Integrating methods for ecosystem service assessment: Experiences from real world situations

Abstract

The Ecosystem Services (ES) concept highlights the varied contributions the environment provides to humans and there are a wide range of methods/tools available to assess ES. However, in real-world decision contexts a single tool is rarely sufficient and methods must be combined to meet practitioner needs. Here, results from the OpenNESS project are presented to illustrate the methods selected to meet the needs of 24 real-world case studies and better understand why and how methods are combined to meet practical needs. Results showed that within the cases methods were combined to: i) address a range of ES; ii) assess both supply and demand of ES; iii) assess a range of value types; iv) reach different stakeholder groups v) cover weaknesses in other methods used and vi) to meet specific decision context needs. Methods were linked in a variety of ways: i) as input-output chains of methods; ii) through learning; iii) through method development and iv) through comparison/triangulation of results. The paper synthesises these case study-based experiences to provide insight to others working in practical contexts as to where, and in what contexts, different methods can be combined and how this can add value to case study analyses.

Assessment and Mapping Green Areas Ecosystem Services and Socio-Demographic Characteristics in Turin Neighborhoods (Italy)

“…Instead, the relationships between housing density and the percentage of economically assisted citizens are more evident. In neighborhoods around the city center (11,(4)(5)(6), for example, housing density is high, while the percentage of economically assisted citizens is medium-low. Hilly neighborhoods (21 and 22) are, instead, characterized both by a low housing density and a low percentage of economically assisted citizens.…”

“…In addition, socioeconomic inequalities in health are less pronounced in people with greater exposure to green space than in those with less exposure [8].As many ecosystem services are provided by urban green spaces, these will need to be better managed and planned to ensure a high standard of living in urban areas [9]. For the assessment of ecosystem services in urban areas, several methods can be applied [10][11][12]. Some of them are based on spatially explicit biophysical indicators to analyze the spatial distribution of ES delivery [13], others on suite of models or web-based modeling platforms for the spatially-explicit assessment of ecosystem services [14,15], and finally some of them are supported by qualitative tools based on a set of expert judgments [16].…”

(Dis) integrated valuation – Assessing the information gaps in ecosystem service appraisals for governance support

“…(For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.) Accuracy and reliability of different ES appraisal methods are key concerns for practitioners (Dick et al, 2018;Dunford et al, 2018;Harrison et al, 2018). Literature reviews highlight information costs as one of several challenges to operationalisation of the ecosystem services concept (Bagstad et al, 2013;Laurans et al, 2013;Ruckelshaus et al, 2015).…”

“…For the complete survey protocol of case study coordinators, see Dick et al (2018) Supplementary Material -''Annex 4 Case study context reporting forms part 2". For an analysis of a comprehensive evaluation of case study considerations see Dunford et al (2018). In this paper we focus on the subset of considerations concerning study purposes and information constraints.…”

“…Most case studies applied more than one method. The survey evaluated case studies' reasons for selecting methods across a large number of criteria (Dunford et al, 2018). Integrated mapping-modelling methods and decision-support methods were grouped together in a single class of ''synthesising" methods.…”