Temporal patterns in ecosystem services research: A review and three recommendations

Tourists' valuation of nature in protected areas: A systematic review

In the face of biodiversity loss, it is crucial to broaden the arguments for conservation of protected areas by acknowledging diverse values of nature. We systematically reviewed empirical studies to investigate tourists' values of nature in protected areas over time and across regions. To do so, we explored (1) the main ecological and social characteristics of the case studies; (2) methodological approaches; and (3) value types. Based on the review of 152 articles, we found that economic valuation has received the most scientific attention, while socio-cultural valuation approaches have recently increased. Values were primarily elicited and analyzed quantitatively and in monetary metrics, although valuation methods and frameworks have diversified over the past two decades. However, considering the role of valuation methods and frameworks as value-articulating institutions, we suggest that future research on nature valuation also applies qualitative and non-monetary methods, elicits diverse values, and conducts plural valuation.

Ecological function zoning of Nansi Lake Basin in China based on ecosystem service bundles

Ecological function zoning is an essential means of scientific management of ecosystems. According to the characteristics of ecological function zoning, implementing zoning control is conducive to the governance and protection of the ecological environment and the maintenance of ecological sustainability. This study was conducted with the Nansi Lake Basin as the cross-section for 2018. The Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs model was adopted to assess and measure five ecosystem services, including water yield, crop production, soil conservation, carbon storage and carbon sequestration, and habitat quality. The Self-Organizing Feature Maps neural network was applied to obtain the ecosystem service bundles, and then, the ecological function zones were divided. The results indicated that the overall spatial pattern of ecosystem services in the study zone showed a decreasing schema from east to west; There was a trade-off between supply services and support services and a synergy between supply services and regulatory services; according to the bundling results, the Nansi Lake Basin was divided into four ecological functional zones: the eastern ecological surplus zone, the central crop supply zone, the western ecological balance zone, and the lake habitat protection zone. The results showed that (1) the spatial distribution of various ecosystem services in the Nansi Lake Basin showed spatial heterogeneity and specific regional laws, showing a decreasing pattern from the east to the west as a whole, especially in soil conservation, carbon sequestration, and habitat quality. (2) According to the supply and spatial distribution of each ecosystem service, the Nansi Lake Basin was divided into four ecological functional zones: the eastern ecological surplus zone, the central crop supply zone, the western ecological balance zone, and the lake habitat protection zone. (3) For zone I, provisioning services and regulation services were in synergy. For zone II and zone III, the provisioning service had a trade-off relationship with the regulation service and the supporting service. For zone IV, supporting services were trade-offs not only with provisioning services but also with regulating services. In general, the trade-offs between ecosystem service in the Nansi Lake Basin were stronger than the synergies, and the overall benefits of ecosystem services were smaller. Relying on the perspective of the ecosystem service bundles, at the county level, this study provided an analysis of the trade-offs and synergies among ecosystem services in the Nansi Lake Basin, which helped formulate the management plan for the corresponding region and provided the appropriate recommendations for regional habitat conservation and restoration.

Assessing Regional Ecosystem Conditions Using Geospatial Techniques-A Review

Ecosystem conditions at the regional level are critical factors for environmental management, public awareness, and land use decision making. Regional ecosystem conditions may be examined from the perspectives of ecosystem health, vulnerability, and security, as well as other conceptual frameworks. Vigor, organization, and resilience (VOR) and pressure-stress-response (PSR) are two commonly adopted conceptual models for indicator selection and organization. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is primarily used to determine model weights and indicator combinations. Although there have been many successful efforts in assessing regional ecosystems, they remain affected by a lack of spatially explicit data, weak integration of natural and human dimensions, and uncertain data quality and analyses. In the future, regional ecosystem condition assessments may be advanced by incorporating recent improvements in spatial big data and machine learning to create more operative indicators based on Earth observations and social metrics. The collaboration between ecologists, remote sensing scientists, data analysts, and scientists in other relevant disciplines is critical for the success of future assessments.

