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s Ecology of Ecosystem Services

John DonaldsonApplied Biodiversity Research, SANBI

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sECOLOGY IN CONTEXT

The concept of Ecosystem Services started as a useful metaphor to help us think about our attitude to nature

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sECOLOGY IN CONTEXT• Ecosystem Services is no longer just about

putting a value on nature

“Throw in some pollination services and I’ll take it”

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sECOLOGY IN CONTEXT

• The predominant view is of nature as a stock that provides a flow of particular services

• The assumption that we can manage and even optimize our interaction with nature to deliver services requires a profound understanding of ecological systems

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DEFINITION

CHARACTERIZATION

VALUATION

MAPPING/ PLANNING

PAYMENTS (UNLOCKING BENEFITS)

SUSTAINABILITY E

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ECOLOGY AS A BASE

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sDEFINITION

Ecosystem services are….

“the conditions and processes through which natural ecosystems, and the species that make them up, sustain and fulfillhuman life”. (Daily 1997)

..” the benefits people obtain from ecosystems”

(Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2004)

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sCHARACTERISATION

= A description of qualities or peculiarities

Supporting• Nutrient cycling• Soil formation• Primary production• ……

Provisioning• Food• Freshwater• Wood & Fiber• ……

Regulating• Climate regulation• Flood regulation• Disease regulation• ……

Cultural• Aesthetic• Spiritual• Educational• ……

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

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The list of ecosystem services is long and varied, and most of them have not been characterised or quantified

= A description of qualities or peculiarities

CHARACTERISATION

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sPAYMENTS FOR E.S.An agreement between a buyer and a seller to exchange an asset or obtain a service for payment.

• What exactly is the asset?• What are the specs (how do I compare it to competitors)• Will it do what I want it to? • Will it last- does it come with a maintenance plan?

or

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sBEHIND THE SCENES

Yu-Hwa Chena, Fei-Yu Kuoa and Szu-Hua Wanga

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ACTUAL QUESTIONS RELATING TO ACARBON SEQUESTRATION PROJECT

• Can you verify how much carbon is stored?

• Can you verify associated biodiversity benefits?

• What is the likelihood that these benefits will be maintained over time?

• Are there any impacts on the environment?

or

PAYMENTS FOR E.S.

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sBIG QUESTIONS

• What is the Link between Biological Diversity & ecosystem services

• Are there Trade-offs between ecosystem services (based on their ecology)

• Are there Critical Thresholds for delivery of ecosystem services

• Are there any unifying principles / theories

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sECOLOGY & SERVICES

Diaz et al (2006)

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sECOLOGY & SERVICES

Biodiversity (e.g. species richness)

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From: Isbell et al. 2011.High plant diversity is needed to maintain ecosystem services. Nature, 2011

Species Diversity is Critical for Maintaining Multiple Ecosystem Services

• 17 of the largest and longest-running biodiversity experiments, combining data on 147 species

• In any one context, required a minimum of 27% of species

• In multiple contexts, 84% of species were necessary to maintain the same functions

BIODIVERITY & E.S.

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From:Reich et al. 2012. Impacts of Biodiversity Loss Escalate Through Time as Redundancy Fades. Science 336

Diversity of Species is Key to Maintaining Ecosystem Services over Time

• every additional species in a plot contributed to a gradual increase in both soil fertility and biomass production over a 14-year period.

BIODIVERITY & E.S.

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sBIODIVERITY & E.S.

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Hooper et al. 2012. A global synthesis reveals biodiversity loss as a major driver of ecosystem change. Nature, 2012

Accumulated Loss of Species Threatens Provision of Ecosystem Services

• Synthesis of 192 studies globally

• Moderate local species losses (21- 40%) reduce plant growth by up to 10 % (=climate warming and UV projections)

• Higher levels of local extinction (41 -60%) result in significant changes

BIODIVERITY & E.S.

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sTRADE-OFFSEcosystem Stocks

Carbon sequestration

Pollination services

Water provision

Flow of servicesB

EN

EFITS

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sTRADE-OFFS (pollination)

Pollination Water provision

Biodiversity

crops

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Raudsepp-Hearnea et al. 2010. Ecosystem service bundles for analyzing tradeoffs in diverse landscapes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science

TRADE-OFFS

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• Strong tradeoffs between ecosystem services, especially between provisioning services & regulating services

• Tradeoffs are not inescapable, could be managed

Raudsepp-Hearnea et al. 2010. Ecosystem service bundles for analyzing tradeoffs indiverse landscapes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science

TRADE-OFFS

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• One of the challenges for Ecosystem Services is developing theories and frameworks that can address relationships so that it is possible to explain how a change in one variable will influence the other variables in the system.

• The multidimensional nature of ecosystem services means that any explanation of one component (ecological, economic or social) is dependent on relationships within and between other components

E.S. COMPLEXITY

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sE.S. COMPLEXITY

Strong species dependence

Functional groups/ structure

Site Level

Inputs to production PaymentsM

ulti stakeholder/C

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Landowner/

simple

Social dynam

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Biodiversity link to Ecosystem Services

Economics

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sGENERAL

Site Level

Strong species dependence

Functional groups/ structure

Inputs to production Payments

Multi stakeholder/

Com

plexLandow

ner/ sim

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Social dynam

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Biodiversity link to Ecosystem Services

Economics

Managed bees pollination

Wild pollination

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sCONCLUSIONS

• The development of ecosystem service applications must be supported by investment in an understanding of the ecology of the systems from which services are derived.

• Even if the complexity of ecosystems needs to be simplified to inform markets, we must not forget that we are dealing with ecological systems

• “Project-scale” ecosystem services analysis that assumes ecological and economic equilibrium will not result in the sustainable benefits we seek

• There is still considerable uncertainty regarding the characteristics and quantities of most ecosystem services, which presents a challenge for conservation planning

• Planning approaches

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THANK YOU