On the functional relationship between biodiversity and economic value

Biodiversity’s contribution to human welfare has become a key argument for maintaining and enhancing biodiversity in managed ecosystems. The functional relationship between biodiversity (b) and economic value (V) is, however, insufficiently understood, despite the premise of a positive-concave bV relationship that dominates scientific and political arenas. Here, we review how individual links between biodiversity, ecosystem functions (F), and services affect resulting bV relationships. Our findings show that bV relationships are more variable, also taking negative-concave/convex or strictly concave and convex forms. This functional form is driven not only by the underlying bF relationship but also by the number and type of ecosystem services and their potential trade-offs considered, the effects of inputs, and the type of utility function used to represent human preferences. Explicitly accounting for these aspects will enhance the substance and coverage of future valuation studies and allow more nuanced conclusions, particularly for managed ecosystems.

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Trade-offs and Synergies of Ecosystem Services in Karst Area of China Driven by Grain-for-Green Program

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-2259 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Xiaofeng Wang

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Net Primary Production ◽

Karst Area ◽

Ecosystem Functions ◽

Water Yield ◽

Natural Ecosystem ◽

Grain For Green ◽

Grain For Green Program ◽

Trade Offs ◽

The Impact

<p>As an important means regulating the relationship between human and natural ecosystem, ecological restoration program plays a key role in restoring ecosystem functions. The Grain-for-Green Program (GFGP, One of the world&#8217;s most ambitious ecosystem conservation set-aside programs aims to transfer farmland on steep slopes to forestland or grassland to increase vegetation coverage) has been widely implemented from 1999 to 2015 and exerted significant influence on land use and ecosystem services (ESs). In this study, three ecological models (InVEST, RUSLE, and CASA) were used to accurately calculate the three key types of ESs, water yield (WY), soil conservation (SC), and net primary production (NPP) in Karst area of southwestern China from 1982 to 2015. The impact of GFGP on ESs and trade-offs was analyzed. It provides practical guidance in carrying out ecological regulation in Karst area of China under global climate change. Results showed that ESs and trade-offs had changed dramatically driven by GFGP . In detail, temporally, SC and NPP exhibited an increasing trend, while WY exhibited a decreasing trend. Spatially, SC basically decreased from west to east; NPP basically increased from north to south; WY basically increased from west to east; NPP and SC, SC and WY developed in the direction of trade-offs driven by the GFGP, while NPP and WY developed in the direction of synergy. Therefore, future ecosystem management and restoration policy-making should consider trade-offs of ESs so as to achieve sustainable provision of ESs.</p>

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Enhancing ecosystem services with no-till

Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems ◽

10.1017/s1742170512000452 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 28 (2) ◽

pp. 102-114 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

R. Lal

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Management Practices ◽

Natural Capital ◽

Soil Depth ◽

Arable Land ◽

Economic Incentives ◽

Ecosystem Functions ◽

Water Retention Capacity ◽

No Till ◽

Trade Offs

AbstractEcosystem functions and services provided by soils depend on land use and management. The objective of this article is to review and synthesize relevant information on the impacts of no-till (NT) management of croplands on ecosystem functions and services. Sustainable management of soil through NT involves: (i) replacing what is removed, (ii) restoring what has been degraded, and (iii) minimizing on-site and off-site effects. Despite its merits, NT is adopted on merely ∼9% of the 1.5 billion ha of global arable land area. Soil's ecosystem services depend on the natural capital (soil organic matter and clay contents, soil depth and water retention capacity) and its management. Soil management in various agro-ecosystems to enhance food production has some trade-offs/disservices (i.e., decline in biodiversity, accelerated erosion and non-point source pollution), which must be minimized by further developing agricultural complexity to mimic natural ecosystems. However, adoption of NT accentuates many ecosystem services: carbon sequestration, biodiversity, elemental cycling, and resilience to natural and anthropogenic perturbations, all of which can affect food security. Links exist among diverse ecosystem services, such that managing one can adversely impact others. For example, increasing agronomic production can reduce biodiversity and deplete soil organic carbon (SOC), harvesting crop residues for cellulosic ethanol can reduce SOC, etc. Undervaluing ecosystem services can jeopardize finite soil resources and aggravate disservices. Adoption of recommended management practices can be promoted through payments for ecosystem services by a market-based approach so that risks of disservices and negative costs can be reduced either through direct economic incentives or as performance payments.