Mapping lake ecosystem services: A systematic review

Lake ecosystems are essential for human wellbeing and development for their capacity to provide multiple ecosystem services (ES). However, because of an anthropogenic-driven ecologic degradation, the sustainable supply of lake ES is at risk. It is, therefore, necessary to restore lake ecosystems and their ES for the sustainable support of future generations. There is a lack of knowledge about mapping lakes ES at the global level. This study conducts a systematic literature review focused on mapping lake ES. Initially, 617 studies were identified. However, only 30 studies were considered. The 30 studies identified were published between 2015 and 2021. Most of them were conducted in Asia, followed by Europe and America. The selected works covered all three Common International Classification of ES sections (regulating and maintenance, provisioning and cultural). We identified a similar number of works carried out in all the sections. Most of the studies were performed at a regional scale and focused on ES supply. Methodologically, an equal number of works followed qualitative and quantitative approaches. In total, 13 different methods were identified. The most used were the ES value (ESV) and biophysical modelling. Less than half of the works that applied the ESV method mapped all the ES analysed. Among the studies assessed, most were focused on environmental and socio-economic aspects. Only 1 study attempted to validate the results. Overall, 16 studies assessed the drivers of change impacts on ES supply. Nevertheless, only 1 considered climate change. The other 15 only considered land-use changes. This systematic review showed that a small number of works focused on lake ES mapping. Although challenging, there is an urgent global need for studies in this domain.

Influencing factors of the supply-demand relationships of carbon sequestration and grain provision in China: Does land use matter the most?

The provision of ecosystem services (ESs) such as carbon sequestration and grain provision are critical components to sustainable development. Reaching carbon neutrality generally requires the growing carbon sequestration of forest land, and feeding a growing population needs an expansion of cultivated land. However, limited land resources may lead to a contradiction between the carbon sequestration and grain provision. China has proposed long-term and large-scale land use programs, and exploring whether these land use policies are effective for ES sustainable provision would be instructive for future policy implications. This study integrated multi-source data in the socioecological dimension to determine the extent by which land use and land use change influence the supply-demand mismatches of carbon (carbon sequestration and emission) and grain (grain provision and consumption) in China at the provincial level. The result showed that the total quantity of carbon emissions surpassed carbon sequestration and the grain provision could cover the consumption from 2000 to 2015. Spatially, southeastern coastal provinces had higher grain deficits and northeast provinces had higher carbon deficits. This study further detected the influencing factors of the mismatches between the supply and demand of the two ESs. Excluding land use factors, our results showed that social factors contributed 38% and 47% to the supply-demand mismatches of carbon and grain, respectively, and natural factors contributed 39% and 15%, respectively. During 2000-2005, 2005-2010, and 2010-2015, cropland changes significantly affected grain balance, while forest land changes did not significantly affect carbon balance. These results indicated that cropland protections are vital to food safety, and carbon emission reductions should be the focus for carbon balance. Finally, this study makes policy suggestions for land use and ecosystem management, and a future research framework was proposed to help mitigate ES supply-demand imbalance.

Spatiotemporal Variability of Human Disturbance Impacts on Ecosystem Services in Mining Areas

Human activities pose significant impacts on ecosystem services (ESs) in mining areas, which will continually increase over time and space. However, the mechanism of ES change on spatiotemporal scales post-disturbance remains unclear, especially in the context of global climate change. Here, we conducted a global literature review on the impact of two of the most frequent disturbance factors (mining and restoration) on 27 different ESs, intending to synthesize the impacts of human disturbance on ESs in mining areas via a meta-analysis, and analyze the spatiotemporal variability of ESs after disturbance. We screened 3204 disturbance studies published on the Web of Science between 1950 and 2020 and reviewed 340 in detail. The results of independence test showed that human disturbance had a significant impact on ESs in the mining areas (p < 0.001). The impacts (positive and/or negative) caused by mining and restoration differed considerably among ESs (even on the same ESs). Additionally, spatiotemporal scales of human disturbance were significantly related to spatiotemporal scales of ES change (p < 0.001). We found that the positive and negative impacts of disturbances on ESs may be interconversion under specific spatiotemporal conditions. This seems to be associated with spatiotemporal variability, such as the temporal lag, spatial spillover, and cumulative spatiotemporal effects. Climate changes can lead to further spatiotemporal variability, which highlights the importance of understanding the changes in ESs post-disturbance on spatiotemporal scales. Our research presents recommendations for coping with the twofold pressure of climate change and spatiotemporal variability, to understand how ESs respond to human disturbance at spatiotemporal scales in the future, and manage disturbances to promote sustainable development in mining areas.

