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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2021) | Viewed by 45825

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PD Dr. Mattias Gaglio

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Department, University, Zip code City, Country: Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, via L.Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
Interests: Ecosystem services, Landscape ecology, Aquatic ecology, Ecosystem functioning, Ecosystem management, Green Infrastructures
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Special Issue Information

The Ecosystem Services (ES) concept rapidly gained popularity among researchers and decision-makers in the last two decades as suitable argument to harmonize conservation and human well-being. However, even though many efforts were spent by researchers of different disciplines, its application still remains fragmented and limited to few cases.

Putting ES approach in practice requires reliable ES measures, understanding of ecological functions and stakeholders’ information. These requirements are often limited by poor data availability and scarce awareness. Moreover, additional complexity derives by the fact that the implementation of ES concept have to be embedded in local legislative frameworks and socio-economic contexts.

The Special Issue focuses on possible solutions to overcome current limitations for the application of ES approach for reaching sustainable goals in pristine, impacted and man-made ecosystems. The topics include (but not limited to):

Adequate quantification of ES in space and time to inform decision processes
Methods and tools for mainstreaming ES in governance
Outcomes of ES concept implementation cases
Analyzing and managing trade-offs among ES at different scales to support sustainable choices

PD Dr. Mattias Gaglio
Guest Editor

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Keywords

Ecosystem Services indicators
Ecosystem Services trade-offs
Environmental management

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 4769 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Spatial Ecosystem Services Assessment to Support Decision and Policy Making: The Case of the City of Bologna

by Francesca Vignoli, Claudia de Luca and Simona Tondelli

Sustainability 2021, 13(5), 2787; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13052787 - 4 Mar 2021

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3653

Abstract

In recent years, both mapping and assessing urban Ecosystem Services (ESs) to support urban planning has been a topic of great debate. This work aims at contributing to this discussion by developing and testing a methodological approach to first assess and map supply and demand of ESs, and then identify areas of priority of intervention. Starting from the existing models, the work develops a tailored approach to map and assess three ESs (water retention and runoff, PM₁₀ removal, and carbon sequestration and storage) that are tested in the city of Bologna and tailored according to available open data. All data are processed in a GIS environment to allow for spatial distribution and visualization of ESs. These maps facilitate defining supply and demands and, consequently, the presence and distribution of ESs deficiencies. Building on mismatches, this paper proposes four clusters by grouping the city’s districts based on predominant land use (built-up, green urban areas) and tree canopy cover. This classification enabled the identification of intervention priority areas and suggestions of relevant nature-based solutions (NBS) to be implemented. The proposed method can serve other urban areas to perform a rapid assessment of their current needs and challenges in terms of ES provision. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Services for Sustainable Governance)

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16 pages, 2849 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impacts of Land-Use Change on Ecosystem Service Value of Mountain–Oasis–Desert Ecosystem: A Case Study of Kaidu–Kongque River Basin, Northwest China

by Aynur Mamat, Jianping Wang and Yuanxu Ma

Sustainability 2021, 13(1), 140; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010140 - 25 Dec 2020

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3470

Abstract

In this study, we used long time series Landsat data and ecosystem services coefficients for global and Chinese ecosystems during 1978–2018 to estimate the influences of land-use change on ecosystem services (ES) in Kaidu–Kongque River Basin (KKRB), where both socioeconomic progress and the arid, fragile natural environment have considerable affected land-use change. The results showed that (1) the total value of ES in the KKRB was about USD 8111.5, 7995.31, 8275.74, 8131.91, and 8016.38 million in 1978, 1988, 1998, 2008, and 2018, respectively. The net ecosystem service value (ESV) loss was about USD 116.19 million for 1978–1988, the net ESV profit was about USD 280.43 million for 1988–1998, and the net ESV loss was about USD 259.36 million for 1998–2018. (2) Water supply and waste treatment function were the top two ecological functions with high service value; their combined contribution rate was 59.3%, indicating that the regulating service function in this study area is higher than the provision services function. (3) The high to low ranking for each ecosystem function based on their contribution rate to overall ES value was water supply > waste treatment > climate regulation > biodiversity protection > recreation and culture > soil formation > gas regulation > food production > raw material. These results are significant for the continuation of the integrity and sustainability of the mountain–oasis–desert region ecosystem, where socioeconomic progress and the fragile characteristics of the natural ecosystem complement each other. The results of this study provide scientific evidence for governmental decision makers and local residents and offer a reference for environmental researchers in northwest China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Services for Sustainable Governance)

