Ecosystem Services

Il libro è frutto della volontà di alcuni ricercatori e ricercatrici di rischiarare le ombre attorno al tema oggi rilevante dei servizi ecosistemici, cercando di indagare in maniera approfondita la sua consistenza e – soprattutto – utilità nel campo delle scienze del territorio. Che i servizi ecosistemici siano un argomento decisivo e centrale in questo periodo storico per il governo del territorio, lo dimostra il susseguirsi di seminari scientifici e la presenza del termine in documenti e agende politiche nazionali e internazionali, dove questi vengono correlati agli strumenti di pianificazione territoriale. Il tema è però scivoloso e si presenta difficilmente ‘afferrabile’ per poter ambire a un’effettiva operatività. Con varie sfumature e accezioni diverse, le tante voci che animano questo volume sottolineano come contabilizzare le dotazioni ecosistemiche sia un passaggio basilare per progettare un sistema insediativo realmente resiliente, in grado di far fronte ai cambiamenti cli...

Biomimicry, where flora, fauna or entire ecosystems are emulated as a basis for design, has attracted considerable interest in the fields of architectural design and engineering,
as an innovative new design approach and importantly as a potential way to shift the built environment to a more sustainable paradigm. The practical and comprehensive application of biomimicry as a design methodology and
benchmarking tool, particularly in the built environment, remains elusive. One reason identified for this is the lack of a comprehensive and rigorous general theory of biomimicry that could be applied to the architectural design process and its outcomes over entire building lifecycles. This paper attempts to clarify various approaches to biomimicry and provides a set of principles that could form the basis of an ecosystem based biomimicry. It is posited that such an approach could become a vehicle for creating a built environment that goes beyond simply sustaining current conditions to a restorative practice where the built environment becomes a vital component
in the integration with and regeneration of natural ecosystems as the wider human habitat.

Purpose – This article examines peer-to-peer sharing platform business models, their sources of competitive advantage, and the roles, motivations, and behaviors of key actors in their ecosystems.
Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses a conceptual approach that is rooted in the service, tourism and hospitality, and strategy literature.
Findings – First, this paper defines key types of platform business models in the sharing economy and describes their characteristics. In particular, we propose the differentiation between sharing platforms of capacity-constrained versus capacity-unconstrained assets and advance five core properties of the former. Second, we contrast platform business models with their pipeline business model counterparts to understand the fundamental differences between them. One important conclusion is that platforms cater to vastly more heterogeneous assets and consumer needs, and therefore, require liquidity and analytics for high quality matching. Third, we examine the competitive position of platforms and conclude that their widely taken “winner takes it all” assumption is not valid. Primary network effects are less important once a critical level of liquidity has been reached and may even turn negative if increased listings raise friction in the form of search costs. Once a critical level of liquidity has been reached, a platform’s competitive position depends on stakeholder trust and service provider and user loyalty. Fourth, we integrate and synthesize the literature on key platform stakeholders of platform businesses (i.e. users, service providers, and regulators) and their roles and motivations. Finally, directions for further research are advanced.
Practical implications – This article helps platform owners, service providers, and users understand better the implications of sharing platform business models and how to position themselves in such ecosystems.
Originality/value – This article integrates the extant literature on sharing platforms, takes a novel approach in delineating their key properties and dimensions, and provides insights into the evolving and dynamic forms of sharing platforms including converging business models.

Forest ecosystems deliver valuable services to humanity. However, many forests are being degraded and their services have been undervalued. The main problem lies in the inadequate institutional arrangements for forest governance. This paper aims to assess the effects of alternative forest governance arrangements on the provision and economic values of forest ecosystem services (FES) in Vietnam. The study presents a framework for mapping land use and land cover (LULC) change stemming from actual and hypothetical changes in forest governance regimes, quantifies the resulting changes in the provision of FES, and estimates the associated economic values. In the context of the study site in the North Western uplands of Vietnam, we test three alternative forest gov-ernance scenarios: business as usual, with a dominant government role; a community-based governance regime; and a private, individual-based forestry governance regime. Scenarios are based quite closely on the way these regimes are (or might be expected to be) implemented in Vietnam. For each forest governance scenario, we map LULC changes based on land suitability analysis and transition likelihood for the period 2010 − 2020. The resulting maps are used as inputs into the InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Environmental Services and Tradeoffs) model, which is used to estimate the quantity of three specific FES: carbon storage/sequestration, sediment yield, and water yield. We apply economic valuation methods to value these services: the social cost of carbon is used to estimate the economic values of carbon storage/sequestration; the cost of removing sediment deposited in reservoirs is applied for valuing the reduction of sediment yield, and the residual value of water supply for hydropower generation is used for valuing water yield. The results show that forest governance regimes have a significant effect not only on forest LULC, but also on the quantity and values of FES derived from forests. The FES are differentially affected by alternative forest governance regimes: some FES increase in quantity and value under some governance regimes and decrease under others. Of the three forest governance regimes examined, there is no one regime that will always be 'better' than the others in terms of provisioning all considered FES. For the specific context of Vietnam, we find that the private forest governance scenario is inferior to the community-based governance scenario, as an alternative to the current state-based governance. Because our results pertain to the scenarios as constructed, rather than generally to broad categories of gov-ernance regimes, there remains the possibility that regimes can be constructed that outperform all of those examined here.

