Unpacking Pandora’s Box: Understanding and Categorising Ecosystem Disservices for Environmental Management and Human Wellbeing

Shackleton, Charlie M.; Ruwanza, Sheunesu; Sanni, G. K. Sinasson; Bennett, Scott; Lacy, P. De; Modipa, R.; Mtati, Nosiseko; Sachikonye, Mwazvita T B; Thondhlana, Gladman

doi:10.1007/s10021-015-9952-z

Cited by 275 publications

(236 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Given the absence of an accepted typology for ecosystem disservices (Shackleton et al 2016) and the difficulty of clarifying the meaning of the services identified in the study with the people involved, a future improvement on the current method would be to build such a typology in the context of rural communities in the Amazon.…”

Section: Limitations Of This Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing and mapping cultural ecosystem services at community level in the Colombian Amazon

Angarita-Baéz

Pérez-Miñana

Vargas

et al. 2017

International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Servic

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Understanding the significance that cultural ecosystem services (CES) have for traditional communities will provide useful input to the design of more appropriate regional or territorial plans for the area in which they are located. We conducted semi-structured surveys in 11 indigenous communities within the corregimiento La Pedrera, of the Colombian Amazon. We analysed the CES established in the region through a study of their preferences in relation to the service providing units (SPUs) identified, using the Shannon diversity index method as an indicator of 'diversity of use'. More CES were identified in communities with a larger population; education and recreation were the two most prevalent CES categories in the study area. Our findings also highlight the cultural importance of bodies of water, which were strongly linked with Spiritual and Sense of Place CES. Furthermore, the integration of qualitative and quantitative assessments enables a better understanding of the importance CES which have for the local communities involved in the study and may assist in the management of the indigenous territory.ARTICLE HISTORY

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Section: Limitations Of This Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing and mapping cultural ecosystem services at community level in the Colombian Amazon

Angarita-Baéz

Pérez-Miñana

Vargas

et al. 2017

International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Servic

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“…While an authoritative classification scheme for ecosystem services exists through the MEA [1], a similar classification of ecosystem disservices does not currently exist. In this study, broad categories were used that matched those identified by Shackleton et al [17] along a spectrum of ecosystem origin (biological versus abiotic) and primary dimension of human wellbeing affected (economic, physical health, and aesthetic/cultural), and are broadly similar to disservices previously identified for mangroves in Panama City by López-Angarita et al [19]. The three categories of darkness/gloominess, danger, and disease were tested through a pilot study of 20 documents.…”

Section: Sources Of Historical Information On Mangrove Ecosystem Servmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The majority of ecosystem disservices discussed in these reports (59%) referred to the role of mangroves as a reservoir of disease; since these reports were written before the advent of germ theory in medicine, the main vector of disease was thought to be "miasma", poisonous vapors emitted from decaying matter [21]. Of the ecosystem disservices reported, 28% referred to the general view of mangrove forests as gloomy (or other similar words), suggesting a negative cultural and aesthetic response to the mangrove environment [17]. Ecosystem services were explicitly described in 41% of the reports, 73% of which referred to provisioning services, especially for timber and fuelwood.…”

Section: Sources Of Historical Information On Mangrove Ecosystem Servmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ecosystem disservices have been criticized for being too subjective [14] and hampering conservation efforts [15], and the broader ecosystem services/disservices dichotomy has been criticized for overly simplifying a range of complex and non-linear interactions and processes [16]. Thus, ecosystem disservices have received scant attention within research and decision-making circles [17]. However, insufficient consideration of ecosystem disservices may reduce the success of habitat management [17], and disservices are a useful tool to understand the overall view and perception of ecosystems by a variety of stakeholders, especially for non-monetary aspects and services.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, ecosystem disservices have received scant attention within research and decision-making circles [17]. However, insufficient consideration of ecosystem disservices may reduce the success of habitat management [17], and disservices are a useful tool to understand the overall view and perception of ecosystems by a variety of stakeholders, especially for non-monetary aspects and services. Perceived ecosystem disservices may be influenced by historical and cultural norms, with historical interpretations of nature as an "enemy to civilization, something to be tamed and cultivated in order to be useful for human well-being" [14] (p. 309).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ecosystem Services and Disservices of Mangrove Forests: Insights from Historical Colonial Observations

Friess

2016

Forests

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Ecosystem services are now strongly applied to mangrove forests, though they are not a new way of viewing mangrove-people interactions; the benefits provided by such habitats, and the negative interactions (ecosystem disservices) between mangroves and people have guided perceptions of mangroves for centuries. This study quantified the ecosystem services and disservices of mangroves as written by colonial explorers from 1823-1883 through a literature survey of 96 expedition reports and studies. Ecosystem disservices were most commonly discussed (60%), with settlers considering mangroves as reservoirs of diseases such as malaria, with wide-ranging implications, such as the global drainage of wetlands in the 19th-20th centuries. Multiple ecosystem services were discussed, especially provisioning services for export, representing colonial views of new lands as ripe for economic use. Interestingly, regulating services of mangroves such as erosion control and sediment accretion that are a focus of much contemporary research were recognized as early as 1865. This study shows that the ecosystem service paradigm has a long history in mangroves. We should not underestimate mangrove ecosystem disservices, and how contemporary perceptions of mangroves may be influenced by such historical viewpoints. Archival materials provide a rich resource to study human-environment interactions, and how they change through time.

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Managers' perceptions of protected area outcomes in Madagascar highlight the need for species monitoring and knowledge transfer

Pyhälä

Eklund

McBride

et al. 2019

Conservation Science and Practice

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Considerable effort has gone into assessing the effectiveness of protected areas (PAs) in preventing biodiversity loss, and PA impacts on local communities. However, little is known about how pressures are being perceived and dealt with by local PA managers and what perceptions managers have of biodiversity trends and human‐induced pressures in the PAs they manage. We surveyed and convened a workshop with PA managers in Madagascar asking about the impacts of PA establishment. The managers reported that PAs have been successful in reducing threats. However, managers lacked specific knowledge of trends in species abundance, reporting the need for more species monitoring and knowledge transfer from scientific researchers. We argue that greater collaboration and exchange of knowledge between researchers, managers, and local communities is necessary to ensure that PA effectiveness research is of practical value and contributes to improved PA outcomes.

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Unpacking Pandora’s Box: Understanding and Categorising Ecosystem Disservices for Environmental Management and Human Wellbeing

Cited by 275 publications

References 40 publications

Assessing and mapping cultural ecosystem services at community level in the Colombian Amazon

Assessing and mapping cultural ecosystem services at community level in the Colombian Amazon

Ecosystem Services and Disservices of Mangrove Forests: Insights from Historical Colonial Observations

Managers' perceptions of protected area outcomes in Madagascar highlight the need for species monitoring and knowledge transfer

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