Organizers: Sandra Luque (IRSTEA, France) & Christine Fürst (ZEF Uni Bonn, Germany)
Perceived benefi ts from boreal forest landscapes: the importance of historical legacies for interpretation of ecosystem services. Angelstam, P., Elbakidze, M., Axelsson, R. (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden; per.angelstam@slu.se;
marine.elbakidze@slu.se; robert.axelsson@slu.se).
The emergence of policies about sustainable use of forests and landscape values, as well as global economic change, has expanded the desired range of ecosystem services in the boreal biome. Focusing on boreal regions with different landscapes histories in northwest Russia, Sweden, Norway, and Scotland, we compared the perceived profi les of ecosystem services in one case study landscape in each country. Using focus group discussions and interviews with stakeholders we mapped the current use and future scenarios of desired benefi ts from ecosystems. Linked to the duration of forest landscape history, we observed a steep gradient from modernistic focus on mainly provisioning ecosystem services in terms of material goods and industrial jobs, to a post-modernistic focus based on cultural ecosystem services in terms of non-material values for service jobs. Thus, implementa-tion of sustainable forest management policy requires regionally adapted soluimplementa-tions. To support place- and evidence-based solutions we propose an integrated approach to research and learning towards sustainable use of ecosystem services. This involves iterated research, collaboration among academic and non-academic stakeholders, and communication with and dissemination to society at large. To further research and learning, there is a need to improve the availability and use of data about all sustainability criteria at multiple spatial scales and over time.
Integrating ecosystem services and forest ecological networks into state planning at multiple scales: the experience from Colombia. Armenteras, D., Rodriguez, N. (National University of Colombia, Colombia; darmenterasp@unal.edu.co;
neraso2000@gmail.com), Cediel, M. (Ministry of the Environment, Housing and Territorial Development, Colombia;
MCediel@minambiente.gov.co), Molina, E., Gonzalez, T. (National University of Colombia, Colombia; edumolgo@gmail.com;
tmgonzalezd@unal.edu.co).
Here we present the experience of integrating an ecological dimension, with emphasis on forests, biodiversity (BD), and ecosys-tem services (ES), with a management dimension for an environmental planning tool in Colombia. The fi rst dimension ensures the functioning of ecological processes, ecological integrity, and connectivity, and the second one includes aspects of interagency coordination and public participation in this tropical country. The interactions between these dimensions of work have generated and will continue to create different patterns of landscape use, and accordingly various land management strategies in the country, balancing the supply of natural resources, the needs of society, and the dominant political and economic policies. Meanwhile, society demands the provision of commodities, through regulation that supports ES, but at the same time demands the protection of BD, with policy, management, and conservation planning at all levels. We present the development of a national planning tool based on forest ecological networks as one of the strategies to support environmental land planning at multiple scales. Different elements that comprise a specifi c role in forest ecological networks can be used for BD and ES conservation and for preserving ecological integrity and connectivity and thus the welfare of the population in a complex tropical landscape.
Forest management for ecological restoration and conservation of ecosystem services around Mexico City: an applied, ongoing case study. Avila-Akerberg, V. (Instituto de Ciencias Agropecuarias y Rurales, Mexico; vicaviak@gmail.com), Hernández-Sánchez, P., González-Martínez, T. Almeida-Leñero, L. (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico;
amabel18@yahoo.com; tanyamgm@gmail.com; lucia0950@yahoo.com), Endara-Agramont, Á., Nava-Bernal, G. (Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Mexico; arendaraa@uaemex.mx; gnavab@uaemex.mx), Del Ángel-Muñoz, M., García, X.,
Gómez-Álvarez, E., Ortíz-Fernández, R. (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico; delangel@ciencias.unam.mx;
xarhini9@hotmail.com; eileenfatima.92@comunidad.unam.mx; raquelof@ciencias.unam.mx).
Mexico City possesses half of its territory in conservation areas covered with temperate forests, agricultural lands, and human settlements. These areas provide ecosystem services and goods that are fundamental to the city’s functioning, mainly related to clean air, carbon storage and sequestration, water provision and infi ltration, recreational spaces, and biodiversity conservation.
