Ope n questions on ecosystem service indicator s

1. Open questions on ecosystem service indicators • Bálint Czúcz, MTA ÖK

3. EU Biodiversity strategy targets 2050 Vision 2020 headline target 6 Targets: 1 Enhance implementation of nature legislation 2 Restore ecosystems est. Green Infrastructure 3 Sustainable Agriculture & Forestry 4 Achieve Maximum sustainable yield 5 Combat Invasive Alien Species 6 Contribute to averting global biodiversity loss ACTIONS 3

4. Target 2: By 2020, ecosystems and their services are maintained and enhanced through the establishment of Green Infrastructure and the restoration of at least 15% of degraded ecosystems. Action 5: Member States, with the assistance of the Commission, will map and assess the state of ecosystems and their services in their national territory by 2014, assess the economic value of such services, and promote the integration of these values into accounting and reporting systems at EU and national level by 2020.

5. Operationalization is needed! Policy Science Ecosystem services • …tradeoff between detail / usefulness • standardization !!! • conceptual framework 5

6. The matrix approach indicators… 6

7. Standardized objects and services • Ecosystem typology: MAES • Broad classes (urban, cropland, grassland, forest…) • Service classification: CICES • Conceptual framework 7

8. Standardized objects and services • Ecosystem typology: MAES • Service classification: CICES • Conceptual framework 8

10. Standardized objects and services • Ecosystem typology: MAES • Service classification: CICES • Conceptual framework 10

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12. the Cascade model… Biophysical structure or process (e.g. woodland habitat or net primary productivity ) Function (e.g. slow passage of water, or biomass) Service (e.g. flood protection, or harvestable products) Benefit (e.g. contribution to aspects of well-being such as health and safety) Value (e.g. willingness to pay for woodland protection or for more woodland, or harvestable products) Limit pressures via policy action? Σ Pressures Potschin and Haines-Young (2011) 12

13. fundamental principle… • services / indicators – always accounted to the source ecosystem! • (cf. ecological footprint…) 13

14. …and now:the open questions

15. Open questions… • practical aspects of indicators • levels of indicators • unusual services • production boundary issues • abiotic ESS • human inputs • sustainable use

16. Can the same indicator be used for several services? Practical aspects of the indicators… Elementary indicators or aggregated indices? How many indicators per matrix cell? 16

17. Open questions… • practical aspects of indicators • levels of indicators • unusual services • production boundary issues • abiotic ESS • human inputs • sustainable use 17

18. Levels of indicators… Biophysical structure or process (e.g. woodland habitat or net primary productivity ) Function (e.g. slow passage of water, or biomass) Service (e.g. flood protection, or harvestable products) Benefit (e.g. contribution to aspects of well-being such as health and safety) Value (e.g. willingness to pay for woodland protection or for more woodland, or harvestable products) Indicators for state Indicators for function (=capacity, potential supply) Indicators for service flows (=actual use) Indicators for benefits Is this the „natural capital”? Is value not just a benefit indicator Do we need indicators for ESS demand? What is the main difference between state and capacity indicators? 18

19. Open questions… • practical aspects of indicators • levels of indicators • unusual services • production boundary issues • abiotic ESS • human inputs • sustainable use 19

20. Unusual services… • Issues with disservices/ insurance-type services (e.g. invasive species, fire, flood…) • Issues with rarity/uniqueness value (e.g. biodiversity (rare species), cultural values, etc.) 20

21. Open questions… • practical aspects of indicators • levels of indicators • unusual services • production boundary issues • abiotic ESS • human inputs • sustainable use 21

22. The production boundary… The ‘production boundary’ Natural inputs Economy Environment Residuals 22

23. Biophysical structure or process (e.g. woodland habitat or net primary productivity ) Function (e.g. slow passage of water, or biomass) Service (e.g. flood protection, or harvestable products) Benefit (e.g. contribution to aspects of well-being such as health and safety) The production boundary… The ‘production boundary’ Value (e.g. willingness to pay for woodland protection or for more woodland, or harvestable products) intermediate (= supporting) services goods/ products 23

24. The production boundary… The production boundary ? The production boundary ? • crops • meat/milk • biofuels • … • pollination • pest control • soil fertility • hay… 24

25. The production boundary… ? ? ? ? ? …? 25

26. Open questions… • practical aspects of indicators • levels of indicators • unusual services • production boundary issues • abiotic ESS • human inputs • sustainable use 26

27. Abiotic services… • Why are solar/wind/minerals/fossil fuels etc not considered an ESS? • Why is water provision considered as an ESS? 27

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30. Open questions… • practical aspects of indicators • levels of indicators • unusual services • production boundary issues • abiotic ESS • human inputs • sustainable use 30

31. Human inputs… • low input – low output… • huge inputs – high output • fuels, fertilizers, pesticides, machines, infrastructure, etc. correct for inputs  net ESS 31

32. Human inputs… • How could human inputs be taken into account? • What is a common denomiantor for crops / inputs? (…energy?) 32

33. Open questions… • practical aspects of indicators • levels of indicators • unusual services • production boundary issues • abiotic ESS • human inputs • sustainable use 33

34. Sustainable use… • ESS definition – services supplied in a sustainable way. • Can ecosystem „goods” extracted in an unsustainable way be considered as ESS? (What about „abiotic ESS”?) • How can unsustainable overexploitation be noticed? 34

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