The ecosystem services framework (ESF) is advantageous and widely used for itemising and quantifying ways in which humans benefit from natural places. However, it suffers from two important problems: (i) incoherence of definitions and (ii) a narrow approach to valuation, inadequate to represent the full range of human motives for conservation and the diverse interests of different stakeholders. These shortcomings can lead to a range of problems including double-counting, blind spots and unintended consequences. In this opinion article, we propose an ecosystem valuing framework as a broader and more rigorous way to deliver the benefits currently sought from the ESF, without the conceptual problems.

Climate change and environmental pressures in urban areas have created the need for new concepts and tools for the management of urban development that ensure the protection of natural and cultural resources while also enhancing urban resilience. Green infrastructure (GI) is often associated with sustainable goals that cities strive to achieve through a combination of natural approaches. A key concept in these approaches is the inherent capacity of the natural environment to carry out several functions, meaning that it can provide a variety of ecosystem services and deliver a wide range of policy objectives. Nevertheless, recent studies on the integration of GI into spatial planning have reported limited acknowledgement of the ecosystem services that GI can offer and a lack of a territorial perspective. This paper therefore provides a methodology that facilitates a spatial planning approach to GI planning in metropolitan areas. Based on the definition of GI proposed by the European Commission, which suggests that connectivity and multifunctionality are key to the effective implementation of GI, a two-step methodological approach to GI planning is proposed. This approach is spatially centered, thus promoting the desired territorial perspective, while it also acknowledges the notion of an ecosystem service as a basic design principle. When applied to the metropolitan area of Thessaloniki in Greece, the methodology was found to facilitate the prioritization of competing planning priorities and to promote certain planning objectives, thus enhancing urban resilience and helping to improve the efficiency of land and resource use.

THEME: Ecosystem services approach to adaptation to climate change.

OBJECTIVE: analysis of the capacity and performance of services of the urban ecosystem linked
to the "water regulation", with respect to the SE application.

SCALE OF ANALYSIS: micro urban scale.

STUDIO AREA: Municipality of Dolo, Venice.

SECTION OF ANALYSIS: Section 1 (section ISTAT 34).

PL: Wieloletnia presja antropogeniczna wywarła głębokie zmiany w krajobrazie doliny Kłodnicy w Gliwicach. W artykule przedstawiono różne warianty rewitalizacji doliny rzeki Kłodnicy, możliwe do realizacji w ramach funduszy unijnych, krajowych, partnerstwa publiczno-prywatnego i budżetu obywatelskiego. Zdecydowana większość mieszkańców (81%) źle ocenia stan badanego odcinka doliny, wskazując na potrzebę jej rewitalizacji (76%). Zaproponowane w pracy rozwiązania, zgodne z koncepcją zielonej architektury, pozwoliłyby na odtworzenie potencjału ekohydrologicznego doliny Kłodnicy i stworzenie przyjaznej dla mieszkańców przestrzeni publicznej. Przywrócenie właściwego stanu ekosystemów rzeki umożliwiłoby uzyskanie wielu usług ekosystemowych (poprawa bezpieczeństwa powodziowego, poprawa warunków aerosanitarnych, estetyzacja krajobrazu), podnoszących jakość i standard życia mieszkańców. Przewidziane w projekcie obiekty i infrastruktura stanowiłyby interesującą ofertę spędzania czasu wolnego oraz służyłyby podniesieniu świadomości ekologicznej mieszkańców. EN: Long-term anthropopressure caused negative changes in the landscape of the Kłodnica valley in Gliwice. The article presents various variants of revitalization of the Kłodnica valley. They are possible to realize within European funds, national funds, public-private partnership and the civil budget. Most inhabitants (81%) poorly assessed the state of the studied section of the Kłodnica valley. The inhabitants pointed also at the need to the revitalization of the valley (76%). Solutions proposed in the article, according to green architecture concept, would allow the reconstruction of the ecohydrological potential of the Kłodnica valley and creating friendly public space. The restoration of the proper state of river ecosystems would allow many valuable ecosystem services (improving flood safety, micro-climate regulation, aesthetization of landscape), which increases the standard and quality of life of inhabitants. Objects and infrastructure proposed in the project would be an interesting offer for spending leisure time and would increase the ecological awareness of inhabitants.