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Ecosystem Service Modelling to Support Nature-Based Flood Water Management in the Vietnamese Mekong River Delta

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su132413549 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (24) ◽

pp. 13549

Author(s):

Nguyet Anh Dang ◽

Rubianca Benavidez ◽

Stephanie Anne Tomscha ◽

Ho Nguyen ◽

Dung Duc Tran ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

High Resolution ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Economic Value ◽

Mekong Delta ◽

Hydrological Regime ◽

Flood Mitigation ◽

Spatially Explicit ◽

Economic Values ◽

Trade Offs

Deltas are among the most productive and diverse global ecosystems. However, these regions are highly vulnerable to natural disasters and climate change. Nature-based solutions (Nbs) have been increasingly adopted in many deltas to improve their resilience. Among decision support tools, assessment of ecosystem services (ES) through spatially explicit modelling plays an important role in advocating for Nbs. This study explores the use of the Land Utilisation and Capability Indicator (LUCI) model, a high-resolution model originally developed in temperate hill country regions, to map changes in multiple ecosystem services (ES), along with their synergies and trade-offs, between 2010 and 2018 in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD). In so doing, this study contributes to the current knowledge in at least two aspects: high-resolution ES modelling in the VMD, and the combination of ES biophysical and economic values within the VMD to support Nbs implementation. To date, this is the highest resolution (5 by 5 m) ES modelling study ever conducted in the VMD, with ~1500 million elements generated per ES. In the process of trialling implementations of LUCI within the VMD’s unique environmental conditions and data contexts, we identify and suggest potential model enhancements to make the LUCI model more applicable to the VMD as well as other tropical deltaic regions. LUCI generated informative results in much of the VMD for the selected ES (flood mitigation, agriculture/aquaculture productivity, and climate regulation), but challenges arose around its application to a new agro-hydrological regime. To address these challenges, parameterising LUCI and reconceptualising some of the model’s mechanisms to specifically account for the productivity and flood mitigation capability of water-tolerant crops as well as flooding processes of deltaic regions will improve future ES modelling in tropical deltaic areas. The ES maps showed the spatial heterogeneity of ES across the VMD. Next, to at least somewhat account for the economic drivers which need to be considered alongside biophysical valuations for practical implementations of ES maps for nature-based solutions (Nbs) in the upstream VMD, economic values were assigned to different parcels using a benefit transfer approach. The spatially explicit ES economic value maps can inform the design of financing incentives for Nbs. The results and related work can be used to support the establishment of Nbs that ultimately contribute to the security of local farmers’ livelihoods and the sustainability of the VMD.

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Spatial valuation of California marine fisheries as an ecosystem service

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/cjfas-2016-0228 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 74 (11) ◽

pp. 1732-1748 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Rebecca R. Miller ◽

John C. Field ◽

Jarrod A. Santora ◽

Melissa H. Monk ◽

Rosemary Kosaka ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Spatial Organization ◽

Economic Value ◽

Spatially Explicit ◽

Marine Spatial Planning ◽

Marine Fisheries ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Stock Assessments ◽

Proportional Value ◽

Taxonomic Groups

Quantifying spatiotemporal dynamics of ecosystem services is an emerging approach for informing and managing trade-offs among cumulative or competing activities in marine environments. As one proxy for ecosystem services and benefits, we quantified and mapped catch and economic value of California commercial fisheries removals using a 75-year spatially explicit time series. From 1931 to 2005, approximately 88% of the catch was attributed to finfish. However, there has been an increasing reliance of proportional value from invertebrates over the last 25 years. The spatial organization of historical catches suggests species composition varies substantially by depth and latitude, and an evaluation of changes in the spatial distribution of catches in three different time periods suggests that spatial shifts in catch locations have occurred for some taxonomic groups over time. A spatial assessment of historical catches and value benefits marine spatial planning, informs stock assessments, provides a quantification of ecosystem services, and facilitates ecosystem-based approaches to marine fisheries management.

