Stakeholders’ Perspectives to Support the Integration of Ecosystem Services in Spatial Planning in Switzerland

Integrating the concept of ecosystem services (ES) into spatial planning is an opportunity to make land use and management choices that maximize the delivery of multiple ES. The assessment of social demand can be useful for the identification of priority areas or potential conflicts among stakeholders. We used Q-methodology to understand stakeholder perspectives on ES to facilitate their integration into spatial planning in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. Three perspectives, utilitarian, cultural and protective, were analyzed and used to discuss potential implications for spatial planning. First, ecosystem multifunctionality and synergies among ES should be emphasized. Second, the food production system should move away from a productive-only approach, to a system that protects soils and their functions. Providing a paradigm change, arable land could be protected to the same level as forests and farmers could be incentivized further to change their practices. Finally, our findings show a potential over-interpretation of the importance of cultural ES in current planning policies, as most participants would be ready to change their behaviors to preserve biological functions. It would be useful to conduct a similar study in other cantons to ensure that the results are fully representative of the current situation in Switzerland.

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Revealing Salient Aquatic Ecosystem Services Bundles: A Q-Methodology Application in South Africa

10.21203/rs.3.rs-990434/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Damien Jourdain ◽

Namakando Namakando ◽

Eric Dada Mungatana ◽

Alisher Mirzabaev ◽

Georgina Njiraini

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Q Methodology ◽

Qualitative Methodology ◽

Water Governance ◽

Wicked Problem ◽

Stakeholder Groups ◽

Stakeholder Perspectives ◽

Water Users ◽

Infrastructure Investments

Abstract Preserving water quality, which has at least four of the ten characteristics of a “wicked problem”, is fundamental for economic development, ecosystems function, and human wellbeing. Consequently, identifying suitable public policies or technological solutions that can maintain or restore affected ecosystems, especially in river catchments, is a huge challenge. Understanding diverse stakeholder perspectives on important water related ecosystem services is critical to improving water governance and quality. This study uses the Q-methodology to identify and analyze perspectives about water-related ecosystem services in the Olifants river catchment, one of the most important and polluted in South Africa, across six diverse stakeholder groups competing for its limited water resources. The Q is a semi-qualitative methodology that can systematically recover detailed views of the subjective perceptions diverse stakeholder groups hold on a given topic. Our results suggest existence of three significant and conflicting perspectives. The “conservationists” privilege regulation and supporting services, the “water users” give highest priority to water for domestic and other private uses, while the “planners” rank mastering the environment for societal benefits highest. Equally importantly, our results also suggest solutions like ecological infrastructure investments, which deliver important services for some stakeholders without compromising the welfare of those who hold neutral perspectives towards them.

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Microbes: Food for the Future

Foods ◽

10.3390/foods10050971 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 971

Author(s):

Matilde Ciani ◽

Antonio Lippolis ◽

Federico Fava ◽

Liliana Rodolfi ◽

Alberto Niccolai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Production ◽

Arable Land ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Weather Conditions ◽

Biodiversity Loss ◽

Negative Externalities ◽

Agriculture Soil ◽

Global Concern ◽

Food Commodities ◽

Hydrogen Oxidizing Bacteria

Current projections estimate that in 2050 about 10 billion people will inhabit the earth and food production will need to increase by more than 60%. Food security will therefore represent a matter of global concern not easily tackled with current agriculture practices and curbed by the increasing scarcity of natural resources and climate change. Disrupting technologies are urgently needed to improve the efficiency of the food production system and to reduce the negative externalities of agriculture (soil erosion, desertification, air pollution, water and soil contamination, biodiversity loss, etc.). Among the most innovative technologies, the production of microbial protein (MP) in controlled and intensive systems called “bioreactors” is receiving increasing attention from research and industry. MP has low arable land requirements, does not directly compete with crop-based food commodities, and uses fertilizers with an almost 100% efficiency. This review considers the potential and limitations of four MP sources currently tested at pilot level or sold as food or feed ingredients: hydrogen oxidizing bacteria (HOB), methanotrophs, fungi, and microalgae (cyanobacteria). The environmental impacts (energy, land, water use, and GHG emissions) of these MP sources are compared with those of plant, animal, insect, and cultured meat-based proteins. Prices are reported to address whether MP may compete with traditional protein sources. Microalgae cultivation under artificial light is discussed as a strategy to ensure independence from weather conditions, continuous operation over the year, as well as high-quality biomass. The main challenges to the spreading of MP use are discussed.

