Pub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-09-17DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101778
Song Chen , Xiyue Wang , Tianming Liu , Mingwei Xie , Qing Lin
Terraces are a unique type of agro-ecosystem that are vital for regional food security, biodiversity, and the provision of cultural ecosystem services (CES) to society. This study introduces a novel approach to map the supply–demand balance of terrace CES (TCES) in China by integrating geo-data and social media images. Firstly, a TCES supply assessment framework is developed, comprising scenic attractiveness and heritage attractiveness, to assess TCES supply. Secondly, based on 55,616 geotagged Weibo images, the EfficientNet model classifies images into seven categories, with a questionnaire linking these to four CES types: aesthetic services, heritage & cultural services, recreation & tourism services, and spiritual & emotional services. Population data is also used to assess TCES demand. Finally, the supply–demand ratio and bivariate Moran’s I examine the balance and spatial autocorrelation of TCES. The results show: 1) High supply areas are mainly in southern China, while demand is more scattered in several hotspots; 2) There is a significant positive spatial autocorrelation between supply and demand, where higher supply promotes greater demand. High CES supply and demand cluster in Zhejiang-Fujian Hills and Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, with imbalances occurring in metropolitan areas or mountainous areas along provincial boundaries. These findings and methodologies provide valuable insights for the planning and management of terraces in China, as well as for future CES-related studies.
{"title":"Using geo-data and social media images to explore the supply and demand of cultural ecosystem services for terraces in China","authors":"Song Chen , Xiyue Wang , Tianming Liu , Mingwei Xie , Qing Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101778","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101778","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Terraces are a unique type of agro-ecosystem that are vital for regional food security, biodiversity, and the provision of cultural ecosystem services (CES) to society. This study introduces a novel approach to map the supply–demand balance of terrace CES (TCES) in China by integrating geo-data and social media images. Firstly, a TCES supply assessment framework is developed, comprising scenic attractiveness and heritage attractiveness, to assess TCES supply. Secondly, based on 55,616 geotagged Weibo images, the EfficientNet model classifies images into seven categories, with a questionnaire linking these to four CES types: aesthetic services, heritage & cultural services, recreation & tourism services, and spiritual & emotional services. Population data is also used to assess TCES demand. Finally, the supply–demand ratio and bivariate Moran’s I examine the balance and spatial autocorrelation of TCES. The results show: 1) High supply areas are mainly in southern China, while demand is more scattered in several hotspots; 2) There is a significant positive spatial autocorrelation between supply and demand, where higher supply promotes greater demand. High CES supply and demand cluster in Zhejiang-Fujian Hills and Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, with imbalances occurring in metropolitan areas or mountainous areas along provincial boundaries. These findings and methodologies provide valuable insights for the planning and management of terraces in China, as well as for future CES-related studies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51312,"journal":{"name":"Ecosystem Services","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 101778"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145107990","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-11-17DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101793
Unai Ortega-Barrueta , Unai Sertutxa , Ibone Ametzaga-Arregi , Jorge Curiel Yuste , Raquel Esteban , Lorena Ruiz de Larrinaga , Francisco San Miguel-Oti , Lorena Peña
Forest ecosystems provide a wide range of ecosystem services (ES) that are essential for human well-being. Nevertheless, conventional forest management practices that prioritise timber production often reduce the capacity of forests to provide a balanced set of other ES, thereby diminishing their overall multifunctionality. The aim of this study is to develop a field-based multi-indicator methodological approach to assess how different forest management types influence the multifunctionality value based on the supply of thirteen ES (two provisioning, nine regulating and two cultural), and to identify the forest attributes (location, structure and maturity, and soil properties) that influence the provision of each ES. The research was conducted in the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, a relevant protected area of the Basque Country (Spain). The forest management types selected for the study were as follows: i) No managed native forests, ii) Abandoned pine plantations, iii) Pine managed plantations, and iv) Eucalyptus managed plantations, with 10 stands sampled for each management type. The findings indicated that No managed and Abandoned exhibited higher multifunctionality value and greater values in regulating and cultural ES in comparison to managed plantations, which supplied higher timber provision, yet exhibited suboptimal performance in other ES. The application of generalised linear mixed models has revealed a positive correlation between forest attributes, including soil pH and vertical heterogeneity, and the provision of multiple ES. However, it has also been observed that slope has a negative effect on certain regulating ES. These findings underscore the significance of forest management practices that preserve both the structural complexity of the forest and landscape, whilst simultaneously enhancing soil conditions to ensure multifunctionality. Furthermore, abandoned pine plantations have the potential to demonstrate ecological restoration, thereby supporting natural regeneration and improving the delivery of regulating and cultural ES.
