Rosimeiry Portela

Global Conservation of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

ABSTRACT Habitat destruction has driven much of the current biodiversity extinction crisis, and it compromises the essential benefits, or ecosystem services, that humans derive from functioning ecosystems. Securing both species and ecosystem services might be accomplished with common solutions. Yet it is unknown whether these two major conservation objectives coincide broadly enough worldwide to enable global strategies for both goals to gain synergy. In this article, we assess the concordance between these two objectives, explore how the concordance varies across different regions, and examine the global potential for safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystem services simultaneously. We find that published global priority maps for biodiversity conservation harbor a disproportionate share of estimated terrestrial ecosystem service value (ESV). Overlap of biodiversity priorities and ESV varies among regions, and in areas that have high biodiversity priority but low ESV, specialized conservation approaches are necessary. Overall, however, our findings suggest opportunities for safeguarding both biodiversity and ecosystem services. Sensitivity analyses indicate that results are robust to known limitations of available ESV data. Capitalizing on these opportunities will require the identification of synergies at fine scales, and the development of economic and policy tools to exploit them.

Modeling the dynamics of the integrated earth system and the value of global ecosystem services using the GUMBO model

A global unified metamodel of the biosphere (GUMBO) was developed to simulate the integrated earth system and assess the dynamics and values of ecosystem services. It is a ‘metamodel’ in that it represents a synthesis and a simplification of several existing dynamic global models in both the natural and social sciences at an intermediate level of complexity. The current version of the model contains 234 state variables, 930 variables total, and 1715 parameters. GUMBO is the first global model to include the dynamic feedbacks among human technology, economic production and welfare, and ecosystem goods and services within the dynamic earth system. GUMBO includes modules to simulate carbon, water, and nutrient fluxes through the Atmosphere, Lithosphere, Hydrosphere ,a ndBiosphere of the global system. Social and economic dynamics are simulated within the Anthroposphere. GUMBO links these five spheres across eleven biomes, which together encompass the entire surface of the planet. The dynamics of eleven major ecosystem goods and services for each of the biomes are simulated and evaluated. Historical calibrations from 1900 to 2000 for 14 key variables for which quantitative time-series data was available produced an average R 2 of 0.922. A range of future scenarios representing different assumptions about future technological change, investment strategies and other factors have been simulated. The relative value of ecosystem services in terms of their contribution to supporting both conventional economic production and human well-being more broadly defined were estimated under each scenario, and preliminary conclusions drawn. The value of global ecosystem services was estimated to be about 4.5 times the value of Gross World Product (GWP) in the year 2000 using this approach. The model can be downloaded and run on the average PC to allow users to explore for themselves the complex dynamics of the system and the full range of policy assumptions and scenarios.

A Methodology for Adaptable and Robust Ecosystem Services Assessment

Ecosystem Services (ES) are an established conceptual framework for attributing value to the benefits that nature provides to humans. As the promise of robust ES-driven management is put to the test, shortcomings in our ability to accurately measure, map, and value ES have surfaced. On the research side, mainstream methods for ES assessment still fall short of addressing the complex, multi-scale biophysical and socioeconomic dynamics inherent in ES provision, flow, and use. On the practitioner side, application of methods remains onerous due to data and model parameterization requirements. Further, it is increasingly clear that the dominant “one model fits all” paradigm is often ill-suited to address the diversity of real-world management situations that exist across the broad spectrum of coupled human-natural systems. This article introduces an integrated ES modeling methodology, named ARIES (ARtificial Intelligence for Ecosystem Services), which aims to introduce improvements on these fronts. To improve conceptual detail and representation of ES dynamics, it adopts a uniform conceptualization of ES that gives equal emphasis to their production, flow and use by society, while keeping model complexity low enough to enable rapid and inexpensive assessment in many contexts and for multiple services. To improve fit to diverse application contexts, the methodology is assisted by model integration technologies that allow assembly of customized models from a growing model base. By using computer learning and reasoning, model structure may be specialized for each application context without requiring costly expertise. In this article we discuss the founding principles of ARIES - both its innovative aspects for ES science and as an example of a new strategy to support more accurate decision making in diverse application contexts.

