BRINGING ECOSYSTEM SERVICES INTO DECISION-MAKING: A TOOLKIT FOR RAPID ASSESSMENT OF SITES

1. BRINGING ECOSYSTEM SERVICES INTO DECISION-MAKING: A TOOLKIT FOR RAPID ASSESSMENT OF SITES Rob Munroe

2. Overview • Ecosystem services and climate change • Making the link between ecosystem services and EbA • TESSA: A toolkit for rapid measurement of ecosystem services and the impact of change • Summary • Further information

3. ES concept • Ecosystem services are the aspects of ecosystems that, actively or passively, produce human well-being(Fisher et al. 2009) • ‘the benefits that people derive from nature’ (MEA 2005)

4. Ecosystem services and climate change • Ecosystem services are impacted by climate change • Ecosystem services play a central role in both adaptation to and mitigation of climate change

5. Making the link: ES and EbA EbA includes: • Increasing resilience to climate change to help support continued ecosystem service provision • Strategic use of ecosystem servicesthat provide direct adaptation benefits to local communities EbAworkneed: • Better understanding of ecological production and the contribution of non‐market ecosystem services to adaptation • An understanding of the delivery of ecosystem services and impacts of change Adaptation needs to: • Take account of the ecosystem services that provide adaptation benefits when considering adaptation options

6. A toolkit for rapid assessment of the impacts of change on ecosystem services (TESSA) • Toolkit for Ecosystem Service Site-based Assessments • Collaboratively developed through the Cambridge Conservation Initiative • Designed to help non-experts with limited capacity to measure several ecosystem services rapidly, cheaply but robustly • Aims to provide scientifically robust data on ecosystem service values for decision-making

8. Site-scaleassessments • Net values • Accessible to non-experts and conservation practitioners • Participatory • Simple workbook structure • Broadly applicable • Relatively low cost • Real field measurements, rather than scenarios • Delivers scientifically robustresults

9. Scope • Cultivated goods • Water-related • services • Global climate regulation • Harvested wild goods • Nature-based recreation (includes tourism) • Coastal protection (forthcoming) Cultural services (forthcoming)

10. Haweswater & HeskethOutmarsh RSPB reserves Middleton lakes quarry Wicken Fen / Ouse Fen wetlands Belarus peatlands 4 Important Bird Areas in Nepal Montserrat tropical forest Cambodia wetlands Vietnam forest Coffee plantation Cameroon Kenya and Uganda Ecuador paramo grasslands Burundi Grasslands in Zimbabwe Tropical forest and mining India Fiji permanent forest estates Coastal mangroves, Madagascar

11. The importance of land use change Logging and wood harvesting Hunting and trapping Energy production and mining Human disturbance Transportation and service corridors Agriculture / aquaculture Climate change

12. The importance of valuing change • Can provide information on the likely impacts of different policies/decisions • Can help to identify trade-offs when a certain decision is made • Can aid in the process of spatial planning

13. Alternative state Measure the difference in ecosystem services provided by a site in its current state versus a plausible alternative state. State change • Because simple assessment of the gross values of a particular service is less useful • Relative values give policy-makers an idea of the net consequences of decisions

16. Example study

18. Overall results (economic terms)

19. Balance of services provided

20. Distribution of benefits

21. TESSA and EbA • Use TESSA to measure ecosystem services to establish baselines for monitoring climate change impacts and effectiveness of EbA intervention • Use TESSA alongside vulnerability assessments to analyse the vulnerability of livelihoods to changes in ecosystem services as a result of changes in the land cover/use – particularly resulting from climate change • Use TESSA to investigate ecosystem service trade-offs between different adaptation options to enhance understanding of their impacts (e.g. man-made vs natural barriers)

22. Summary • Understanding how climate change could impact livelihoods and what adaptation options are available • Part of this relies on understanding the impacts of climate change on ecosystem service delivery • Tools to measure and monitor ecosystem services are available and can be used in parallel with participatory methods to assess vulnerability to climate change • Using TESSA can also provide information about two different states of the site e.g. now vs land use change resulting from climate impacts, or, two alternative adaptation options

23. For further information: • TESSA* is accessible here: http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/info/estoolkit *currently only available for non-commercial use • Kelvin Peh (kelvin.peh@gmail.com) or Jenny Birch (jenny.birch@birdlife.org) • Publication: Peh et al. (2013) TESSA: A toolkit for rapid assessment of ecosystem services at sites of biodiversity conservation importance. Ecosystem Services5, 51-55 • Nepal National Report: http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/sowb/sowbpubs#Ecoservices2012