{"title":"Effect of forest management on the ecosystem services supply and multifunctionality in the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve","authors":"Unai Ortega-Barrueta , Unai Sertutxa , Ibone Ametzaga-Arregi , Jorge Curiel Yuste , Raquel Esteban , Lorena Ruiz de Larrinaga , Francisco San Miguel-Oti , Lorena Peña","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101793","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101793","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Forest ecosystems provide a wide range of ecosystem services (ES) that are essential for human well-being. Nevertheless, conventional forest management practices that prioritise timber production often reduce the capacity of forests to provide a balanced set of other ES, thereby diminishing their overall multifunctionality. The aim of this study is to develop a field-based multi-indicator methodological approach to assess how different forest management types influence the multifunctionality value based on the supply of thirteen ES (two provisioning, nine regulating and two cultural), and to identify the forest attributes (location, structure and maturity, and soil properties) that influence the provision of each ES. The research was conducted in the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, a relevant protected area of the Basque Country (Spain). The forest management types selected for the study were as follows: i) <em>No managed</em> native forests, ii) <em>Abandoned</em> pine plantations, iii) <em>Pine managed</em> plantations, and iv) <em>Eucalyptus managed</em> plantations, with 10 stands sampled for each management type. The findings indicated that <em>No managed</em> and <em>Abandoned</em> exhibited higher multifunctionality value and greater values in regulating and cultural ES in comparison to managed plantations, which supplied higher timber provision, yet exhibited suboptimal performance in other ES. The application of generalised linear mixed models has revealed a positive correlation between forest attributes, including soil pH and vertical heterogeneity, and the provision of multiple ES. However, it has also been observed that slope has a negative effect on certain regulating ES. These findings underscore the significance of forest management practices that preserve both the structural complexity of the forest and landscape, whilst simultaneously enhancing soil conditions to ensure multifunctionality. Furthermore, abandoned pine plantations have the potential to demonstrate ecological restoration, thereby supporting natural regeneration and improving the delivery of regulating and cultural ES.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51312,"journal":{"name":"Ecosystem Services","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 101793"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145579087","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-09-15DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101776
Peter King , Theresa Robinson , Charlotte Howard , Tom D. Breeze , Martin Dallimer
The role of arthropods as regulators of crop pests has gone underexamined in comparison to those species that are crop pollinators. While pollination services have been widely studied, the economic value of pest regulation provided by natural enemies remains underexplored. The suppression of insect crop pests by these natural enemies may provide substantial value to agriculture in reduced crop losses. Here, we estimate the economic value of pest regulation services provided by arthropod natural enemies in the UK for wheat (Triticum spp.), barley (Hordeum vulgare), and oilseed rape (Brassica napus) crops. We used a structured literature search to parameterise an economic production function to estimate the average annual value of pest regulation provided by arthropod natural enemies in the UK. We then simulated changes in economic benefits across different levels of natural enemy presence. A marginal 10% reduction from a full community of natural enemies had an estimated value per hectare between £108.98 − £171.13 for barley, £36.93 − £73.97 for oilseed rape, and £0.74 − £9.60 for wheat. We performed sensitivity analysis to evaluate how robust these benefits were across field management strategies. There are areas of uncertainty around the efficacy of natural enemies, crop yield response, economic thresholds, and field management. Resolving these sources of uncertainty and quantifying the economic value of pest regulation could inform sustainable pest management strategies and wider insect conservation practice.
