Exploring operational ecosystem service definitions: The case of boreal forests

Autor: Kurt Jax, Heli Saarikoski, Petteri Vihervaara, Laura Mononen, Eeva Primmer, Eeva Furman, David N. Barton, Paula A. Harrison
Rok vydání: 2015
Předmět:
0106 biological sciences
hyöty
Geography
Planning and Development

final ecosystem services
Total human ecosystem
010501 environmental sciences
Management
Monitoring
Policy and Law

arvo
010603 evolutionary biology
01 natural sciences
kulttuuripalvelut
Ecosystem services
tapaustutkimus
provisioning services
Goods and services
Suomi
boreal forests
Ecosystem
määrittely
luokitukset
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Nature and Landscape Conservation
palvelut
Global and Planetary Change
Ecosystem health
Ecological economics
taloudellinen arviointi
Ecology
business.industry
Environmental resource management
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
regulating services
15. Life on land
cultural services
metsät
Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous)
Ecosystem valuation
ekosysteemipalvelut
boreaalinen vyöhyke
Cascade model
ta1181
business
Zdroj: Ecosystem Services. 14:144-157
ISSN: 2212-0416
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoser.2015.03.006
Popis: Despite the widespread use of the concept of ecosystem services, there is still much uncertainty over the precise understanding of basic terms such as ‘ecosystem services’, ‘benefits’ and ‘values’. This paper examines alternative ways of defining and classifying ecosystem services by using the specific example of boreal forests in Finland. We find the notion of final ecosystem goods and services (FEGS) operable, and suggest using it in economic valuation and other priority setting contexts, as well as in the selection of indicators. However, in the context of awareness raising it might be more effective to retain the well-established terminology of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Our analysis shows that the cascade model ( Potschin and Haines-Young, 2011. Progress in Physical Geography 35(5), 575–594 ) is helpful in distinguishing between ecosystem structures, processes, services, benefits and values by making the sequence of links visible. Johnston and Russell’s (2011. Ecological Economics 70(12), 2243–2249) operational mechanism for determining FEGSs proves also instrumental in separating intermediate (e.g. carbon sequestration) and final ecosystem services (e.g. reduction of atmospheric carbon). However, we find their definition of importance, which is based on willingness to pay, too narrow. Furthermore, we favour the CICES approach, which defines ecosystem services as the direct contributions that ecosystems – whether natural or semi-natural – make to human well-being.
Databáze: OpenAIRE