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Assessing urban ecosystem services in support of spatial planning in the Hague, the Netherlands

Landscape and Urban Planning ◽

10.1016/j.landurbplan.2021.104195 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 214 ◽

pp. 104195

Author(s):

Janneke van Oorschot ◽

Benjamin Sprecher ◽

Maarten van 't Zelfde ◽

Peter M. van Bodegom ◽

Alexander P.E. van Oudenhoven

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

The Netherlands ◽

Spatial Planning ◽

Urban Ecosystem ◽

Urban Ecosystem Services ◽

The Hague

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Ecosystem Services Changes on Farmland in Response to Urbanization in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area of China

Land ◽

10.3390/land10050501 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 501

Author(s):

Xuege Wang ◽

Fengqin Yan ◽

Yinwei Zeng ◽

Ming Chen ◽

Bin He ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Hong Kong ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Ecosystem Service ◽

Food Production ◽

Great Loss ◽

The Past ◽

Bay Area ◽

Farmland Loss ◽

The World

Extensive urbanization around the world has caused a great loss of farmland, which significantly impacts the ecosystem services provided by farmland. This study investigated the farmland loss due to urbanization in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) of China from 1980 to 2018 based on multiperiod datasets from the Land Use and Land Cover of China databases. Then, we calculated ecosystem service values (ESVs) of farmland using valuation methods to estimate the ecosystem service variations caused by urbanization in the study area. The results showed that 3711.3 km2 of farmland disappeared because of urbanization, and paddy fields suffered much higher losses than dry farmland. Most of the farmland was converted to urban residential land from 1980 to 2018. In the past 38 years, the ESV of farmland decreased by 5036.7 million yuan due to urbanization, with the highest loss of 2177.5 million yuan from 2000–2010. The hydrological regulation, food production and gas regulation of farmland decreased the most due to urbanization. The top five cities that had the largest total ESV loss of farmland caused by urbanization were Guangzhou, Dongguan, Foshan, Shenzhen and Huizhou. This study revealed that urbanization has increasingly become the dominant reason for farmland loss in the GBA. Our study suggests that governments should increase the construction of ecological cities and attractive countryside to protect farmland and improve the regional ESV.

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Integration of ecosystem services in spatial planning: a survey on regional planners’ views

Landscape Ecology ◽

10.1007/s10980-014-0012-4 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 29 (8) ◽

pp. 1287-1300 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

André Mascarenhas ◽

Tomás B. Ramos ◽

Dagmar Haase ◽

Rui Santos

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Spatial Planning

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Quantifying and Exploring Strategic Regional Priorities for Managing Natural Capital and Ecosystem Services Given Multiple Stakeholder Perspectives

Ecosystems ◽

10.1007/s10021-010-9339-0 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 539-555 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

Brett A. Bryan ◽

Agnès Grandgirard ◽

John R. Ward

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Natural Capital ◽

Stakeholder Perspectives ◽

Multiple Stakeholder

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When we cannot have it all: Ecosystem services trade-offs in the context of spatial planning

Ecosystem Services ◽

10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.10.011 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 29 ◽

pp. 566-578 ◽

Cited By ~ 88

Author(s):

Francis Turkelboom ◽

Michael Leone ◽

Sander Jacobs ◽

Eszter Kelemen ◽

Marina García-Llorente ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Spatial Planning ◽

Services Trade ◽

Trade Offs

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Ecosystem services and tradeoffs in the home food gardens of African American, Chinese-origin and Mexican-origin households in Chicago, IL

Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems ◽

10.1017/s174217051600003x ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 69-86 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

John R. Taylor ◽

Sarah Taylor Lovell ◽

Sam E. Wortman ◽

Michelle Chan

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Plant Species ◽

Food Production ◽

Ornamental Plant ◽

Urban Land Use ◽

Mexican Origin ◽

Chinese Origin ◽

Wide Range ◽

Food Gardens

AbstractWith increasing urbanization and environmental degradation, urban landscapes are increasingly expected to provide a wide range of ecosystem services typically associated with rural areas, including biodiversity conservation and food production. Because residential landscapes constitute the largest single urban land use, domestic gardens have emerged as a topic of research interest and planning concern. The ecosystem services (or disservices) these landscapes provide, however, have not been rigorously measured, nor have tradeoffs between the services they provide been assessed. In this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 59 African American, Chinese-origin or Mexican-origin households with on-lot or vacant lot food gardens in Chicago. Crop plants and cultivated ornamental plants on the lot were inventoried and mapped at the species level. A total of 123 edible plant taxa from 25 families and 288 ornamental plant species from 85 families were identified, for a combined total of 387 species from 90 families. Cumulatively, the gardens of African American households were relatively rich in ornamental plant species and families, while those of Chinese-origin households had a depauperate flora. Crop plant richness was more even across sample types. Shade trees and a developed shrub layer were absent from most gardens, possibly representing a tradeoff in ecosystem services in favor of food production. The richness of the aggregate 2.1 ha of residential property inventoried in this study was comparable with or exceeded that of a 34 ha prairie remnant west of Chicago. However, only 35 (9.6%) of the inventoried species were native to the Chicago area.

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