Biodiversity Loss Threatens Human Well-Being

Dı́az, Sandra; Fargione, Joseph; Chapin, F. Stuart; Tilman, David

doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0040277

Cited by 1,231 publications

(807 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…The upshot of all this is that conservation cannot simply be focused on ecosystem function alone (Srivastava and Velland 2005). There must also be due consideration to all the biotic players (Diaz et al 2006). This means maintaining ecological integrity as well as ecosystem function.…”

Section: Erecting a Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changing conservation strategies in Europe: a framework integrating ecosystem services and dynamics

et al. 2010

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Protecting species and their habitats through the designation and management of protected areas is central to present biodiversity conservation efforts in Europe. Recent awareness of the importance of ecosystem dynamics in changing environments and of human needs for the sustainable provision of ecosystem services expose potential weaknesses in current European conservation management strategies and policy. Here we examine these issues in the light of information gained from reviews, workshops, interviews and discussions undertaken within the RUBICODE project. We present a new conceptual framework that joins conventional biodiversity conservation with new requirements. The framework links cultural and aesthetic values applied in a static environment to the demands of dynamic ecosystems and societal needs within social-ecological systems in a changing Europe. We employ this framework to propose innovative ways in which ecosystem service provision may be used to add value to traditional conservation approaches by supporting and

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Section: Erecting a Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changing conservation strategies in Europe: a framework integrating ecosystem services and dynamics

et al. 2010

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“…Plant diversity can provide a range of ecosystem services based on the type (positive, neutral, or negative) and degree of plant-plant interactions and on the local environmental and management conditions (Tilman 1999;Diaz et al 2006). Attempts have been made to quantify the links between biodiversity and ecosystem services (De Bello et al 2010;Cardinale et al 2012;Balvanera et al 2006), and several conceptual frameworks have been proposed recently to link biodiversity to ecosystem functioning (Diaz et al 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple cropping systems as drivers for providing multiple ecosystem services: from concepts to design

Gaba

Lescourret

Boudsocq

et al. 2014

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

286

190

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Provisioning services, such as the production of food, feed, and fiber, have always been the main focus of agriculture. Since the 1950s, intensive cropping systems based on the cultivation of a single crop or a single cultivar, in simplified rotations or monocultures, and relying on extensive use of agrochemical inputs have been preferred to more diverse, self-sustaining cropping systems, regardless of the environmental consequences. However, there is increasing evidence that such intensive agroecosystems have led to a decline in biodiversity as well as threatening the environment and have damaged a number of ecosystem services such as the biogeochemical nutrient cycles and the regulation of climate and water quality. Consequently, the current challenge facing agriculture is to ensure the future of food production while reducing the use of inputs and limiting environmental impacts and the loss of biodiversity. Here, we review examples of multiple cropping systems that aim to use biotic interactions to reduce chemical inputs and provide more ecosystem services than just provisioning. Our main findings are the identification of underlying ecological processes and management strategies related to the provision of pairs of ecosystem services namely food production and a regulation service. We also found gaps between ecological knowledge and the constraints of agricultural practices in taking account of the interactions and possible trade-offs between multiple ecosystem services as well as socioeconomic constraints. We present guidelines for the design of multiple cropping systems combining ecological, agricultural, and genetic concepts and approaches.

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“…In many marine environments, it is difficult, if not impossible, to determine the nature of pristine habitats that have been lost (Roberts 2007). This is problematic in deriving estimates of ecosystem service provision historically, as many services are strongly dependent on species abundance or species richness (Diaz et al 2006;Gibbs et al 2007). In these cases, knowledge of the change in habitat quality may be necessary to determine the change in ecosystem service delivery as habitats degrade.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying the Loss of a Marine Ecosystem Service: Filtration by the Eastern Oyster in US Estuaries

Ermgassen

Spalding

Grizzle

et al. 2012

Estuaries and Coasts

176

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The oyster habitat in the USA is a valuable resource that has suffered significant declines over the past century. While this loss of habitat is well documented, the loss of associated ecosystem services remains poorly quantified. Meanwhile, ecosystem service recovery has become a major impetus for restoration. Here we propose a model for estimating the volume of water filtered by oyster populations under field conditions and make estimates of the contribution of past (c. 1880-1910) and present (c. 2000-2010) oyster populations to improving water quality in 13 US estuaries. We find that filtration capacity of oysters has declined almost universally (12 of the 13 estuaries examined) by a median of 85 %. Whereas historically, oyster populations achieved full estuary filtration (filtering a volume equivalent or larger than the entire estuary volume within the residence time of the water) in six of the eight estuaries in the Gulf of Mexico during summer months, this is now the case for only one estuary: Apalachicola Bay, Florida. By contrast, while all five estuaries on the North Atlantic coast showed large decreases in filtration capacity, none were achieving full estuary filtration at the time of our c. 1900 historic baseline. This apparent difference from the Gulf of Mexico is explained at least in part by our North Atlantic baseline representing a shifted baseline, as surveyed populations were already much reduced by exploitation in this region.

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Biodiversity Loss Threatens Human Well-Being

Abstract: Biodiversity lies at the core of ecosystem processes fueling our planet's vital life-support systems; its degradation--by us--is threatening our own well-being and will disproportionately impact the poor.

Cited by 1,231 publications

References 25 publications

Changing conservation strategies in Europe: a framework integrating ecosystem services and dynamics

Changing conservation strategies in Europe: a framework integrating ecosystem services and dynamics

Multiple cropping systems as drivers for providing multiple ecosystem services: from concepts to design

Quantifying the Loss of a Marine Ecosystem Service: Filtration by the Eastern Oyster in US Estuaries

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