A dynamic model of patterns of deforestation and their effect on the ability of the Brazilian Amazonia to provide ecosystem services

This paper presents a dynamic systems model that shows how different land use patterns degrade the value of ecosystem services provided by the Brazilian Amazonia. The model consists of four sectors: (1) deforestation drivers; (2) land use/cover; (3) ecosystem services; and (4) ecosystem valuation. The deforestation drivers sector models the economic and social incentives that small farmers and large pasture investors have for clearing the forest. The land use/cover sector shows how these different groups clear land, and further shows how patterns of forest succession and associated biomass differ by primary land use type. Different land use patterns greatly impact the quality and economic value of ecosystem services. These impacts are dealt with in the ecosystem services sector, which models the region’s hydrological cycle, the nutrient cycle, carbon sequestration capacity, and species diversity. Calculations are made in the ecosystem valuation sector according to a reference monetary value for these ecosystem services. The model calculates the change in these values according to the land use practices that occur over time. Findings show that over a 100-year simulation, forest area remains about 44% of original area with pasture and abandoned pasture becoming the dominant land cover. The value of ecosystem services declines from

Recreational, Cultural and Aesthetic Services from Estuarine and Coastal Ecosystems

1431 to

12.04 – Environmental Benefit Transfers of Ecosystem Service Valuation

658 and

Research Spotlight: Designing nature-based mitigation to promote multiple benefits

781 ha − 1 year − 1 for agriculture and pasture, respectively. These findings are compared to annual revenue derived from different land use practices for which land was cleared in the Brazilian Amazonia. In the context of these findings, the authors discuss how an explicit monetary valuation of ecosystem services could create positive incentives for land stewardship and conservation.

Assessing biophysical and economic dimensions of societal value: an example for water ecosystem services in Madagascar

The role of economic analysis in guiding the sustainable development of estuarine and coastal ecosystems is investigated based on a comprehensive review of the literature on the valuation of the recreation, cultural and aesthetic services. The implications of the findings for the sustainable management of coral reefs, Marine Protected Areas, and Small Island Developing States are discussed. Finally, the potential of meta-analytical benefit transfer and scaling up of values at various aggregation levels is demonstrated in the context of coastal tourism and recreation in Europe. The results of the study support the conclusion that the non-material values provided by coastal and estuarine ecosystems in terms of recreational, cultural and aesthetic services represent a substantial component of human well-being.

Targeting and implementing payments for ecosystem services: opportunities for bundling biodiversity conservation with carbon and water services in Madagascar.

Benefit transfer has been widely used to inform economically efficient environmental decision making, being considered an imperfect, yet valid, alternative to conducting primary valuation research. Our objective in this chapter is to review the application of benefit transfer in valuing ecosystem services. First, we discuss three recent trends in the field: geographic information system (GIS)-supported point transfer, integrated dynamic modeling-function transfer, and meta-analysis. Following this, we carry out a literature survey of the benefit transfer cases in the Environmental Valuation Reference Inventory revealing that (1) benefit transfers, defined in a broad sense, are often used in combination with primary research to estimate ecosystem service values, (2) compared to the cases that conduct primary research, benefit transfer studies are more capable of valuing multiple ecosystem services, and (3) only 11% of the transfer studies have conducted validity tests. This situation of few validity tests is worrisome, considering the fact that the implementation of transfer value techniques is often dictated not only by limited resources for conducting primary studies, but also by whether transfer errors are small enough to provide acceptable accuracy for the task at hand. Errors on the order of 30–40% are believed to be acceptable, yet we argue that this number should also be varied depending on the policy context. We conclude the chapter with two cases studies: a GIS-supported point transfer in valuing the ecosystem services in the US state of New Jersey and a meta-analysis of contingent valuation studies in valuing ecosystem services of coastal and nearshore marine ecosystems.

Vulnerability and adaptation of US shellfisheries to ocean acidification

By promoting the conservation and restoration of natural ecosystems, policymakers have a unique opportunity to mitigate climate change while providing social and environmental benefits. Here we highlight how nature-based mitigation strategies for multiple benefits can be supported by three key areas of scientific research, drawing upon examples of research by Conservation International and its partners. First, monitoring of ecosystems can quantify the magnitude of emissions released from conversion and degradation, and can inform prioritization and planning efforts. Second, understanding the synergies and tradeoffs between climate change mitigation and other ecosystem benefits can aid in designing policy instruments, selecting management techniques and geographically targeting actions. And third, research on the design of policies, incentives and practices can enhance mitigation initiatives’ provision of both climate and noncarbon benefits. Achieving multiple benefits can in turn increase the sustainability of and investment in nature-based mitigation.