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The Identification of Mangrove Ecosystem Services for Decision Making

SHS Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/shsconf/20208601019 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 86 ◽

pp. 01019

Author(s):

Suharno ◽

Emmy Saraswati

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Land Use Planning ◽

Economic Value ◽

Mangrove Ecosystem ◽

Business Practices ◽

Natural Ecosystems ◽

Sustainable Business ◽

Human Welfare ◽

Goods And Services

Directly or indirectly, goods and services available in natural ecosystems will contribute to human welfare. The human ability to calculate the economic value of ecosystem goods and services is an important thing to do for integrated environmental decision making, sustainable business practices, and land use planning with its geographical scale, and the level of local-social wisdom. For this reason, a comprehensive review and study are needed by analyzing mangrove ecosystem services. Discussions with in-depth descriptive methods are applied to evaluate mangrove ecosystem services specifically, and focus methods and techniques are used for data analysis, and further to understand their potential and disadvantages.

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Diversification and ecosystem services for conservation agriculture: Outcomes from pastures and integrated crop–livestock systems

Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems ◽

10.1017/s1742170512000312 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 28 (2) ◽

pp. 129-144 ◽

Cited By ~ 57

Author(s):

Matt A. Sanderson ◽

David Archer ◽

John Hendrickson ◽

Scott Kronberg ◽

Mark Liebig ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Livestock Production ◽

Soil Disturbance ◽

Ecosystem Functions ◽

Agricultural Systems ◽

Soil C ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Forage Diversity ◽

Integrated Agricultural Systems

AbstractConservation agricultural systems rely on three principles to enhance ecosystem services: (1) minimizing soil disturbance, (2) maximizing soil surface cover and (3) stimulating biological activity. In this paper, we explore the concept of diversity and its role in maximizing ecosystem services from managed grasslands and integrated agricultural systems (i.e., integrated crop–livestock–forage systems) at the field and farm level. We also examine trade-offs that may be involved in realizing greater ecosystem services. Previous research on livestock production systems, particularly in pastureland, has shown improvements in herbage productivity and reduced weed invasion with increased forage diversity but little response in terms of animal production. Managing forage diversity in pastureland requires new tools to guide the selection and placement of plant mixtures across a farm according to site suitability and the goals of the producer. Integrated agricultural systems embrace the concept of dynamic cropping systems, which incorporates a long-term strategy of annual crop sequencing that optimizes crop and soil use options to attain production, economic and resource conservation goals by using sound ecological management principles. Integrating dynamic cropping systems with livestock production increases the complexity of management, but also creates synergies among system components that may improve resilience and sustainability while fulfilling multiple ecosystem functions. Diversified conservation agricultural systems can sustain crop and livestock production and provide additional ecosystem services such as soil C storage, efficient nutrient cycling and conservation of biodiversity.

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How to measure the economic value of ecosystem functions and processes and link such value to the MSP?

SHS Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/shsconf/20185801015 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 58 ◽

pp. 01015

Author(s):

Ilona Kamińska ◽

Tomasz Zarzycki ◽

Jacek Zaucha ◽

Dorota Ciołek

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Marine Sediments ◽

Ecosystem Service ◽

Economic Valuation ◽

Economic Value ◽

Ecosystem Functions ◽

Regulatory Function ◽

Toxic Substances ◽

Maritime Spatial Planning ◽

Direct And Indirect Benefits

The paper aims at answering questions on implications of the economic valuation of regulatory ecosystem service in maritime spatial planning. The biogeochemical processes that occur in marine sediments such as denitrification, contribute indirectly, though significantly, benefits to human wellbeing. Such direct and indirect benefits are called ecosystem services. According to the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES V5.1) for the Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting, the case study: ecosystem service lies within the: Section - Regulation & Maintenance (Biotic); Division - Transformation of biochemical or physical inputs to ecosystems; Group - Mediation of wastes or toxic substances of anthropogenic origin by living processes and Class - Bio-remediation by micro-organisms, algae, plants, and animals (Code 2.1.1.1). Marine sediments are economically evaluated mainly as sources of providing services (sand and gravel extraction or space for potential industrial use). Their regulatory function is often neglected in such studies. Therefore, we employed the methodology from the field of ecological economics and assessed the economic value of denitrification of the Gulf of Gdansk. This paper suggests the possible implications of using such data in MSP and discusses the competition sea uses in order to determine the final benefits for society.