Úvod Chřiby představují pro krajinu jižní Moravy stejně významný fenomén jakým je například Pálava. Vypínají se nad okolní, převážně zemědělskou krajinu, kterou kromě výšky převyšují i svou lesnatostí. Tvoří významnou kulisu pro své okolí ze všech světových stran. Obzvláště pohled z nížiny Uherskohradišťska na trojvrší Holý kopec – Buchlov – Modla působí velmi majestátně. Stejně pozoruhodné jsou z hlediska lesního hospodaření. Lesní komplexy v Chřibech představují jeden z nejrozsáhlejších fragmentů bukového hospodářství mimo zvláště chráněná území v ČR, zejména v podmínkách třetího a čtvrtého lesního vegetačního stupně. Z hlediska lesnicko-výzkumných aktivit se však jedná o oblast spíše přehlíženou. Snahou řešitelů projektu IGA LDF č. 57/2008-" Možnosti využití syntézy ekosystémových charakteristik lesních porostů v tvorbě a ochraně krajiny " bylo mimo získání nových vědecko-výzkumných poznatků a postupů přispět i k dalšímu poznání a propagaci tohoto jihomoravského fenoménu. Hlavní náplní projektu IGA LDF č. 57/2008-" Možnosti využití syntézy ekosystémových charakteristik lesních porostů v tvorbě a ochraně krajiny " však bylo především vytvoření praktické syntézy širokého spektra měřených ekosystémových charakteristik a návrh jejich využití při hodnocení stavu a managementu lesních biocenter ÚSES. Proto byly vybrány čtyři lesnicky i přírodovědně zajímavé (tři reprezentativní a jedna unikátní) lokality pro založení trvalých výzkumných ploch – dvě na opačných stranách Holého kopce a po jedné na Ocásku a Máchově dolině. Plochy jsou součástí stejnojmenných lesních maloplošných zvláště chráněných území, nadregionálního biocentra ÚSES Buchlovské lesy a Evropsky významné lokality soustavy NATURA 2000 Chřiby. V průběhu roku 2008 zde byli zjišťovány dendrometrické, fytocenologické a stanovištní (mikroklimatické, geomorfologické a pedologické) charakteristiky, jež jsou i předmětem této zprávy. Na závěr úvodu by řešitelský tým rád poděkoval radě IGA LDF MZLU v Brně za poskytnutí podpory v rámci projektu 57/2008 a tím umožnění jeho realizace. Dále bychom rádi poděkovali dr. Rožnovskému a dr. Litschmannovi za neocenitelnou pomoc při získávání a vyhodnocování mikroklimatických charakteristik porostů. Naše zvláštní poděkování patří pracovníkům lesní správy Buchlovice, zvláště jejímu správci ing. Zálešákovi a pracovníkům oddělení ochrany přírody a krajiny Krajského úřadu Zlínského kraje ze jejich vzájemnou příkladnou a efektivní spolupráci při péči o lesní ekosystémy Chřibů. Jejím čerstvým výsledkem by mělo být trvalé vymezení přírodní rezervace Holý kopec do bezzásahového režimu. Ukončením projektu IGA LDF č. 57/2008-" Možnosti využití syntézy ekosystémových charakteristik lesních porostů v tvorbě a ochraně krajiny " 30. listopadu 2008 nebyly ukončeny výzkumné aktivity Lesnické a dřevařské fakulty MZLU v Brně v areálu Chřibů. Navazující činnosti dále běží např. v rámci projektů VaV MŽP Sp-2d3-56-07-" Ekologické a ekonomické hodnocení celospolečenských funkcí variantně strukturálních typů lesů " a výzkumného záměru MŠM 6215648902 – " Les a dřevo – podpora funkčně integrovaného lesního hospodářství a využívání dřeva jako obnovitelné suroviny " .-1