With a population of more than 21 million inhabitants in Mexico City, its surrounding forested lands face enormous pressure from air pollution, water over-exploitation, and land use changes. We present an integrated proposal towards ecological restoration and conservation of a forested catchment of about 38 000 ha northwest of Mexico City, with a focus on ecosystem services and participatory management. The project involves water and soil conservation works, cropland enrichment through agroforestry, reforestation with native trees, improvement of a tree nursery, and communication materials development such as signs, fl ora and fauna fi eld guides, and a documentary fi lm aimed at raising people’s awareness and participation. For a megacity like the Mexican capital, ensuring ecosystem services such as clean air and water is of crucial importance. However, conservation lines of action must consider people`s social capital improvement at all times, as well as an appreciation of nature’s intrinsic value.
Trade-offs and synergies between ecosystem services in Nordic forests: what does this mean for forest management decisions? Filyushkina, A. (University of Copenhagen, Denmark; anfi @ifro.ku.dk).
The need for integration of various ecosystem services into forest management decisions has been widely acknowledged.
However, due to the complexity of interactions between different ecosystem services, the trade-offs and synergies are not fully understood. This is the basis for valuing the multifunctionality of ecosystems for human well-being. The objective of this study was to provide insights into trade-offs and synergies between different ecosystem services in Nordic forests. The potential implications for forest management decisions are discussed. Data were collected from a systematic review of previous studies and a Delphi survey involving experts on ecosystem services. Ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, recreation and aesthetics, biodiversity, and timber production were assessed against a set of forest stand attributes, which represent changes created by forest management activities in planted forests. The results showed the presence of functional forms that demonstrate synergies and trade-offs between different ecosystem services. The fi ndings revealed the scope for integrative assessments of ecosystem services and their interdependence with forest management decisions.
Forest management at the landscape level: an integrated approach. Frank, S., Fürst, C. (University of Bonn, Germany;
Susanne.Frank@uni-bonn.de; cfuerst@uni-bonn.de), Pietzsch, K. (PiSolution GmbH, Germany; kp@pisolution.de).
Integrated forest management is confronted with the challenge that the contribution of forests to economic and ecological planning targets must be assessed in the context of other land uses, such as urban or agricultural areas. Planners and decision makers have to balance interests of different land use sectors, and between private economic interests and public demands.
Decision support systems have been developed to analyze the effects of changes in the land use pattern and management strategies. Often, temporal dynamics in changing landscapes are not considered in such integrated assessment approaches. With a focus on forest management, we present an approach that facilitates the appraisal of forest growth and yield in 5-year steps.
Output parameters for the assessment of alternative management strategies are, for example, the harvestable stem volume, the fuel value of a landscape, or main assortments. Planners can investigate the effect of forest management strategies in a landscape 1) on the provision of lignocellulosic resources from agriculture, forestry, and urban areas and 2) on several ecosystem services.
Together with foresters, forest managers, and regional planners we develop integrated forest management strategies which contribute to an effi cient resource management.
From forest functions to forest ecosystem services (ES): benefi ts from introducing the ES concept. Fürst, C. (University of Bonn, Germany; cfuerst@uni-bonn.de).
The concept of ecosystem services (ES) has most recently and with increasing success been introduced to land use planning (ESP WG 9 ES in Planning, Management and Restoration). In forestry, however, this concept is still separate from the much more long standing and well approved multifunctionality approach, which attempts in a very similar manner to balance economic considerations against societal and ecological aspects in planning. From a forest management planning perspective, the introduc-tion of the ES concept is therefore not necessarily required. Considering the increasing public participaintroduc-tion interest in natural resources use and design of landscapes, the use of the ES concept might, however, be recommended. By means of a case study, we demonstrate how to assess in a participatory manner forest management strategies with a number of case-study-specifi c ecosystem services and how the outcomes can be introduced in territorial planning. Our conclusion is that embedding the forest multifunctionality concept into and co-evolution with the ES concept in integrated land use planning will be benefi cial to support stakeholder communication, to increase acceptance of forest management requirements, and fi nally to enhance the perception and understanding of the role and contribution of forests to human well-being.
Spatial modeling of ecological-economic tradeoffs: bioenergy production and biodiversity conservation in the Alps. Fuss, S.
(Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change, Germany; fuss@mcc-berlin.net), Kraxner, F., Leduc, S., Forsell, N. (International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Austria; kraxner@iiasa.ac.at; leduc@iiasa.ac.at;
forsell@iiasa.ac.at).
