Securing Natural Capital and Human Well-Being: Innovation and Impact in China

Daily, Gretchen C.; Ouyang, Zhiyun; Zheng, Hua; Li, Shuzhuo; Wang, Yukuan; Feldman, Marcus W.; Kareiva, Peter; Polasky, Stephen; Ruckelshaus, Mary

doi:10.5846/stxb201212311906

Cited by 21 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…In order to clarify policy needs for how resources and development will affect the poor and vulnerable groups, we need to examine more accurately the relationship between ES and human well-being. Otherwise, we risk making the plight of the poor population worse in the process of pursuing economic growth and human development [12]. However, relevant research in this area still lacks a systematic approach.…”

Section: Theoretical and Empirical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does China’s Anti-Poverty Relocation and Settlement Program Benefit Ecosystem Services: Evidence from a Household Perspective

Kang

Wang

et al. 2019

Sustainability

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To assess whether and to what extent the anti-poverty relocation and settlement program (APRSP) in China will be able to resolve the development dilemma of ecosystem conservation and human wellbeing, it is important to study the effects of policy on rural households in terms of the income generation from ecosystem services (ES). We constructed an index of dependence on ecosystem services (IDES) to evaluate the dependence of households’ net income generation on ecosystem services. Using data collected from South Shaanxi Province, we examined the effects of the relocation program on rural households’ IDES. We find that this relocation may benefit the ecosystem by significantly decreasing participants’ IDES. Relocation households have higher net incomes than non-relocation households from total ecosystem services, provisioning services, regulating services, and cultural services as well as socio-economic activities. There are significant differences in IDES between groups with different relocation and resettlement characteristics. The anti-poverty relocation program optimized the rural households’ income structure by increasing the proportion of income from socio-economic activities while reducing the proportion of income from ecosystem services. This study provides new evidence for evaluating eco-conservation and development policies by linking ecosystem services and human well-being at a micro scale. We also address the policy implications of our analysis for anti-poverty relocation programs.

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Section: Theoretical and Empirical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does China’s Anti-Poverty Relocation and Settlement Program Benefit Ecosystem Services: Evidence from a Household Perspective

Kang

Wang

et al. 2019

Sustainability

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“…Specifically, the government aims to lift ES providers out of the poverty trap and into newly opened non-farming sectors, thereby reconciling conservation and poverty alleviation (Ouyang et al 1999;Zheng et al 2013). The success and wider applicability of this approach hinges on achieving the double sustainability of improving both ES and local livelihoods (Cernea and Schmidt-Soltau 2003;Daily et al 2013;Li et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact on rural livelihoods and ecosystem services of a major relocation and settlement program: A case in Shaanxi, China

Liu

Feldman

et al. 2017

Ambio

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China's largest-ever resettlement program is underway, aiming to restore ecosystems and lift ecosystem service providers out of the poverty trap and into sustainable livelihoods. We examine the impact of the relocation and settlement program (RSP) to date, reporting on an ecosystem services (ES) assessment and a 1400-household survey. The RSP generally achieves the goals of ES increase and livelihood restore. In biophysical terms, the RSP improves water quality, sediment retention, and carbon sequestration. In social terms, resettled households so far report transformation of livelihoods activities from traditional inefficient agricultural and forest production to non-farm activities. Increased income contributes to decrease the poverty rate and improve resettled households' living condition and standard. Meanwhile, the RSP decreases households' dependence on ES in terms of provisioning services. Difficulty and challenge also showed up subsequently after relocation. A major current challenge is to enable poorer households to move, while providing greater follow-up support to relocated households. While the program is unique to China, it illuminates widespread opportunities for addressing environmental and poverty-related concerns in a rapidly changing world.

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“…This local application opens the opportunity to bring closer the tools of the ESA to local experts (scientists and decision-makers), like those using the InVEST platform. Ruckelshaus et al (2015) found that in places where local partners received training in ESA tools, like in Latin America (Goldman-Benner et al, 2012), Belize (Coastal Zone Management Authority Institute [CZMAI], 2012), and China (Daily et al, 2013), an ESA spreads rapidly and CMES information is adopted in policy. The final outcome is higher buy-in and ownership of the results by stakeholders, allowing policy change to happen more broadly (Dick et al, 2018;Robinne et al, 2018).…”

Section: Lesson 3 -Beyond Stakeholder Participation: Empowering Local Experts With Technical Toolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Knowledge Status of Coastal and Marine Ecosystem Services - Challenges, Limitations and Lessons Learned From the Application of the Ecosystem Services Approach in Management

Cruz

Manuel²

2021

Front. Mar. Sci.

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The concept of ecosystem services (ES), first introduced in 1970’s, gained mainstream attention in 2005, when the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment formally proposed a definition for it. In spite of this attention, many aspects about the ES concept have remained controversial to date, i.e., their classification, value, generation, link to human well-being, and supportive role as management tool. This review explores the knowledge status of ecosystem services, focusing on those services generated in coastal and marine environments (CMES). A knowledge gap and an underdevelopment of tools to assess CMES is evident in the literature, especially when compared to the progress done in the assessment of land ES. Possible explanations reside on the yet small proportion that the research done on CMES represents for the ecosystem service framework (ESF), in part due to the intrinsic challenges of researching the marine environment, also due to the limited availability of spatial data on marine ecosystems. Nevertheless, the ES concept is getting more attention toward policy-makers and stakeholders, leading to the implementation of an ecosystem services approach (ESA) to the management and protection of CMES. Six lessons are rescued from the literature to improve the ESA: (1) integration of the ESA in a science-policy process; (2) more simplicity for the CMES prediction models; (3) move toward empowering of stakeholders; (4) integration of the value pluralism of CMES with less focus on money; (5) the link of ES to Human Well-being must not been forgotten; and (6) communication of results and social literacy are key.

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Securing Natural Capital and Human Well-Being: Innovation and Impact in China

Cited by 21 publications

References 10 publications

Does China’s Anti-Poverty Relocation and Settlement Program Benefit Ecosystem Services: Evidence from a Household Perspective

Does China’s Anti-Poverty Relocation and Settlement Program Benefit Ecosystem Services: Evidence from a Household Perspective

The impact on rural livelihoods and ecosystem services of a major relocation and settlement program: A case in Shaanxi, China

The Knowledge Status of Coastal and Marine Ecosystem Services - Challenges, Limitations and Lessons Learned From the Application of the Ecosystem Services Approach in Management

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