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22 pages, 3121 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Community Perceptions of Mangrove Ecosystem Services and Their Determinants in the Rufiji Delta, Tanzania

by Baraka P. Nyangoko, Håkan Berg, Mwita M. Mangora, Martin Gullström and Mwanahija S. Shalli

Sustainability 2021, 13(1), 63; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010063 - 23 Dec 2020

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 7429

Abstract

Understanding how local communities perceive and depend on mangrove ecosystem services (MES) is important for translating and incorporating their benefits, priorities, and preferences into conservation and decision-making processes. We used focus group discussions, key informant interviews, household questionnaires, and direct observations to explore how local communities in the Rufiji Delta perceive a multitude of MES and factors influencing their perceptions. Sixteen MES were identified by the respondents. Provisioning services were the most highly identified services, accounting for 67% of the overall responses, followed by regulating (53%), cultural (45%), and supporting (45%) services. Poles for building, firewood for cooking, coastal protection, and habitats for fisheries were perceived as the most important MES to sustain local livelihoods, although the perceptions differed between sites. Distance from household homes to mangroves and residence time were significant predictors of the local communities’ awareness of all identified MES. Gender of household heads and performance of local management committees also determined the local communities’ awareness of provisioning, regulating, and cultural services. We conclude that perceptions of MES are context-specific and influenced by multiple factors. We believe a deeper understanding of local stakeholders’ preferences for MES can help strengthen the link between local communities and conservation actors and can provide a basis for sustainable management of mangrove forests. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Services for Sustainable Governance)

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18 pages, 1395 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Towards Innovative Governance of Nature Areas

by Yoram Krozer, Frans Coenen, Jenica Hanganu, Maia Lordkipanidze and Madalina Sbarcea

Sustainability 2020, 12(24), 10624; https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410624 - 18 Dec 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3719

Abstract

How can the governance of nature areas foster the sustainability of ecosystems? This is discussed with regard to larger threats on ecosystems despite larger global nature areas that reach 19 million km² of land along with larger costs per area unit. Moreover, monetization of nature with payments for ecosystem services is sometimes demanded for justification of the nature areas; however, this does not resolve the threats but faces scientific and ethical scrutiny. An alternative is the governance that incubates sustainable innovations in the nature areas for broad dissemination which generates interests in the sustainability of ecosystems. Opportunities are due to demands for ethical products, ecotourism and images of nature which generate USD 1100 billion in global markets. Sustainable innovations of using reed for insulation walls, furniture panels and upholstery in the EU can generate a few hundred million dollars in addition to present roof thatching, fodder and fuels if good functional qualities of the reed products are developed. Their functionalities can be supported by the inclusive economics, CO₂ storage, treatment of water pollution, richer biodiversity, and other ethical qualities. The governance of nature areas can prevent the present deadlock but needs the development of technical and entrepreneurial capabilities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Services for Sustainable Governance)

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15 pages, 1956 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impacts of Land Use Changes on Wetland Ecosystem Services in the Tumen River Basin

by Yanan Zhang, Ri Jin, Weihong Zhu, Da Zhang and Xiaoxue Zhang

Sustainability 2020, 12(23), 9821; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12239821 - 24 Nov 2020

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4427

Abstract

Climate change and global rapid agricultural expansion have drastically reduced the area of wetlands globally recently, so that the ecosystem functions of wetlands have been impacted severely. Therefore, this study integrated the land use data and the integrated valuation of ecosystem services and tradeoffs (InVEST) model to evaluate the impacts of the land-use change (LUC) on wetland ecosystem services (ES) from 1976 to 2016 in the Tumen River Basin (TRB). Results reveal that the area of wetlands in TRB had decreased by 22.39% since 1976, mainly due to the rapid conversion of wetlands to dry fields and construction lands, and the LUC had induced notable geospatial changes in wetland ES consequently. A marked decrease in carbon storage and water yield was observed, while the habitat quality was enhanced slightly. Specifically, the conversion of rivers and paddy fields to ponds and reservoirs were the main reasons for the increase in habitat quality and caused the habitat quality to increase by 0.09. The conversion of marshes to lakes, paddy fields, grasslands, dry fields, and artificial surfaces were the key points for the decline in carbon storage; the conversion of marshes to lakes (5.38 km²) and reservoir ponds (1.69 km²) were the dominant factors driving the losses of water yield. According to our results, we should center on the conservation of wetlands and rethink the construction of the land use. The findings are expected to provide a theoretical reference and basis for promoting environmental protection in TRB and the construction of ecological civilization in border areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Services for Sustainable Governance)

