Open questions on ecosystem service indicators

Open questions on ecosystem service indicators

Bálint Czúcz, MTA ÖK

EU Biodiversity strategy targetsEU Biodiversity strategy targets

2050 Vision

2020 headline target

1Enhance

implementation of nature legislation

2Restore

ecosystems est. Green

Infrastructure

3Sustainable Agriculture

&Forestry

4Achieve

Maximum sustainable

yield

5Combat

Invasive Alien Species

6Contribute to

averting global biodiversity

loss

ACTIONS

6 Targets:

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Target 2: By 2020, ecosystems and their services are maintained and enhanced through the establishment of Green Infrastructure and the restoration of at least 15% of degraded ecosystems.

Action 5: Member States, with the assistance of the Commission, will map and assess the state of ecosystems and their services in their national territory by 2014, assess the economic value of such services, and promote the integration of these values into accounting and reporting systems at EU and national level by 2020.

Policy Science

Ecosystem services

Operationalization is needed!Operationalization is needed!

• …tradeoff between detail / usefulness

• standardization !!!• conceptual framework

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The matrix approachThe matrix approach

Ecosystem types

Service categories

Urban Cropland Grassland …

Service 1 I1, I2 I3 I3 I4

Service 2 I4 I5, I6, I7

Service 3 I8 I9

…

indicators…

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Standardized objects and servicesStandardized objects and services

• Ecosystem typology: MAES• Broad classes (urban, cropland, grassland, forest…)

• Service classification: CICES

• Conceptual framework

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Standardized objects and servicesStandardized objects and services

• Ecosystem typology: MAES

• Service classification: CICES

• Conceptual framework

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Standardized objects and servicesStandardized objects and services

• Ecosystem typology: MAES

• Service classification: CICES

• Conceptual framework

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the Cascade model…the Cascade model…

Biophysical structure or

process(e.g. woodland habitat or net

primary productivity )

Service(e.g. flood

protection, or harvestable

products)

Service(e.g. flood

protection, or harvestable

products)

Function(e.g. slow

passage of water, or biomass)

Function(e.g. slow

passage of water, or biomass)

Benefit(e.g. contribution to

aspects of well-being such as health and

safety)

Benefit(e.g. contribution to

aspects of well-being such as health and

safety)

Σ Pressures

Value(e.g. willingness to pay

for woodland protection or for more

woodland, or harvestable products)

Value(e.g. willingness to pay

for woodland protection or for more

woodland, or harvestable products)

Limit pressures via policy action?

Potschin and Haines-Young (2011)

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fundamental principle…fundamental principle…

services / indicators – always accounted to the source ecosystem!

(cf. ecological footprint…)

…and now:the open questions

…and now:the open questions

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Open questions…Open questions…• practical aspects of indicators

• levels of indicators

• unusual services

• production boundary issues

• abiotic ESS

• human inputs

• sustainable use

Ecosystem types

Service categories

Urban Cropland Grassland …

Service 1 I1, I2 I3 I3 I4

Service 2 I4 I5, I6, I7

Service 3 I8 I9 I4

…

How many indicators per matrix cell?

Can the same indicator be used

for several services?

Elementary indicators or aggregated

indices?

Practical aspects of the indicators…Practical aspects of the indicators…

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Open questions…Open questions…• practical aspects of indicators

• levels of indicators

• unusual services

• production boundary issues

• abiotic ESS

• human inputs

• sustainable use

Levels of indicators…Levels of indicators…Biophysical structure or

process(e.g. woodland habitat or net

primary productivity )

Service(e.g. flood

protection, or harvestable

products)

Service(e.g. flood

protection, or harvestable

products)

Function(e.g. slow

passage of water, or biomass)

Function(e.g. slow

passage of water, or biomass) Benefit

(e.g. contribution to aspects of well-being

such as health and safety)

Benefit(e.g. contribution to

aspects of well-being such as health and

safety)

Value(e.g. willingness to pay

for woodland protection or for more

woodland, or harvestable products)

Value(e.g. willingness to pay

for woodland protection or for more

woodland, or harvestable products)

Is this the „natural capital”?

What is the main difference

between state and capacity

indicators?

Do we need indicators for ESS

demand?

