Societal Response, Governance, and Managing Ecosystem Service Risks

Abstract Non-native invasive plant species are a major cause of ecosystem degradation and impairment of ecosystem service benefits in the United States. Forested riparian areas provide many ecosystem service benefits and are vital to maintaining water quality of streams and rivers. These systems are also vulnerable to natural disturbances and invasion by non-native plants. We assessed whether planting native trees on disturbed riparian sites may increase biotic resistance to invasive plant establishment in central Vermont in the northeastern United States. The density (stems/m2) of invasive stems was higher in non-planted sites (x̄=4.1 stems/m2) compared to planted sites (x̄=1.3 stems/m2). More than 90% of the invasive plants were Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica). There were no significant differences in total stem density of native vegetation between planted and non-planted sites. Other measured response variables such as native tree regeneration, species diversity, soil properties and soil function showed no significant differences or trends in the paired riparian study sites. The results of this case study indicate that tree planting in disturbed riparian forest areas may assist conservation efforts by minimizing the risk of invasive plant colonization.

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Exploring the Use of Ecosystem Services Conceptual Models to Account for the Benefits of Public Lands: An Example from National Forest Planning in the United States

Forests ◽

10.3390/f12030267 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 267

Author(s):

Lydia Olander ◽

Katie Warnell ◽

Travis Warziniack ◽

Zoe Ghali ◽

Chris Miller ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Ecosystem Service ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Public Lands ◽

The United States ◽

Forest Planning ◽

National Forest ◽

Planning Team ◽

National Forest Planning

A shared understanding of the benefits and tradeoffs to people from alternative land management strategies is critical to successful decision-making for managing public lands and fostering shared stewardship. This study describes an approach for identifying and monitoring the types of resource benefits and tradeoffs considered in National Forest planning in the United States under the 2012 Planning Rule and demonstrates the use of tools for conceptualizing the production of ecosystem services and benefits from alternative land management strategies. Efforts to apply these tools through workshops and engagement exercises provide opportunities to explore and highlight measures, indicators, and data sources for characterizing benefits and tradeoffs in collaborative environments involving interdisciplinary planning teams. Conceptual modeling tools are applied to a case study examining the social and economic benefits of recreation on the Ashley National Forest. The case study illustrates how these types of tools facilitate dialog for planning teams to discuss alternatives and key ecosystem service outcomes, create easy to interpret visuals that map details in plans, and provide a basis for selecting ecosystem service (socio-economic) metrics. These metrics can be used to enhance environmental impact analysis, and help satisfy the goals of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the 2012 Planning Rule, and shared stewardship initiatives. The systematic consideration of ecosystem services outcomes and metrics supported by this approach enhanced dialog between members of the Forest planning team, allowed for a more transparent process in identification of key linkages and outcomes, and identified impacts and outcomes that may not have been apparent to the sociologist who is lacking the resource specific expertise of these participants. As a result, the use of the Ecosystem Service Conceptual Model (ESCM) process may result in reduced time for internal reviews and greater comprehension of anticipated outcomes and impacts of proposed management in the plan revision Environmental Impact Statement amongst the planning team.

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Using Bayesian Belief Networks to assess the influence of landscape connectivity on ecosystem service trade-offs and synergies in urban landscapes in the UK

Landscape Ecology ◽

10.1007/s10980-021-01307-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

James D. Karimi ◽

Jim A. Harris ◽

Ron Corstanje

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Ecosystem Service ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Landscape Connectivity ◽