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16 pages, 3149 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Applications of a Novel Method of Ecosystem Services Assessment into Local Policy Making in the River Blackwater Estuary, Ireland

by David Doran and Tim O’Higgins

Sustainability 2020, 12(21), 9047; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12219047 - 30 Oct 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2464

Abstract

This article describes a method to allow for the incorporation of ecosystem services (ES) into policy, applied to the case of the River Blackwater Estuary, County Cork. The concept of ES has become mainstreamed into many country’s policies worldwide. However, practical applications of ES assessment are still far from mainstream. This paper aims to assess ES in three sites to inform site selection for conservation and enhancement measures. First, ES likely to occur in the proposed development sites were identified based on literature review, interviews and expert judgement. Second an assessment methodology involving a public survey was developed and applied. Finally, the results of the assessment were aggregated based on the use level for cultural services and the on-site area for regulating and provisioning services; the results were normalised and synthesised to produce a replicable basis for comparison across the sites. The assessment demonstrated a low-cost, practical methodology for incorporating ES into local decision-making. Regulating and cultural services were most valued at the three sites, with limited levels of provisioning services being provided. While pollination (a supporting service/intermediate regulating service) received highest overall scores, a suite of cultural services was also highly valued. The survey suggested that public engagement with ES concepts may be hampered by technical jargon, such as that employed by the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES), and also illustrated that in this case the public engaged better with the intermediate or supporting ES of pollination than other final services that provided benefits directly to them. The implications of these findings for future applications and the assessment methodology are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Services for Sustainable Governance)

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15 pages, 3842 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Biogas from Agri-Food and Agricultural Waste Can Appreciate Agro-Ecosystem Services: The Case Study of Emilia Romagna Region

by Elena Tamburini, Mattias Gaglio, Giuseppe Castaldelli and Elisa Anna Fano

Sustainability 2020, 12(20), 8392; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12208392 - 12 Oct 2020

Cited by 43 | Viewed by 5632

Abstract

Agro-ecosystems are intensively exploited environments which are both providers and consumers of ecosystem services. The improvement of both provisioning and regulating services in cultivated landscapes is crucial for the sustainable development of rural areas. Among the provisioning services offered, producing biogas from the anaerobic digestion of residual biomass is nowadays a promising option for decreasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, while avoiding the land use conflicts related to the use of dedicated crops. Based on the available quantitative data at a regional level, provisioning and regulating services provided by the use of agri-food waste, livestock waste and agricultural residues were assessed for the case of Emilia Romagna region, the second biggest biogas producer in Italy. One provisioning service, i.e., bioenergy generation, and three regulating services were considered: (i) air quality improvement by the reduction of odors derived from direct use of waste, (ii) regulation of soil nutrients by reducing organic load and digestate spreading, and (iii) global climate regulation by saving GHG emissions. A potential further generation of 52.7 MW electric power was estimated at the regional level. Digestate spreading on fields may reduce odor impact by more than 90%, while containing a higher percentage of inorganic nitrogen, which is readily available to plants. The estimated GHG emission savings were equal to 2,862,533 Mg CO₂eq/yr, mainly due to avoided landfilling for agri-waste and avoided replacing of mineral fertilizers for livestock waste and agricultural residues. The results suggest that bioenergy generation from lignocellulosic, livestock and agro-industrial residues may improve some regulating services in agro-ecosystems, while helping to reach renewable energy targets, thus contributing to overcoming the provisioning vs. regulating services paradigm in human-managed ecosystems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Services for Sustainable Governance)

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21 pages, 2832 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Perception of Nature’s Contributions to People in Rural Communities in the Eastern Amazon

by Rafael Melo de Brito, Valente José Matlaba, Vera Lúcia Imperatriz-Fonseca and Tereza Cristina Giannini

Sustainability 2020, 12(18), 7665; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187665 - 17 Sep 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3960

