knowledge. A relationship between service provision and beneficiaries is readily produced and can be visualized as a model output. The visualization is especially useful for a practical decision-making context.

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Revisiting a Water Conflict in Southeastern Oklahoma 6 Years Later: A New Valuation of the Willingness to Pay for Ecosystem Services

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12030819 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 819 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Claire Burch ◽

Michelle Busch ◽

Edward Higgins ◽

Steven Bittner ◽

Nuwanthika Perera ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Willingness To Pay ◽

Ecosystem Service ◽

Oklahoma City ◽

Water Conflict ◽

Political Values ◽

Environmental Support ◽

Additional Information ◽

Political Conservatism ◽

Context Specific

In recent years, researchers have begun to adopt a perspective evaluating “winners and losers” regarding the consumption and value of ecosystem services. “Winners” tend to benefit from the ecosystem service and “losers” absorb most associated costs. Our study focuses on water use in Oklahoma (USA) and a plan to divert water from the Kiamichi River in southeastern Oklahoma for consumption at residences in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. Our study is, in part, a follow-up from an initial 2013 survey of Oklahoma City residents and residents of the Kiamichi. For this paper, a survey was distributed within the state of Oklahoma to evaluate changes to ecosystem service willingness to pay and valuation. This survey also included an experimental element assessing if exposure to additional information about ecosystem services influenced respondents on ecosystem service valuation, or willingness to pay. Our results generally aligned with those found in the 2013 survey. Oklahoma City residents are not aware of where their water is coming from and are not willing to pay to protect ecosystem services, despite an overall increase in activism. Our results indicate that a smaller number of significant factors determining willingness to pay for ecosystem service maintenance were identified than the study in 2013. Exposure to additional information had no effect on peoples’ preferences. We found that public opinion surrounding environmental support is context-specific, political conservatism may not always impede valuation of environmental protections. We conclude that cultural, moral, and political values interact in their influence on expressions of valuation and willingness to pay for ecosystem services.

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Valuing Florida Water Resources: Households’ Willingness to Pay for Water Availability

EDIS ◽

10.32473/edis-fe1068-2019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 (6) ◽

pp. 8

Author(s):

Tatiana Borisova ◽

Fei He ◽

Xiang Bi ◽

Kelly Grogan ◽

Tara Wade ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Water Resources ◽

Willingness To Pay ◽

Water Supply ◽

Water Availability ◽

Ecosystem Service ◽

Economic Value ◽

The Other ◽

Goods And Services

This paper is a part of the EDIS series “Economic Value of Florida Water Resources”. As the other papers in the series discuss, water resources provide us with a variety of goods and services (often referred to as ecosystem services). This paper discusses another ecosystem service that Florida water resources provide: water supply for households needs. In this article, we present several examples of valuing water availability found in literature and focused on Florida and other regions.

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Delivery of Ecosystem Services by Community Woodland Groups and Their Networks

Forests ◽

10.3390/f12121640 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (12) ◽

pp. 1640

Author(s):

Mike Dunn ◽

Bianca Ambrose-Oji ◽

Liz O’Brien

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Ecosystem Service ◽

Service Provision ◽

Local Community ◽

Forest Policy ◽

Document Analysis ◽

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment ◽

Goods And Services ◽

Multiple Networks ◽

Policy Agendas

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment stresses that it is possible to manage ecosystems so as to strengthen their capacity to provide a range of goods and services. In reality, the delivery of ecosystem services reflects policy and delivery mechanisms, the environment, and the objectives of landowners and managers. Amid gradual changes to forest policy and more recent periods of austerity, the management of treescapes by locally led groups, such as Community Woodland Groups (CWGs), has become increasingly common. Through document analysis and interviews we explore the objectives and activities of British-based CWGs, and the implications these have for the delivery of ecosystem services. Additionally, we explore CWGs involvement with three types of networks and the ways in which each facilitate CWGs’ establishment, operations and ecosystem service provision. We conclude that, while CWGs are capable of delivering a range of ecosystem services, their focus is typically on: (i) cultural services for the benefit of the local community, and (ii) biodiversity. Since these foci parallel the goods and services emphasised in contemporary forest policy agendas, it is apparent that CWGs represent a promising model for woodland management. However, to realise their potential and confront management challenges, CWGs often rely on access to advice, labour, equipment and funding from across multiple networks.

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Stated Preferences for Intermediate versus Final Ecosystem Services: Disentangling Willingness to Pay for Omitted Outcomes

Agricultural and Resource Economics Review ◽

10.1017/s1068280500007644 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 42 (1) ◽

pp. 98-118 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Robert J. Johnston ◽

Eric T. Schultz ◽

Kathleen Segerson ◽

Elena Y. Besedin ◽

Mahesh Ramachandran

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Willingness To Pay ◽

Ecosystem Service ◽

Structural Model ◽

Stated Preference ◽

Choice Experiments ◽

Stated Preferences ◽

Intermediate Outcomes ◽

Biophysical Processes ◽

Stated Preference Valuation

Stated preference scenarios often provide information on intermediate biophysical processes but omit information on the resulting final services that provide utility. This may cause respondents to speculate about the effects of intermediate outcomes on their welfare, leading to biased welfare estimates. This work clarifies distinctions between intermediate and final ecosystem services within stated preference valuation and develops a structural model by which to infer respondents’ speculations when a final ecosystem service is omitted. The model also derives implications for welfare estimates. Methods and results are illustrated using an application of choice experiments to fish restoration in Rhode Island's Pawtuxet watershed.

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