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Letter to the editor: Using classification systems to integrate ecosystem services with decision making tools
Citation:
Finisdore, J., K. Lamothe, C. Rhodes, C. Obst, P. Booth, R. Haines-Young, M. Russell, J. Houdet, S. Maynard, J. Wielgus, AND P. Rowcroft. Letter to the editor: Using classification systems to integrate ecosystem services with decision making tools. Ecosystem Services. Elsevier Online, New York, NY, 48:1-2, (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2021.101257
Impact/Purpose:
This letter to the editor discusses how National Ecosystem Services Classification System (NESCS) Plus and other classification systems may have been mis-reviewed and applied to a recent article titled "Utilizing ecosystem service classifications in multi-criteria decision analysis – Experiences of peat extraction case in Finland."
Description:
The article “Utilizing ecosystem service classifications in multi-criteria decision analysis – Experiences of peat extraction case in Finland” (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2019.101049) analyzes how classification knowledge is used to construct multi-criteria decision making analysis (MCDA) value trees, but did not analyze how this same knowledge is used in developing ecosystem services (ES) classification systems and ES categories. As a result, the article did not consistently distinguish between ES categories, such those from the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, and classification systems such as the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES). This may have contributed to technical errors in the article, including how ES were integrated into the value tree. Broader understanding of classification systems, and engagement with custodians of those systems, should improve the quality of ecosystem services assessments and their integration with related tools, including multi-criteria decision making analysis.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Letter to the editor: Using classification systems to integrate ecosystem services with decision making tools