{"title":"Economic valuation of pest regulation benefits provided by arthropods in the UK","authors":"Peter King , Theresa Robinson , Charlotte Howard , Tom D. Breeze , Martin Dallimer","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101776","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101776","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The role of arthropods as regulators of crop pests has gone underexamined in comparison to those species that are crop pollinators. While pollination services have been widely studied, the economic value of pest regulation provided by natural enemies remains underexplored. The suppression of insect crop pests by these natural enemies may provide substantial value to agriculture in reduced crop losses. Here, we estimate the economic value of pest regulation services provided by arthropod natural enemies in the UK for wheat (<em>Triticum</em> spp.), barley (<em>Hordeum vulgare</em>), and oilseed rape (<em>Brassica napus</em>) crops. We used a structured literature search to parameterise an economic production function to estimate the average annual value of pest regulation provided by arthropod natural enemies in the UK. We then simulated changes in economic benefits across different levels of natural enemy presence. A marginal 10% reduction from a full community of natural enemies had an estimated value per hectare between £108.98 − £171.13 for barley, £36.93 − £73.97 for oilseed rape, and £0.74 − £9.60 for wheat. We performed sensitivity analysis to evaluate how robust these benefits were across field management strategies. There are areas of uncertainty around the efficacy of natural enemies, crop yield response, economic thresholds, and field management. Resolving these sources of uncertainty and quantifying the economic value of pest regulation could inform sustainable pest management strategies and wider insect conservation practice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51312,"journal":{"name":"Ecosystem Services","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 101776"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145061742","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-09-16DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101773
Weichen Zhang , Tiejun Liu , Xingqi Wang , Bojie Wang
The sustainable management of water, energy, and food is crucial for achieving regional development, especially in areas facing resource scarcity. However, the connections between ecosystem services (ESs) and human well-being (HWB) remain underexplored, particularly within the context of the water–energy–food nexus (WEF- nexus). This study investigates the spatiotemporal dynamics of ESs and HWB in the Jiziwan region of the Yellow River Basin from 2000 to 2020, using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine the interactions between these variables. Our results show that the four key ESs—water yield, sand fixation, carbon sequestration, and food supply—exhibit similar spatial patterns, with values decreasing from southeast to northwest, alongside an improving trend over time. HWB indicators overall increased, with the exception of good social relations, which declined. We found that the water and food systems positively impacted HWB, while the energy system showed a negative effect. These findings highlight the importance of integrating ESs into regional governance frameworks to enhance HWB, with implications for sustainable development in other regions facing similar resource challenges. The study provides a theoretical foundation for developing ESs management strategies from a WEF-Nexus perspective that can be applied to other water-scarce, resource-dependent regions worldwide.
