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An Operational Structure for Clarity in Ecosystem Service Values
Citation:
Johnston, R. AND M. J. RUSSELL. An Operational Structure for Clarity in Ecosystem Service Values. ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, 70(12):2225-2536, (2011).
Impact/Purpose:
The ecosystem goods and services approach allows one to motivate and design policy based on the quantified social benefits received from ecosystems. The linked biophysical and economic analyses used to quantify and value ecosystem services, however, often confuse final ecosystem services with broader ecological functions that provide only indirect benefit. Comprehensive categorizations of ecosystem services, such as that developed by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, do not ameliorate these challenges. This paper presents an operational, transparent mechanism for determining whether a biophysical feature, quantity, or quality represents a final ecosystem service for an inclusive suite of beneficiaries. It is designed for straightforward application by those without extensive training in natural or social sciences. Through illustrations of the structure, we demonstrate how the resulting typology averts double counting and other ambiguities implicit in prior classifications.
Description:
Analyses used to value ecosystem services often confuse final ecosystem services with ecological functions that provide only indirect benefit. Extant categorizations of ecosystem services, such as that developed by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, do not ameliorate these challenges. This paper presents an operational mechanism for determining whether a biophysical feature, quantity, or quality represents a final ecosystem service for an inclusive suite of beneficiaries. It is designed for straightforward application by those without expertise in natural or social sciences. Illustrations of the structure demonstrate how the resulting typology averts double counting and other ambiguities implicit in prior classification.