scholarly journals Benefit Transfer for Ecosystem Services

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin J. Boyle ◽  
Christopher F. Parmeter
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Policy Change ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Benefit Transfer ◽  
Original Study ◽  
Policy Application ◽  
Support Decision Making

Benefit transfer is the projection of benefits from one place and time to another time at the same place or to a new place. Thus, benefit transfer includes the adaptation of an original study to a new policy application at the same location or the adaptation to a different location. The appeal of a benefit transfer is that it can be cost effective, both monetarily and in time. Using previous studies, analysts can select existing results to construct a transferred value for the desired amenity influenced by the policy change. Benefit transfer practices are not unique to valuing ecosystem service and are generally applicable to a variety of changes in ecosystem services. An ideal benefit transfer will scale value estimates to both the ecosystem services and the preferences of those who hold values. The article outlines the steps in a benefit transfer, types of transfers, accuracy of transferred values, and challenges when conducting ecosystem transfers and ends with recommendations for the implementation of benefit transfers to support decision-making.

scholarly journals Public Officials’ Knowledge of Advances and Gaps for Implementing the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries in Chile

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2703
Author(s):  
Rodrigo A. Estévez ◽  
Stefan Gelcich
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Fisheries Management ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
Social Dimensions ◽  
Public Officials ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Effective Implementation ◽  
Mandatory Requirement ◽  
Support Decision Making

The United Nations calls on the international community to implement an ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) that considers the complex interrelationships between fisheries and marine and coastal ecosystems, including social and economic dimensions. However, countries experience significant national challenges for the application of the EAF. In this article, we used public officials’ knowledge to understand advances, gaps, and priorities for the implementation of the EAF in Chile. For this, we relied on the valuable information held by fisheries managers and government officials to support decision-making. In Chile, the EAF was established as a mandatory requirement for fisheries management in 2013. Key positive aspects include the promotion of fishers’ participation in inter-sectorial Management Committees to administrate fisheries and the regulation of bycatch and trawling on seamounts. Likewise, Scientific Committees formal roles in management allow the participation of scientists by setting catch limits for each fishery. However, important gaps were also identified. Officials highlighted serious difficulties to integrate social dimensions in fisheries management, and low effective coordination among the institutions to implement the EAF. We concluded that establishing clear protocols to systematize and generate formal instances to build upon government officials’ knowledge seems a clear and cost effective way to advance in the effective implementation of the EAF.

scholarly journals Facilitating spatially-explicit assessments of ecosystem service delivery to support land use planning

One Ecosystem ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk Vrebos ◽  
Jan Staes ◽  
Steven Broekx ◽  
Leo de Nocker ◽  
Karen Gabriels ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Spatially Explicit ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Time Investment ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

Since the early 2000s, there have been substantial efforts to transform the concept of ecosystem services into practice. Spatial assessment tools are being developed to evaluate the impact of spatial planning on a wide range of ecosystem services. However, the actual implementation in decision-making remains limited. To improve implementation, tools that are tailored to local conditions can provide accurate, meaningful information. Instead of a generic and widely-applicable tool, we developed a regional, spatially-explicit tool (ECOPLAN-SE) to analyse the impact of changes in land use on the delivery of 18 ecosystem services in Flanders (Belgium). The tool incorporates ecosystem services relevant to policy-makers and managers and makes use of detailed local data and knowledge. By providing an easy-to-use tool, including the required spatial geodatasets, time investment and the learning curve remain limited for the user. With this tool, constraints to implement ecosystem service assessments in local decision-making are drastically reduced. We believe that region-specific decision support systems, like ECOPLAN-SE, are indispensable intermediates between the conceptual ecosystem service frameworks and the practical implementation in planning processes.

Challenges Over Two Semantic Repositories - OWLIM and AllegroGraph

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paria Tajabor ◽  
Tara Raafat
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Large Enterprise ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
Support Decision Making

<p>The purpose of this research study is exploring two kind of semantic repositories with regards to various factors to find the best approaches that an artificial manager can use to produce ontology in a system based on their interaction, association and research. To this end, as the best way to evaluate each system and comparing with others is analysis, several benchmarking over these two repositories were examined. These two semantic repositories: OWLIM and AllegroGraph will be the main core of this study.  The general objective of this study is to be able to create an efficient and cost-effective manner reports which is required to support decision making in any large enterprise.</p>

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

2017 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Disentangling the Multidimensional Relationship between Livestock Breeds and Ecosystem Services

Animals ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Opportunities for Systematically Valuing Ecosystem Service Benefits Produced by Federal Conservation Programs

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 178-191
Author(s):  
Thomas P. Holmes
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Policy Decision ◽  
Benefit Transfer ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Conservation Programs ◽  
Private Lands ◽  
Ecosystem Service Valuation

Federal agencies invest taxpayer dollars every year in conservation programs that are focused on improving a suite of ecosystem services produced on private lands. A better understanding of the public benefits generated by federal conservation programs could help improve governmental efficiency and economic welfare by providing science-based evidence for use in policy decision-making regarding targeting of federal conservation investments. Of specific concern here are conservation investments made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). While previous research has shown that efficiency gains are possible using cost-benefit analysis for targeting conservation investments, agency-wide implementation of this approach by policy makers has been constrained by the limited availability of location-specific information regarding conservation benefits. Cost-effective opportunities for integrating location-specific ecosystem service valuation research with USDA conservation decision-making include: (1) institutionalizing funding of comparable studies suitable for benefit transfer, (2) utilizing non-traditional data sources for research complementing benefit transfer, and (3) creating a state-of-the-art program for developing and communicating research in ecosystem service valuation exemplifying the highest standards of scientific conduct.

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

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 346 ◽  
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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