{"title":"Relationships between ecosystem services and human well-being from a water–energy–food nexus perspective: A case study of Jiziwan, Yellow River Basin, China","authors":"Weichen Zhang , Tiejun Liu , Xingqi Wang , Bojie Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101773","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101773","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The sustainable management of water, energy, and food is crucial for achieving regional development, especially in areas facing resource scarcity. However, the connections between ecosystem services (ESs) and human well-being (HWB) remain underexplored, particularly within the context of the water–energy–food nexus (WEF- nexus). This study investigates the spatiotemporal dynamics of ESs and HWB in the Jiziwan region of the Yellow River Basin from 2000 to 2020, using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine the interactions between these variables. Our results show that the four key ESs—water yield, sand fixation, carbon sequestration, and food supply—exhibit similar spatial patterns, with values decreasing from southeast to northwest, alongside an improving trend over time. HWB indicators overall increased, with the exception of good social relations, which declined. We found that the water and food systems positively impacted HWB, while the energy system showed a negative effect. These findings highlight the importance of integrating ESs into regional governance frameworks to enhance HWB, with implications for sustainable development in other regions facing similar resource challenges. The study provides a theoretical foundation for developing ESs management strategies from a WEF-Nexus perspective that can be applied to other water-scarce, resource-dependent regions worldwide.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51312,"journal":{"name":"Ecosystem Services","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 101773"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145107989","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-11-21DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101796
Haojie Chen
Ecosystem services (ESs) are the benefits that humans receive from ecosystem functions, processes, or characteristics. In practice, many assessments do not distinguish between realized ESs—actually used or received by humans—and ecosystems’ capacities to provide services. These capacities can be referred to as potential ESs. The realization of ESs requires not only these ecological capacities but also human perception, use, or the fulfillment of human demand. Therefore, assessing realized ESs is more complex than assessing potential ESs. This study synthesizes 66 indicators for assessing 34 types of realized ESs and highlights a subset of indicators potentially applicable to environmental-economic accounting. It also explores the challenges in determining people’s actual use of ESs, such as identifying which areas benefit from ESs, determining whether ESs are actually used, and deciding who should assess the fulfillment of human demand for ESs. These challenges arise from (1) the intangible and public nature of certain ESs, (2) the distance decay that ESs may exhibit, (3) the long-term and broad societal need for ESs, (4) the fact that some ESs may be received remotely from multiple directions without active or direct human intervention, and (5) the potential human-induced pressures that the realization of ESs may place on ecosystems. The management and assessment of realized ESs should be guided by experts, while also incorporating public perspectives and disclosing the limitations and assumptions of the assessment methods. Furthermore, the realization of ESs must remain within the ecosystems’ capacities to provide them sustainably, and these capacities should be protected. There should also be mechanisms through which the potential supply of ESs can be delivered to humans. This study aims to support ES researchers, managers, and decision-makers in evaluating realized ESs, thereby tracking and managing the actual contributions of ESs to socio-economic development and human well-being.
{"title":"How to assess realized ecosystem services: Indicators, challenges in determining actual use, and suggestions","authors":"Haojie Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101796","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101796","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ecosystem services (ESs) are the benefits that humans receive from ecosystem functions, processes, or characteristics. In practice, many assessments do not distinguish between realized ESs—actually used or received by humans—and ecosystems’ capacities to provide services. These capacities can be referred to as potential ESs. The realization of ESs requires not only these ecological capacities but also human perception, use, or the fulfillment of human demand. Therefore, assessing realized ESs is more complex than assessing potential ESs. This study synthesizes 66 indicators for assessing 34 types of realized ESs and highlights a subset of indicators potentially applicable to environmental-economic accounting. It also explores the challenges in determining people’s actual use of ESs, such as identifying which areas benefit from ESs, determining whether ESs are actually used, and deciding who should assess the fulfillment of human demand for ESs. These challenges arise from (1) the intangible and public nature of certain ESs, (2) the distance decay that ESs may exhibit, (3) the long-term and broad societal need for ESs, (4) the fact that some ESs may be received remotely from multiple directions without active or direct human intervention, and (5) the potential human-induced pressures that the realization of ESs may place on ecosystems. The management and assessment of realized ESs should be guided by experts, while also incorporating public perspectives and disclosing the limitations and assumptions of the assessment methods. Furthermore, the realization of ESs must remain within the ecosystems’ capacities to provide them sustainably, and these capacities should be protected. There should also be mechanisms through which the potential supply of ESs can be delivered to humans. This study aims to support ES researchers, managers, and decision-makers in evaluating realized ESs, thereby tracking and managing the actual contributions of ESs to socio-economic development and human well-being.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51312,"journal":{"name":"Ecosystem Services","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 101796"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145579083","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-10-07DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101781