Assessment of Value Changes and Spatial Differences in Land Use Based on an Empirical Survey in the Manas River Basin

Land integration is an important means of increasing the multifunctional value of arable land. The scientific measurement of the integrative value of arable land before and after land consolidation can improve farmers’ overall understanding of the value of arable land, increase their awareness of arable land protection, and encourage them to implement arable land protection policies. Additionally, it can provide a theoretical basis for the formulation of reasonable compensation standards for arable land in various areas of the Manas River Basin and effectively promote the use of the “Shawan model”. In this paper, the sample used for the survey was made up of 380 farmers from 10 villages in three different regions of Shawan City (county-level city). The participatory farmer assessment (PRA) method was used to conduct a detailed investigation of the integration of farmers’ cultivated land, while the landscape pattern index method was used to analyze the intensity of the cultivated land integration pattern. By constructing a measurement system for the integrative value of cultivated land and adding up the economic, pro-ecological, and social values before and after the integration of the cultivated land, estimated using the income reduction method, the equivalent factor method, and the shadow engineering method, we found that the cultivated land in each region of Shawan City (county-level city) was more effectively integrated, the scale of the field expanded, the shape of the patches tended to be more regular, and the field surface more flat. However, the degree of integration varied from region to region, with the degree of integration from the largest to the smallest as follows: oasis agricultural zone > oasis/desert ecological zone > hilly zone. We found that the integration of cultivated land has a significant effect on the integrated value of cultivated land, and the value of cultivated land in different regions showed different degrees of improvement after integration. The cultivated land of villages located in the oasis/desert ecotone showed a significant overall improvement after integration, followed by cultivated land in the oasis agricultural area. The value of cultivated land increased significantly, while the value of cultivated land in the hilly area showed less improvement after integration. The value of cultivated land integration in different regions is related to the intensity of the cultivated land integration, the per capita cultivated land area, the ecosystem biomass, and the crop planting area. The purpose of this paper is to effectively diagnose and promote the “Shawan Model” (land integration), formulate reasonable compensation standards for cultivated land in different regions of the Manas River Basin, and implement cultivated land protection policies.

In-Situ and Ex-Situ Biodiversity Conservation in Ecuador: A Review of Policies, Actions and Challenges

Biodiversity is vital for the stability of the planet; its ecosystem services provide essential elements for our survival and well-being. This review analyzes the national biodiversity policies and describes the main strategies for biodiversity conservation in Ecuador, one of the “mega-diverse” countries in the world with the highest species density. It deepens an analysis of in-situ and ex-situ conservation processes. Ecuador has six clear policies for biodiversity conservation. These policies strengthen biodiversity conservation through mechanisms that improve the well-being of wildlife by ensuring human, wildlife and ecosystem health. It promotes actions for the welfare of wildlife, through technical, administrative and legal tools. The National System of Protected Areas, with 60 protected areas, is the most effective in-situ conservation instrument at the country level. Several ex-situ conservation and management means for the conservation of wild species are being utilized, including nurseries, botanical gardens, zoos, germplasm banks, aquariums, species reproduction and rehabilitation centers. Ecuador is making slow progress on ex-situ conservation despite the availability of a sound policy framework, possibly due to financial, infrastructural, and/or technological challenges, and knowledge gaps. We propose fostering international research collaborations and establishing fully funded small-scale captive breeding programs at zoos, aquariums and university research facilities to help recovery of at-risk species of reptiles, amphibians, fish and species beyond Galapagos region. We recommend utilizing citizen science programs to fill the gaps of biodiversity information and increasing efforts to revive the ex-situ conservation strategies in protecting the unique biodiversity of Ecuador.

Biomimicry for Regenerative Built Environments: Mapping Design Strategies for Producing Ecosystem Services

: Built environment professionals must solve urgent and complex problems related to mitigating and adapting to climate change and biodiversity loss. Cities require redesign and retrofit so they can become complex systems that create rather than diminish ecological and societal health. One way to do this is to strategically design buildings and cities to generate and provide ecosystem services. This is an aspect of biomimicry, where whole ecosystems and their functions are emulated, in order to positively shift the ecological performance of buildings and urban settings. A small number of methodologies and frameworks for ecosystem services design have been proposed, but their use is not wide spread. A key barrier is the lack of translational work between ecology concepts and practical examples of ecosystem services design for a built environment context. In response, this paper presents research underpinning the creation of a qualitative relational diagram in an online interactive format that relates ecosystem services concepts to design strategies, concepts, technologies, and case studies in a format for use by built environment professionals. The paper concludes that buildings and whole cities should be expected to become active contributors to socio-ecological systems because, as the diagram shows, many strategies and technologies to enable this already exist.