Selecting methods for ecosystem service assessment: A decision tree approach

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

  • Paula A. Harrison
  • Rob Dunford
  • David N. Barton
  • Eszter Kelemen
  • Lisa Norton
  • Mette Termansen
  • Heli Saarikoski
  • Kees Hendriks
  • Erik Gómez-Baggethun
  • Bálint Czúcz
  • Marina García-Llorente
  • David Howard
  • Sander Jacobs
  • Martin Karlsen
  • Leena Kopperoinen
  • Andes Madsen
  • Graciela Rusch
  • Michiel van Eupen
  • Peter Verweij
  • Ron Smith
  • Diana Tuomasjukka
  • Grazia Zulian

A range of methods are available for assessing ecosystem services. Methods differ in their aims; from mapping and modelling the supply and demand of ecosystem services to appraising their economic and non-economic importance through valuation techniques. Comprehensive guidance for the selection of appropriate ecosystem service assessment methods that address the requirements of different decision-making contexts is lacking. This paper tackles this gap using the experience from 27 case studies which applied different biophysical, socio-cultural and monetary valuation methods to operationalise the ecosystem service concept towards sustainable land, water and urban management. A survey of the reasons why the case study teams selected particular methods revealed that stakeholder-oriented reasons, such as stakeholder participation, inclusion of local knowledge and ease of communication, and decision-oriented reasons, such as the purpose of the case study and the ecosystem services at stake, were key considerations in selecting a method. Pragmatic reasons such as available data, resources and expertise were also important factors. This information was used to develop a set of linked decision trees, which aim to provide guidance to researchers and practitioners in choosing ecosystem service assessment methods that are suitable for their context.

Original languageEnglish
JournalEcosystem Services
Volume29
Issue numberC
Pages (from-to)481-498
Number of pages18
ISSN2212-0416
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 02.2018

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Nachhaltige Unternehmensentwicklung im Mittelstand
  2. Frauen- und Männerbilder im Fernsehen der 90er Jahre
  3. "Occupational eMental Health" in der Lehrergesundheit
  4. Gelingensbedingungen von Schulentwicklungsprojekten
  5. Influence of family presence on expatriate outcomes
  6. Internet-Based Prevention of Depression in Employees
  7. Cultural Heritage and the Rejuvenation of Spa Towns
  8. Finance and Justice in Low-Carbon Energy Transitions
  9. Feministische Kommunikations- und Medienwissenschaft
  10. The Creative Potential of Multilingual Picturebooks
  11. A synthesis for everyone: 5 years of work in Romania
  12. Corporate Sustainability in International Comparison
  13. Institutional Perspectives on Digital Transformation
  14. An advanced measure of moral sensitivity in business
  15. The Integration of Wheelchair Users in Team Handball
  16. Family firm identity and capital structure decisions
  17. Zur motivatorischen Wirkung von Unternehmensvisionen
  18. Werte und Normen: Paradigmenwechsel im Bankmanagement?
  19. Der Belegschaftskultur-Ansatz und die Links-Volkskunde
  20. Berater für generationengerechte Assistenzsysteme (m/w)
  21. Nonlinear Dynamics of Reading and Text Comprehension
  22. “Re-connecting people and nature”: wrong term, wrong goal?
  23. Widening the evaluative space for ecosystem services
  24. Integrating methods for ecosystem service assessment
  25. Executive summary, conclusions, and policy implications
  26. Predicting individual plant performance in grasslands
  27. Der Klimawandel und die spanische Tourismuswirtschaft
  28. Conjectural variations equilibrium in a mixed duopoly
  29. Nachhaltigen Konsum fördern in Bildungseinrichtungen