Luana Meister, Marcia C.M. Marques
Understanding ecosystem services (ES) is crucial for policies aimed at ensuring biodiversity conservation, natural resources, and livelihoods for humanity. In the state of Paraná, southern Brazil, the overlap between the Atlantic Forest domain and extensive agricultural areas suggests possible trade-offs between natural ecosystems and commodity production. This study aimed to evaluate the spatial distribution, synergies, trade-offs, and the net change among multiple ES at the state level. We selected nine indicators of four categories of ES: regulating services (carbon storage, soil conservation, and water yield), supporting services (plant biodiversity), provisioning services (cassava, orange, and soybean production), and cultural services (aesthetics and archaeological patrimony). Results indicated contrasting dynamics over the past decades. While provisioning services, especially soybean production, increased substantially, regulating services declined, revealing clear trade-offs in land-use priorities. Synergies were observed among regulating, cultural, and supporting services, especially in areas with preserved vegetation. Conversely, trade-offs emerged between provisioning and regulating services, notably between the expansion of soybeans and carbon storage. Municipalities exhibited variations in ES production, and four distinct groups were identified based on the similarity of indicator values among municipalities. These regional disparities, influenced by land use and conservation practices, resulted in the formation of landscape clusters (bundles): Non-fragmented Forest Landscape, Fragmented Forest Landscape, Homogeneous Agricultural Landscape, and Mixed Agricultural Landscape. Different synergies and trade-offs among ES indicators highlighted the ecological and social dynamics over time and the land use strategies promoted, which reduced regulating services in favor of commodity production. These findings demonstrate the spatial variability of ES and highlight how land-use strategies can intensify trade-offs while weakening ecological multifunctionality. The study highlights the importance of integrated land management in balancing provisioning demands with the maintenance of ecological functions and promoting the diversification of ecosystem services provision.
{"title":"Analysis of spatiotemporal changes in ecosystem services distribution in the southern part of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil","authors":"Luana Meister, Marcia C.M. Marques","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101781","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101781","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding ecosystem services (ES) is crucial for policies aimed at ensuring biodiversity conservation, natural resources, and livelihoods for humanity. In the state of Paraná, southern Brazil, the overlap between the Atlantic Forest domain and extensive agricultural areas suggests possible trade-offs between natural ecosystems and commodity production. This study aimed to evaluate the spatial distribution, synergies, trade-offs, and the net change among multiple ES at the state level. We selected nine indicators of four categories of ES: regulating services (carbon storage, soil conservation, and water yield), supporting services (plant biodiversity), provisioning services (cassava, orange, and soybean production), and cultural services (aesthetics and archaeological patrimony). Results indicated contrasting dynamics over the past decades. While provisioning services, especially soybean production, increased substantially, regulating services declined, revealing clear trade-offs in land-use priorities. Synergies were observed among regulating, cultural, and supporting services, especially in areas with preserved vegetation. Conversely, trade-offs emerged between provisioning and regulating services, notably between the expansion of soybeans and carbon storage. Municipalities exhibited variations in ES production, and four distinct groups were identified based on the similarity of indicator values among municipalities. These regional disparities, influenced by land use and conservation practices, resulted in the formation of landscape clusters (bundles): Non-fragmented Forest Landscape, Fragmented Forest Landscape, Homogeneous Agricultural Landscape, and Mixed Agricultural Landscape. Different synergies and trade-offs among ES indicators highlighted the ecological and social dynamics over time and the land use strategies promoted, which reduced regulating services in favor of commodity production. These findings demonstrate the spatial variability of ES and highlight how land-use strategies can intensify trade-offs while weakening ecological multifunctionality. The study highlights the importance of integrated land management in balancing provisioning demands with the maintenance of ecological functions and promoting the diversification of ecosystem services provision.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51312,"journal":{"name":"Ecosystem Services","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 101781"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145269629","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-10-24DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101788