A B S T R A C T Invasive stands of Prosopis (mesquite) cover over 6 million ha of South Africa and could invade over 56 million ha. These invasive stands have major impacts on biodiversity, local livelihoods and ecosystem services. We applied several methods to develop an objective basis for a national strategy to prioritise and guide the management of Prosopis. Decision trees were used for assigning different control objectives (prevention of spread to unoccupied areas, local eradication, containment and asset protection) to each of the 234 local municipalities in the country. Priority assets that require protection in densely invaded areas were identified, ranked and mapped (in order of importance: water source areas, biodiversity hotspots, and areas with high agricultural and rangeland potential). Available control methods were compared in terms of costs, effectiveness, and potential to create employment. Biological control and more mechanised approaches were identified as important and the role of control-through-utilisation requires urgent research. Scenario development suggests that integrated control would be most effective. Strategic guidelines for improving the management of Prosopis were produced. These guidelines discuss key needs and objectives for management, targets, time frames, indicators and monitoring programs, research needs and spatially prioritized management areas. Although the strategy proposed in this paper is specific to Prosopis in South Africa, the principles will be useful in other regions where Prosopis species are invasive, and more generally for other widespread invasive tree taxa.

Ecosystem service provision in agriculture may require cooperation between farmers. Trust fosters cooperation in many economic and social interactions and is important to the success of traditional agricultural cooperatives. Little is known about how trust affects farmers' willingness to cooperate to provide an ecosystem service, what types of trust are most important, and under what conditions trust may matter. In this study, we present results of a survey of Missouri crop farmers exploring the role trust plays in farmers' stated willingness to cooperate to control pests. We find that most farmers say they are willing to cooperate, and most farmers are willing to trust others. However, we find little evidence that trust positively influences farmers' willingness to cooperate to control pests. Instead, we find that trust may only matter under certain conditions, such as when participants' farms are dissimilar, and that other determinants, such as the perceived benefit of cooperation and environmental concern, are more important than trust to farmers who are contemplating cooperation to control pests.

The paper presents a model solution of determination of a functional effects dynamics on forest stands, and a significance of the functional
effect in terms of the ecosystem services evaluation. The ecosystem approach to a quantification of forest functions as a base for social utilization of forest benefits and its economic expression are presented. To determine the functional effect – the real effect of forest stands – the method “Quantification and evaluation of all–society forest functions” (Vyskot et al. 2003) was used. A chronological development of forest stands and their functional effects were modelled on the stands of a certain stand type at one locality in different age class. The research itself was conducted on the territory of forest administration Plešný and Stožec (Šumava National Park, Czech Republic). A combination of value degrees classification and percentage expression of real effects of forest functions seems to be an adequate approach to the evaluation of functional effects of forest stands for decision-making at forest management level. Social requirements for forest benefits cannot be actually (and sustainably) implemented without knowledge of their ecosystem bases (forest functions).

The current goal of revitalization measures in the landscape primarily consists of the optimization of landscape water regime, incl. flood control measures and the promotion of biodiversity, but the current philosophy speaks of multifunctional land usage. However, the revitalization is currently underappreciated in the Czech Republic and it is important to increase the recreational potential of the landscape. In the society there has been indicated the necessity for recreation, because a large part of the population lives in urban settlements and is employed in an artificial technical environment that has largely inadequate sanitary conditions (unfavourable microclimate, noise, dust, etc.). Recreation as a social phenomenon is therefore a permanent part of the lifestyle in economically developed countries. The submitted issue highlights the necessity for revitalization of watercourses in terms of recreation potential.

In environmental valuation, although it is well recognised that the choice of method heavily affects the outcome, little is known on how existing valuation methods actually elicit the different values. Through the assessment of real-life applications of valuation of nature, this study tracks down the suitability of 21 valuation methods for 11 value types and assesses the methodological requirements for their operationalization. We found that different valuation methods have different suitabilities to elicit diverse value-types. Some methods are more specialized than others, but every method has blind spots, which implies risks of biased decision-making. We summarized different value-types according to three value dimensions: non-anthropocentric, relational and instrumental. No single valuation method is able to capture this full spectrum of values of nature. Covering all value dimensions requires careful selection of complementary valuation methods. This study also demonstrates that performing such an integrated valuation does not necessarily entail more resources, as for every value dimension, methods with low to medium operational requirements are available. With this study, we aim to provide guidance for selecting a complementary set of valuation methods in order to develop integrated valuation in practice that includes values of all stakeholders into environmental decision-making.

