Benefits of Stakeholder integration in an ecosystem services assessment of Mount Carmel Biosphere Reserve, Israel

Sustainable development has to be based on scientific knowledge, social agreements, and political decisions. This study aimed to analyse the implementation of the ecosystem services approach (ESA) in the spatial planning of the Basque Country, via the co-creation of knowledge. This paper uses a proposal for a regional green infrastructure (GI) to examine the co-creation of knowledge process. It addresses the community of practice; a process of co-creation of knowledge through workshops and meeting, SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis using an online survey, and mapping and identification of the multifunctional areas that provide ecosystem services (ES) to develop a GI. Results indicate that ESA has been included in spatial planning actions at different scales (biosphere reserve, metropolitan area, and region). This subsequently created an avenue for understanding the political necessities at play, so that scientists can develop useful tools for sustainable development. The findings also draw attention to the importance of establishing a constructive and mutually comprehensible dialogue between politicians, technical experts and scientists. For ES to be part of spatial planning, ESA has to be taken into account at the beginning of the planning process. We conclude that building bridges between science and spatial planning can help establish science-based management guidelines and tools that help enhance the sustainability of the territory.

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Perceived Effects of Elephants (Loxodonta africana Cuvier) Presence and Impacts on Ecosystem Services Supply in the Pendjari Biosphere Reserve, West Africa

Tropical Conservation Science ◽

10.1177/1940082919865979 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

pp. 194008291986597 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Isidore Gnonlonfoun ◽

Barthélémy Kassa ◽

Fortuné Azihou ◽

Sylvanus Mensah ◽

Romain Lucas Glèlè Kakaï ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

West Africa ◽

Landscape Management ◽

Biosphere Reserve ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Natural Systems ◽

Management Actions ◽

Perceived Effects ◽

Negative Impacts ◽

Riparian Communities

Information on how biotic factors influence delivery of ecosystem services (ES) in natural systems is important for holistic landscape management. In this study, we assessed the perceived effects of elephants’ presence on ES supply in the Pendjari Biosphere Reserve in West Africa. A total of 112 respondents, including riparian communities and reserve officials, were interviewed. First, we used ranking techniques based on stakeholders’ perceptions to evaluate differences in perceived importance of ES. Second, we assessed the perceived impact of elephants on ES supply from both direction and intensity perspective. Third, we assessed the economic importance of threatened ESs and elephants’ damages related economic losses incurred by households. Twenty-seven ES were enumerated, 13 provisioning ES, 12 cultural ES, and two from the regulating and maintenance ES category. Provisioning ES were perceived as the most important although not significantly different from other categories. PES were also found to be most affected negatively by elephants’ impacts. However, elephants’ presence increased supply of cultural ES. The average cost of the losses due to elephants’ negative impacts ranged from $174.80 to $586.05 per year and per victim household. These results were discussed in relation to management actions necessary to facilitate coexistence between elephant and local populations.

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Linking Biophysical and Economic Assessments of Ecosystem Services for a Social–Ecological Approach to Conservation Planning: Application in a Biosphere Reserve (Biscay, Spain)

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11113092 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 3092 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Nekane Castillo-Eguskitza ◽

María F. Schmitz ◽

Miren Onaindia ◽

Alejandro J. Rescia

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Methodological Approach ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Economic Value ◽

Biosphere Reserve ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Ecological Planning ◽

Social Ecological

The search for a balance between nature conservation and sustainable development remains a scientific and spatial planning challenge. In social-ecological systems based on traditional rural activities and associated with protected areas, this balance is particularly complex. Quantifying the economic impact of land use changes on ecosystem services can be useful to advise policy makers and improving social-ecological sustainability. In this study, we evaluated the land use changes in a time series and estimated the monetary value of the ecosystem services of the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve (Biscay, Spain). In addition, we linked the monetary and biophysical values of land uses in each zoning units of the reserve, in order to identify the spatial adjustment between both assessments. Results showed that land use changes have clearly homogenized the landscape without substantially affecting its economic value. The methodological approach allowed detection that the reserve zoning was performed based more on its biophysical values than on economic ones. Thus, evident divergences between the biophysical and economic assessments were found. The core area was the one that had the highest coincidences (medium values) between both ecosystem services assessments, which highlights its importance not only in biophysical terms, is also economical. The procedure followed proved to be a useful tool to social-ecological planning and design of specific conservation strategies for the sustainable development of the area.

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