Renewable energy is considered a cornerstone of the European Union (EU) climate change mitigation policy and at the same time is gaining importance in response to moves by Germany, Switzerland, and partially also Italy to distance themselves from nuclear power solutions. According to the Alpine Convention’s Energy Protocol, the Alpine region will make a long-term contribution to meeting Europe’s energy needs. However, other ecosystems services and most notably biodiversity often compete with renewable energy and especially bioenergy/forest management for productive sites and thus there are important tradeoffs to be analyzed and understood to maintain ecosystem functions and services. The study presented used a spatial optimization model to determine the cost-optimal location of bioenergy plants for the production of centralized heating/cooling, electricity, and biofuels under sustainability criteria at different scales (the Alps versus selected Alpine pilot regions, where higher-resolution data are available).
In addition, the analysis did not intend to assign a monetary value to biodiversity and other ecosystems functions, but progres-sively excluded areas from the optimization process according to a ranking of the ecosystem services they provided, thereby tracing out the marginal costs of protecting those areas.
Payment for environmental services aims to combat desertifi cation in Irauçuba, Ceará, Brazil. González Carantón, M.
(Federal University of Paraná, Brazil; marcocaranton@gmail.com).
According to the Brazilian Institute of the Environment, Irauçuba (city located in the Brazilian northeast) is classifi ed as one of the cores of intense desertifi cation, being one of the most arid areas of the world. Therefore, there are problems of overuse or improper use of natural resources such as overgrazing, expansion of monocultures, and the cutting and burning of trees for timber. The frame of payments for environmental services (PES) represents an approach focused on generating positive environ-mental externalities through socioeconomic incentives for custodians of ecosystem resources. In order to propose management tools that seek to solve the problems mentioned before, this paper presents a model of local public management on PES by means of the participation of communities. The study showed important results. First it analyzed the social and environmental impacts of desertifi cation. Then it determined the social and ecological values of environmental services to establish public frames for PES. The valuation gave priority to a dignifi ed and productive livelihood from the arid and semiarid areas. Furthermore, the study proposed an innovative way to change land use by improving forest vegetation. Finally the study suggests important policy-oriented recommendations to combat the social implications of desertifi cation.
Incentive payments for plant biodiversity conservation in forests: dynamic and spatial analysis. Hily, E., Garcia, S., Stenger, A. (National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), France; emeline.hily@gmail.com; serge.garcia@nancy.inra.fr;
anne.stenger@nancy.inra.fr).
Global warming leading to a north-south migration of species casts doubt on current static approaches for biodiversity conserva-tion such as natural protected areas. The aim of this research is to defi ne economically effi cient incentive payments allowing vegetal biodiversity conservation in forests in a context of global warming and privately owned land. A regulator aims at maximising ecological benefi ts (linked to the conservation of a target plant species in its initial natural range as well as in its future northern natural range) under compatible participation and incentive constraints of different forest owners in order to minimize information rents. Thus, defi nition of payments considers heterogeneity of private ownerships as well as forests and species, triggering spatial heterogeneity of conservation costs. In order to guarantee dynamic effectiveness, payments are adapted to the temporal evolution of forests and species due to global warming, triggering temporal heterogeneity of conservation costs.
Defi ning economically and ecologically effi cient incentives requires working at several scales; we model owner decisions whether to participate with biodiversity conservation at the single forest property level and defi ne and differentiate incentive payments at the local and regional scale.
The potential of payment for watershed protection in Ndaka-ini Dam, Murang’a County, Kenya. Kagombe, J. (Kenya Forestry Research Institute, Kenya; jokagombe@yahoo.com), Kungu, J. (Kenyatta University, Kenya; kungujames@gmail.com).
Payment for environmental services (PES) links suppliers and consumers of goods and services from a natural resource in a way that both parties contribute to improved delivery. The study evaluated the feasibility of PES, in particular hydrological services, at Ndaka-ini Dam, the biggest water reservoir for Nairobi city and its environs. The major objective of the study was to determine whether water suppliers and users would participate in watershed protection through PES. This study identifi ed 1) changes in land use and their effects on water quality and quantity, 2) factors that infl uenced willingness of water users to pay for environmental services, 3) environmental services farmers were willing to accept, 4) and economic incentives buyers were willing to provide.
Results showed that land use affected water quality with Nairobi Water Company incurring heavy costs for treatment. Farmers upstream were willing to adopt environmentally friendly conservation practices in return for incentives, while users were willing to provide incentives, though much lower than farmer expectations. However, mechanisms to plough back incentives need to be strengthened. This study gives guidelines for the better adoption of PES as an innovative fi nancing mechanism for better management and conservation of catchments areas.