Yu Tao , Xufei Chen , Steven G. Pueppke , Jiangxiao Qiu , Weixin Ou , Hongbo Yang , Jiaguo Qi
Watershed restoration can enhance hydrologic ecosystem services (ES) across larger regions, yet payment schemes for these services (PES) often remain confined by watershed boundaries. This limits the identification of key ES providers and beneficiaries, compromising efficacy and equity of PES interventions. Focusing on the Xin’an River Watershed, one of the largest urban headwaters in China, this study aims to develop a spatial targeting strategy for fair and cost-effective land-use measures that improve water quality; and apply ES flow-based metacoupling to incorporate payers from surrounding regions, thereby expanding the current ineffective PES scheme to include cross-regional beneficiaries of clean water. Our spatially targeted approach predicts a 24% reduction in total nitrogen export by reforesting and retiring just 8% of the most polluting croplands. The $44.5 million annual compensation required for farmers to implement these changes averages $4,022–10,248 per hectare, far exceeding their opportunity costs. In parallel, analysis based on the metacoupling framework identifies the corresponding beneficiaries of improved water quality, including users within the watershed, those in the broader metacoupled region, and a corporation that bottles and sells the watershed water nationally. This metacoupling perspective further shows that fair compensation for farmers would require water users to increase their bills by only 1.8%, with the bottler functioning as a keystone actor. This study underscores the high potential of transboundary and spatially targeted PES schemes considering metacoupled public and corporate ES beneficiaries for securing clean water across watershed boundaries in a fair, justifiable, and cost-effective manner.
{"title":"Redesigning a transboundary and spatially targeted PES scheme to sustain clean water provision across metacoupled systems in the Xin’an River Watershed, China","authors":"Yu Tao , Xufei Chen , Steven G. Pueppke , Jiangxiao Qiu , Weixin Ou , Hongbo Yang , Jiaguo Qi","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101788","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101788","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Watershed restoration can enhance hydrologic ecosystem services (ES) across larger regions, yet payment schemes for these services (PES) often remain confined by watershed boundaries. This limits the identification of key ES providers and beneficiaries, compromising efficacy and equity of PES interventions. Focusing on the Xin’an River Watershed, one of the largest urban headwaters in China, this study aims to develop a spatial targeting strategy for fair and cost-effective land-use measures that improve water quality; and apply ES flow-based metacoupling to incorporate payers from surrounding regions, thereby expanding the current ineffective PES scheme to include cross-regional beneficiaries of clean water. Our spatially targeted approach predicts a 24% reduction in total nitrogen export by reforesting and retiring just 8% of the most polluting croplands. The $44.5 million annual compensation required for farmers to implement these changes averages $4,022–10,248 per hectare, far exceeding their opportunity costs. In parallel, analysis based on the metacoupling framework identifies the corresponding beneficiaries of improved water quality, including users within the watershed, those in the broader metacoupled region, and a corporation that bottles and sells the watershed water nationally. This metacoupling perspective further shows that fair compensation for farmers would require water users to increase their bills by only 1.8%, with the bottler functioning as a keystone actor. This study underscores the high potential of transboundary and spatially targeted PES schemes considering metacoupled public and corporate ES beneficiaries for securing clean water across watershed boundaries in a fair, justifiable, and cost-effective manner.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51312,"journal":{"name":"Ecosystem Services","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 101788"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145363610","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-10-03DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101779
Kylor Kerns , Mark White , Mariana Camacho , Karen McGlathery , Chris Patrick
Amid growing concerns over climate change and ecosystem degradation, seagrass restoration has emerged as an effective nature-based solution with significant environmental and economic benefits. Using extensive long-term datasets and the benefits transfer method, we quantified the social value of four core ecosystem services: carbon and nitrogen sequestration, increased fisheries habitat, and avoided erosion in U.S. mid-Atlantic Virginia Coast Reserve (VCR) seagrass meadows. In addition, we evaluated key factors used in the valuation of natural capital, such as the social cost of carbon (SCC), discount rates, time horizons, and seagrass loss scenarios. Using a logistic growth model, we projected meadow expansion from approximately 2,190 ha to 10,700 ha over 100 years (2015-2115). In our Base Case using an SCC of $51 mt CO2e−1, the total societal value of all four seagrass ecosystem services over the next 30 years is estimated at $30.4 million, with an annual value (over the first five years) of $573,700 year−1, or $224 ha−1 year−1. The present value of these services over 30 years, assuming a 3 % discount rate, is $19.1 million. Higher social costs of carbon, lower discount rates, and longer time horizons further increase present values over 100 years. As policymakers, communities, and businesses confront climate change and the loss of marine habitats, this study and associated future work highlight the importance of nature-based solutions, like seagrass restoration, in building resilient coastal economies.