Indicators for state

Indicators for function(=capacity,potential supply)

Indicators for service

flows(=actual

use)

Is value not just a

benefit indicator

Indicators for benefits

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Open questions…Open questions…• practical aspects of indicators

• levels of indicators

• unusual services

• production boundary issues

• abiotic ESS

• human inputs

• sustainable use

• Issues with disservices/ insurance-type services

(e.g. invasive species, fire, flood…)

• Issues with rarity/uniqueness value(e.g. biodiversity (rare species), cultural values, etc.)

Unusual services…Unusual services…

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Open questions…Open questions…• practical aspects of indicators

• levels of indicators

• unusual services

• production boundary issues

• abiotic ESS

• human inputs

• sustainable use

The production boundary…The production boundary…

EconomyEnvironmentNatural inputs

Residuals

The ‘production boundary’

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Biophysical structure or

process(e.g. woodland habitat or net

primary productivity )

Service(e.g. flood

protection, or harvestable

products)

Service(e.g. flood

protection, or harvestable

products)

Function(e.g. slow

passage of water, or biomass)

Function(e.g. slow

passage of water, or biomass)

Benefit(e.g. contribution to

aspects of well-being such as health and

safety)

Benefit(e.g. contribution to

aspects of well-being such as health and

safety)Value

(e.g. willingness to pay for woodland

protection or for more woodland, or

harvestable products)

Value(e.g. willingness to pay

for woodland protection or for more

woodland, or harvestable products)

The production boundary…The production boundary…

The ‘production boundary’

intermediate(=

supporting) services

goods/ products

The production boundary ?

The production boundary ?

pollinationpest controlsoil fertility

hay…

cropsmeat/milkbiofuels

…

The production boundary…The production boundary…

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The production boundary…The production boundary…

mown

meadow

mixed rural

garden

intensively

managed

arable field

poultry

reared in

battery

cages

yeast in a

barrel of

vine

genetically modified

bacteria producing

insulin in a laboratory

? ? ? ? ?

…?

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Open questions…Open questions…• practical aspects of indicators

• levels of indicators

• unusual services

• production boundary issues

• abiotic ESS

• human inputs

• sustainable use

• Why are solar/wind/minerals/fossil fuels etc not considered an ESS?

• Why is water provision considered as an ESS?

Abiotic services…Abiotic services…

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Accompanying classification of abiotic outputs from natural systems (CICES 4.3)Section Division Group Examples

Abiotic Provisioning

Nutritional abiotic substances Mineral e.g. salt

Non-mineral e.g. sunlight

Abiotic materials Metallic e.g. metal ores

Non-metallic e.g. minerals, aggregates, pigments, building materials (mud/clay)

Energy Renewable abiotic energy sources e.g. wind, waves, hydropower

Non-renewable energy sources e.g. coal, oil, gas

Regulation & Maintenance by natural physical structures and processes

Mediation of waste, toxics and other nuisances

By natural chemical and physical processes

e.g. atmospheric dispersion and dilution; adsorption and sequestration of waters in sediments; screening by natural physical structures

Mediation of flows by natural abiotic structures

By soild (mass), liquid and gaseous (air)flows

e.g. protection by sand and mud flats; topographic control of wind erosion

Maintenance of physical, chemical, abiotic conditions

By natural chemical and physical processes

e.g. land and sea breezes; snow

Cultural settings dependent on abiotic structures

Physical and intellectual interactions with land-/seascapes [physical settings]

By physical and experiential interactions or intellectual and representational interactions

e.g. caves

Spiritual, symbolic and other interactions with land-/seascapes [physical settings]

By type e.g. scared rocks or other physical structures or spaces

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Open questions…Open questions…• practical aspects of indicators

• levels of indicators

• unusual services

• production boundary issues

• abiotic ESS

• human inputs

• sustainable use

• low input – low output…

• huge inputs – high output• fuels, fertilizers, pesticides, machines,

infrastructure, etc.

correct for inputs net ESS

Human inputs…Human inputs…

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• How could human inputs be taken into account?

• What is a common denomiantor for crops / inputs? (…energy?)

Human inputs…Human inputs…

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Open questions…Open questions…• practical aspects of indicators

• levels of indicators

• unusual services

• production boundary issues

• abiotic ESS

• human inputs

• sustainable use

• ESS definition – services supplied in a sustainable way.

• Can ecosystem „goods” extracted in an unsustainable way be considered as ESS? (What about „abiotic ESS”?)

• How can unsustainable overexploitation be noticed?

Sustainable use…Sustainable use…

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Thank Youfor your interest!Thank Youfor your interest!

Contact information:www.openness-project.eu

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