Structural Characteristics ◽

Bird Species ◽

Bayesian Belief Networks ◽

Belief Networks ◽

Patch Area ◽

Trade Offs

Abstract Context Landscape connectivity is assumed to influence ecosystem service (ES) trade-offs and synergies. However, empirical studies of the effect of landscape connectivity on ES trade-offs and synergies are limited, especially in urban areas where the interactions between patterns and processes are complex. Objectives The objectives of this study were to use a Bayesian Belief Network approach to (1) assess whether functional connectivity drives ES trade-offs and synergies in urban areas and (2) assess the influence of connectivity on the supply of ESs. Methods We used circuit theory to model urban bird flow of P. major and C. caeruleus at a 2 m spatial resolution in Bedford, Luton and Milton Keynes, UK, and Bayesian Belief Networks (BBNs) to assess the sensitivity of ES trade-offs and synergies model outputs to landscape and patch structural characteristics (patch area, connectivity and bird species abundance). Results We found that functional connectivity was the most influential variable in determining two of three ES trade-offs and synergies. Patch area and connectivity exerted a strong influence on ES trade-offs and synergies. Low patch area and low to moderately low connectivity were associated with high levels of ES trade-offs and synergies. Conclusions This study demonstrates that landscape connectivity is an influential determinant of ES trade-offs and synergies and supports the conviction that larger and better-connected habitat patches increase ES provision. A BBN approach is proposed as a feasible method of ES trade-off and synergy prediction in complex landscapes. Our findings can prove to be informative for urban ES management.

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Analysis of the Internal Relationship between Ecological Value and Economic Value Based on the Forest Resources in China

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13126795 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (12) ◽

pp. 6795

Author(s):

Jianxin Geng ◽

Chengzhi Liang

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Natural Resource ◽

Ecosystem Service ◽

Market Value ◽

Forest Resources ◽

Atmospheric Environment ◽

Shanxi Province ◽

Ecosystem Service Value ◽

Service Value ◽

Asset Value

In this study, we applied gross ecosystem product (GEP) theory in a case study to analyze and explain the natural resource asset value and ecosystem service value of forest resources in Jiaokou County, Shanxi Province, Northern China, in 2018. GEP refers to the total value of various final material products and services provided by ecosystems. In this paper, six service functions of a forest system, including water conservation, soil conservation, carbon fixation and oxygen release, forest nutrients, purification of atmospheric environment, and biodiversity, are valued by three calculation methods: the alternative cost method, market value method, and control cost method. The study revealed the following: (1) There is a parallel relationship between the value of natural resource assets and the value of ecosystem services. GEP includes the market value of natural resource assets, but it is mostly the value of ecosystem services. (2) The measurement of the physical quantity of forest ecosystem services depends on parameter data, and the monetary calculation often has no mature pricing basis, which leads to the large scale and uncertainty surrounding the evaluation results of ecosystem services. (3) The ecosystem service value and natural resource asset value have different practical significance, as well as alternate theoretical bases. The value of natural resource assets can be used as the asset valuation basis of economic transactions, which plays a role in macroeconomic management. The value of ecosystem services can be used as the basis of ecological compensation, providing information for the preparation of the balance sheet of natural resources.

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Spatial-Temporal Evolution and Relationship between Urbanization Level and Ecosystem Service from a Dual-Scale Perspective: A Case Study of the Pearl River Delta Urban Agglomeration

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13158537 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (15) ◽

pp. 8537

Author(s):

Yuanyuan Mao ◽

Lingli Hou ◽

Zhengdong Zhang

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Service ◽

Pearl River Delta ◽

Temporal Evolution ◽

Pearl River ◽

Ecosystem Service Value ◽

Urbanization Level ◽

Service Value ◽

The Pearl River Delta ◽

The Pearl River ◽

Dual Scale

Since the beginning of the 21st century, urbanization has brought about dramatic changes in population, life, and economy, while having a significant impact on the distribution of ecosystem service. As research on the relationship between urbanization and ecosystem service has gradually specified, we decided to explore it at different scales. In this paper, we quantified and mapped the spatial–temporal evolution and relationship between urbanization and ecosystem service value in the Pearl River Delta Urban Agglomeration from 2000 to 2019 based on a dual-scale perspective of county and 3 km × 3 km raster. Our results show that the overall trend of urbanization level and ecosystem service value was increasing. Urbanization and ecosystem service value at the county scale showed a negative spatial correlation, while it was not significant at the raster scale. The “high–high” agglomeration was more concentrated, while the other three “low–low”, “low–high” and “high–low” agglomerations were more dispersed. Our findings suggest it is crucial to identify the key factors of small urban areas to grasp the development mechanism in the urbanization process and maintain the balance of the ecosystem.

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