Ecosystem services in urban forest areas: balancing carbon storage and biodiversity. Lafortezza, R., Pesola, L., Elia, M., Colangelo, G., Sanesi, G. (University of Bari, Italy; raffaele.lafortezza@uniba.it; lucia.pesola@uniba.it; mario.elia@uniba.it;
giuseppe.colangelo@uniba.it; giovanni.sanesi@uniba.it).
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) contains compelling arguments that human well-being largely depends on the services provided by ecosystems and that, in some cases, these services have become so compromised that we can expect negative feedbacks to people. However, in some cases, actions and strategies to enhance the supply of ecosystem services, mainly those focusing on reducing carbon emissions, have led to declines in other services. The MEA approach is based on the notion that resource management involves trade-offs among ecosystem services and that quantitative and scientifi cally based assessment of the trade-offs is essential for sound decision-making. Consequently, there is now considerable interest in establishing new approaches to quantify the trade-offs between ecosystems services, particularly in relation to biodiversity. The approaches must also account for the varying spatial and temporal scales over which management decisions affect ecosystem services. In this paper, we investigate ecosystem services in urban forest areas by analyzing the relationship between carbon storage in biomass and the amount and patterns of biodiversity at different spatial and temporal scales. By understanding this relationship, we should be better able to incorporate ecosystem services into urban areas thus informing land-use and management decisions and to maximize the net benefi ts that ecosystems deliver to urban society.
Spatial-temporal analysis of forest ecosystem services in southern Chile. Locher Krause, K. (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Germany; karlalocher@gmail.com), Lautenbach, S. (University of Bonn and Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Germany; sven.lautenbach@uni-bonn.de), Volk, M. (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Germany; martin.volk@ufz.de), Waske, B. (Free University Berlin, Germany; bwaske@uni-bonn.de).
Globally, forest ecosystems have faced an important process of transformation during the last decades. This transformation has led to a decrease of primary and secondary forest, in terms of their spatial extent and quality, as well as their ability to support ecosystem functions and services. Remote sensing methods can play an important role to identify the transformation of these ecosystems and their driving forces. A time-series analysis of Landsat data (1985–2013) was used to identify the trajectories of forest ecosystems in the south of Chile at a regional scale. Changes were analyzed in the context of the ecosystem service framework. Provisioning (crop production, livestock production), regulating (carbon storage, soil retention, surface water quality), and cultural (forest recreation) ecosystem services were analyzed, taking in account sets of services that appear together. The results show a decrease of primary forest as well as grassland and arable land while exotic forest plantations increased in the entire study area. The impacts of these changes on the selected ecosystem services were assessed together with a tradeoff analysis. This has implications for suitable management and territorial planning in this area which are discussed as well.
Operationalization of the concepts of ecosystem services and natural capital: forest ecosystem functioning and trade-offs. Luque, S. (National Research Institute of Science and Technology for Environment and Agriculture, France;
sandra.luque@irstea.fr).
The concept of ecosystem services (ES) provides a powerful way of examining the interaction between ecosystems and human well-being, which are at the heart of landscape ecology science. Despite improved understanding of the potential of landscapes and their land use systems to provide human well-being and socioeconomic benefi ts, further conceptual and empirical work is needed to translate the concepts into operational frameworks for integrating ES into management and decision-making. The basic ecosystem service/natural capital framework links the ecological system (biophysical structure and function) to the social system (benefi ts and values) and helps explore the multidimensional role that geographical location can have in operationalizing the concept. We will present a range of spatially explicit methods of varying complexity to gain understanding on forest ecosystem functioning and trade-offs in different geographical contexts within the framework of the European Union project OpenNess (http://www.openness-project.eu/).
Exploring the relationship between tree species diversity and forest ecosystem services in the face of climate change. Perez, S., Rammer, W., Seidl, R., Lexer, M. (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Austria; susana.perez@boku.ac.at;
werner.rammer@boku.ac.at; rupert.seidl@boku.ac.at; mj.lexer@boku.ac.at).
The loss of biodiversity in forest ecosystems has motivated ecological research that links biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and the provisioning of ecosystem services (ES). Interest in this topic has been amplifi ed by expected climate changes. However, current scientifi c knowledge of how tree species diversity impacts essential ES is still scant. Furthermore, the potential effects
The loss of biodiversity in forest ecosystems has motivated ecological research that links biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and the provisioning of ecosystem services (ES). Interest in this topic has been amplifi ed by expected climate changes. However, current scientifi c knowledge of how tree species diversity impacts essential ES is still scant. Furthermore, the potential effects