Abstract

Nature’s contributions to people (NCP) are increasingly being considered in decisions by policy-makers because of their relevance to the well-being of people. Learning the value of nature from the perception of communities can help to define priorities and to guide the development of public policies for environmental conservation. The objective of this study was to analyze the perception of the importance, benefits, and problems of NCP among residents of five rural communities, and their opinion about the protected areas of the municipality, considering their socioeconomic characteristics. The method consisted of conducting questionnaire-based, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with a sample of 214 randomly selected households in five rural communities of Parauapebas (Pará, Eastern Amazon). We used appropriate statistical tests for data analysis. The main results show that the communities were highly homogeneous and that 52% of the households had low income (below a minimum wage of USD 250). A high proportion of respondents gave the highest importance to all categories of NCP (2/3 of respondents for material, 3/4 for non-material, and 4/5 for regulating NCP). The most commonly mentioned benefits of NCP referred to subsistence or livelihood and quality of life (40% of total mentions). Environmental degradation problems were the most cited (38% of total mentions). Almost all respondents stated that they had a positive opinion about the protected areas of the municipality, despite underusing them. This study is relevant because it analyses, for the first time, the perceptions of NCP among residents of rural communities in the Eastern Amazon, an essential aspect for decision-and public policy-making. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Services for Sustainable Governance)

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20 pages, 4054 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Disaggregating Ecosystem Benefits: An Integrated Environmental-Deprivation Index

by Emily C. Hazell

Sustainability 2020, 12(18), 7589; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187589 - 15 Sep 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3214

Abstract

The valuation of ecosystem services has become an integral part of smart urban planning practices. Traditionally designed to bridge ecology and economy through economic language and logic (e.g., goods and services), this conceptual framework has developed into an effective tool for interdisciplinary work. The concept of ecosystem services is used to improve the management of ecosystems for human well-being. However, gaps in how to govern ecological benefits remain. Specifically, identifying which stakeholders benefit the most from the provision of ecosystem services remains largely unaddressed. This study examines the spatial discordance between ecosystem services and the residential stakeholders who may benefit. Using a landscape approach to quantify urban ecosystem services, an area-based composite index was developed for the City of Toronto, Canada, based on the three pillars of sustainability in order to identify potentially vulnerable populations. This method combines the use of principal component analysis (PCA) and spatial multicriteria decision analysis (GIS-MCDA) to combine and weight a select grouping of socioeconomic and ecological indicators. In addition, two sets of enumeration units (i.e., dissemination areas and census tracts) were evaluated to assess the potential impact of measurement scale on subsequent decision or policy outcomes. Results indicate the spatial interdependencies between ecological and socioeconomic processes in an urban setting, offering a unique framework for novel planning and policy intervention strategies. The influence of measurement scale was demonstrated, creating an opportunity to assess an appropriate policy scale by which to measure and evaluate trends over time and space. This approach seeks to provide a flexible and intuitive planning tool that can help to achieve goals relating to urban sustainability, resiliency and equity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Services for Sustainable Governance)

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Review

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29 pages, 7504 KiB

Open AccessReview

A DPSIR Assessment on Ecosystem Services Challenges in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam: Coping with the Impacts of Sand Mining

by Naveedh Ahmed S., Le Hung Anh and Petra Schneider

Sustainability 2020, 12(22), 9323; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12229323 - 10 Nov 2020

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 6799

Abstract

River sand mining has been a concerning problem for the southern Asian developing nations. The rampant growth of urbanisation in developing countries has led to an extensive need for and consumption of sand. The Mekong River and its delta are an essential part of southern Vietnam, and also a global biodiversity hub that is currently being exhausted by intensive sand mining. The understanding of the cause–effect of the sand mining over the Mekong delta region and river, from a systems-thinking perspective, is lacking, not only with Vietnam but also with other countries along the Mekong River. The DPSIR framework (Driver–Pressure–State–Impact–Response) is a useful tool to assess and describe the cause–effect within an ecosystem to aid in a better systems-thinking approach for stakeholders, policy makers, and governance managers to draft response measures. This study used the DPSIR framework to assess the different effects of sand mining on the ecosystem services and human well-being in the Mekong River and delta region of Vietnam. Rapid population growth, urbanisation, and infrastructure development needs remain as primary drivers for the sand consumption. The DPSIR study showed a holistic view of several interlinked pressures and state changes in Vietnam’s Mekong, along with some potential responses, to form systematic, sustainable approaches for mitigating and adapting the impacts caused by extensive river sand mining. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Services for Sustainable Governance)

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