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Economic valuation of Lansa Mangrove Forest, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity ◽

10.13057/biodiv/d200407 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 978-986 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

CALVYN FA SONDAK ◽

ERLY Y KALIGIS ◽

ROBERT A BARA

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Mangrove Forest ◽

Contingent Valuation Method ◽

Economic Valuation ◽

Economic Value ◽

Market Price ◽

Coastal Protection ◽

Use Value ◽

Human Welfare ◽

North Sulawesi

Abstract. Sondak CFA, Kaligis EY, Bara RA. 2019. Economic valuation of Lansa Mangrove Forest, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 20: 978-986. Mangrove forest gives many benefits and services to human and environment. Even though it contributes many benefits and services, coastal ecosystems threatened as one of the most critical ecosystems in the world. The study aims to estimate the economic value of ecosystem services provided by Lansa mangrove forest, Wori Sub-district, North Minahasa District, North Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. Here, we describe the use value (direct and indirect value) and non-use value (option and existence value), and emphasize the components of ecosystem services fish resources, firewood, coastal protection, biodiversity, carbon (C) removal and mangrove sustainability because these directly influence human welfare. Their market price calculated fish and C removal value. Coastal barrier and firewood were approached using the replacement cost method. Biodiversity value was calculated using Indonesia mangrove forest biodiversity value. Contingent Valuation method was used to find out people willing to pay for the sustainability of mangrove forest. Lansa mangrove forest total economic value (TEV) was IDR 4,431,197,603 or equal to US$ 305,600 (US$ 1,959 ha-1). The success of this mangrove valuation has potentially large implications for future policy-making of its’ ecosystem service values.

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Management to Support Multiple Ecosystem Services from Productive Grasslands

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13116263 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 6263

Author(s):

Joanna Savage ◽

Ben A. Woodcock ◽

James M. Bullock ◽

Marek Nowakowski ◽

Jeremy R. B. Tallowin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Food Resources ◽

Forage Yield ◽

Plant Functional Groups ◽

Ecosystem Functions ◽

Farmland Birds ◽

Management Options ◽

Pollinator Abundance ◽

Trade Offs

Sustainable intensification will require the development of new management systems to support global food demands, whilst conserving the integrity of ecosystem functions. Here, we test and identify management strategies to maintain or enhance agricultural production in grasslands whilst simultaneously supporting the provision of multiple ecosystem services. Over four years, we investigated how the establishment of three plant functional groups (grasses, legumes, and other flowering forbs), using different cultivation (minimum tillage and deep ploughing) and management (cutting, grazing and their intensity) techniques, affected provision and complementarity between key ecosystem services. These ecosystem services were agronomic production, pollination, pest control, food resources for farmland birds, and soil services. We found that the establishment of floristically diverse swards, particularly those containing grasses, legumes and forbs, maximised forage yield and quality, pollinator abundance, soil nitrogen, and bird food resources, as well as enhancing populations of natural predators of pests. Cutting management increased bird food resources and natural predators of pests without depleting other services considered. However, a single management solution to maximise the delivery of all ecosystem services is unlikely to exist, as trade-offs also occurred. Consequently, management options may need to be tailored to strategically support localised deficits in key ecosystem services.

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The quest for a mechanistic understanding of biodiversity–ecosystem services relationships

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2015.1348 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 282 (1817) ◽

pp. 20151348 ◽

Cited By ~ 69

Author(s):

Clare Duncan ◽

Julian R. Thompson ◽

Nathalie Pettorelli

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Context Dependency ◽

Ecosystem Functions ◽

Ecological Research ◽

Future Developments ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Species Characteristics ◽

Policy Agendas ◽

Research And Policy

Ecosystem services (ES) approaches to biodiversity conservation are currently high on the ecological research and policy agendas. However, despite a wealth of studies into biodiversity's role in maintaining ES (B–ES relationships) across landscapes, we still lack generalities in the nature and strengths of these linkages. Reasons for this are manifold, but can largely be attributed to (i) a lack of adherence to definitions and thus a confusion between final ES and the ecosystem functions (EFs) underpinning them, (ii) a focus on uninformative biodiversity indices and singular hypotheses and (iii) top-down analyses across large spatial scales and overlooking of context-dependency. The biodiversity–ecosystem functioning (B–EF) field provides an alternate context for examining biodiversity's mechanistic role in shaping ES, focusing on species' characteristics that may drive EFs via multiple mechanisms across contexts. Despite acknowledgements of a need for B–ES research to look towards underlying B–EF linkages, the connections between these areas of research remains weak. With this review, we pull together recent B–EF findings to identify key areas for future developments in B–ES research. We highlight a means by which B–ES research may begin to identify how and when multiple underlying B–EF relationships may scale to final ES delivery and trade-offs.

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