Ecosystem services play a fundamental role in society; their characteristics and the production of their natural generated capital are fundamental elements in the functioning of the support system of life on Earth. The loss of ecosystem services contributes to food and energy uncertainty, increases vulnerability to natural disasters, such as floods or tropical storms, decreases the level of health, reduces the availability and quality of water resources and affects cultural heritage. This study has conducted a quantitative estimate of ecosystem services and their evaluation for a wide, complex and sensitive area: The National Park of Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni, in Southern Italy. The assessment has been undertaken via a preliminary, partial evaluation model and further through the TOPSIS method. Research results have led to a scenario highlighting a dualism on the territory shaped by the differences between internal and coastal areas, defining themselves as complementary and necessary to each other. To improve the sustainable use of territorial resources, it is necessary to adopt policies and strategies from those that are available, always taking into account any possible conflict between conservation and development.

Along the passing of time all forested area in the planet has suffered modification by its interaction with men, besides the natural ones. History is a Research & Development work originated from investigating previously occurred events and process. From where we came, where are we and to where are we going – this is the field of history.  From the ancient Greek στορία, the technique involves research or investigation turned to known man behavior and its adventure through time and space. There are thinking currents on history science which refers to God`s will –Providence; to the reality created by ideas – Idealist; to economy – Materialist and; to society – Psychology-social.  Pre-history looks into past based on various types of evidence (tradition, tells, physical register etc) when there are no documentation, but elements guiding a general comprehension. History deals with documents and registers, official and extra-official. Today history is divided in terms of Ages: Ancient, Middle, Modern and Contemporary. Forests has been following men history since before its appearance and played different roles along global community evolution.

Sacred groves are small or large patches of forest and are rich in biodiversity, store carbon (C) in biomass and soil, besides providing important ecosystem services. However, the information on tree species diversity, biomass, and C storage in sacred groves of Central India, Madhya Pradesh is elusive and fragmented. In the present study, 41 sacred groves were inventoried for tree species diversity, biomass, and C storage in vegetation and soil. A total of 103 tree species from 81 genera belonging to 37 families were recorded. Shannon's diversity, Dominance, Fisher's alpha, and species evenness indices for trees varied: 0.77-2.53, 0.07-0.64, 1.58-20.37, and 0.28-0.90 respectively. Tree density ranged 75-675 no. of stems ha −1 with a mean of 271 no. of stems ha −1 , while basal area ranged 6.8-47 m 2 ha −1 with a mean value of 27 m 2 ha −1. Tree biomass ranged 34.9-409.8 Mg ha −1 with a mean value of 194.01 Mg ha −1 , while, tree C ranged between 17.5 and 204.9 Mg C ha −1 wit...

Abstract: Worldwide increasing bioenergy production is on the political agenda. It is well known that bioenergy production comes at a cost – several trade-offs with food production, water quality and quantity issues, biodiversity and ecosystem services are known but a quantification of these trade-offs is missing. Hence, we show in this study an analysis of trade-offs between bioenergy production, food production, water quality and water quantity aspects in the Parthe catchment in Central Germany. The analysis is based on using SWAT and a multi-objective genetic algorithm (NSGA II). The genetic algorithm is used to find Pareto-optimal configurations of crop rotation schemes. The Pareto-optimality describes solutions in which an objective cannot be improved without decreasing other objectives. This allows us to quantify the costs at which several levels of increase in bioenergy production come and to derive recommendations for policy makers.

Risks and challenges associated with recurring natural hazards (especially wet season cyclonic and flooding events; dry season extensive savanna fires) facing remote north Australian Indigenous communities are well recognised. Less well appreciated are longer-term challenges required for building community resilience in the face of responding to natural hazards. We report on detailed surveys of community perceptions of resilience undertaken in two communities, Ngukurr and Gunbalanya, in northern Australia. This assessment highlights the critical challenge for government authorities to effectively engage with remote communities. We then address the equally challenging

Can soil be considered as just a component of terrestrial ecosystems and agro-ecosystems or is it an ecosystem in itself? The present piece of opinion suggests that we should refer to the original definition of the ecosystem given by Tansley and apply it to the soil viewed as a multi-scale assemblage of ecological systems.