{"title":"Valuation of blue carbon and ecological co-benefits in temperate seagrass meadows in the Atlantic Virginia Coast Reserve","authors":"Kylor Kerns , Mark White , Mariana Camacho , Karen McGlathery , Chris Patrick","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101779","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101779","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Amid growing concerns over climate change and ecosystem degradation, seagrass restoration has emerged as an effective nature-based solution with significant environmental and economic benefits. Using extensive long-term datasets and the benefits transfer method, we quantified the social value of four core ecosystem services: carbon and nitrogen sequestration, increased fisheries habitat, and avoided erosion in U.S. mid-Atlantic Virginia Coast Reserve (VCR) seagrass meadows. In addition, we evaluated key factors used in the valuation of natural capital, such as the social cost of carbon (SCC), discount rates, time horizons, and seagrass loss scenarios. Using a logistic growth model, we projected meadow expansion from approximately 2,190 ha to 10,700 ha over 100 years (2015-2115). In our Base Case using an SCC of $51 mt CO<sub>2</sub>e<sup>−1</sup>, the total societal value of all four seagrass ecosystem services over the next 30 years is estimated at $30.4 million, with an annual value (over the first five years) of $573,700 year<sup>−1</sup>, or $224 ha<sup>−1</sup> year<sup>−1</sup>. The present value of these services over 30 years, assuming a 3 % discount rate, is $19.1 million. Higher social costs of carbon, lower discount rates, and longer time horizons further increase present values over 100 years. As policymakers, communities, and businesses confront climate change and the loss of marine habitats, this study and associated future work highlight the importance of nature-based solutions, like seagrass restoration, in building resilient coastal economies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51312,"journal":{"name":"Ecosystem Services","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 101779"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145222680","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-09-17DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101775
Luke Brander , Lovelater Sebele , Fadzai Matsvimbo , Victoria Guisado Goñi , Florian Eppink
Africa is home to eleven species of vultures, seven of which face the risk of extinction and are listed as Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically endangered on the IUCN Red List. The major threats are poisoning, belief-based use, electrocutions and collisions. The loss of vultures in Asia provided a window into a catastrophic scenario without vultures and the impact of the loss of the ecosystem services they provide. In the African context, there is a knowledge gap on the importance of vultures to humans and the impact that a loss of vultures would have. This paper attempts to fill this gap with an economic valuation of the ecosystem services provided by vultures in Southern Africa, with a focus on Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The ecosystem services addressed in the assessment include provisioning, regulating and cultural services. Data were collected through four surveys targeting different beneficiary groups: 1. local communities in the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area; 2. the general public within each country; 3. the international public; and 4. rangers and park managers. A mix of valuation methods were used including discrete choice experiments, contingent valuation, avoided damage costs, replacement costs, and net factor income. The total economic value of ecosystem services in the three countries is estimated to be just over USD 250 million per year. This is largely attributed to existence and bequest values and the sanitation and pest control service provided by vultures. Although vultures are arguably not as charismatic as other species of interest in the continent, their conservation is highly important to the welfare and health of people in Southern Africa.
{"title":"Total economic Vulture: The value of ecosystem services provided by vultures in Southern Africa","authors":"Luke Brander , Lovelater Sebele , Fadzai Matsvimbo , Victoria Guisado Goñi , Florian Eppink","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101775","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101775","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Africa is home to eleven species of vultures, seven of which face the risk of extinction and are listed as Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically endangered on the IUCN Red List. The major threats are poisoning, belief-based use, electrocutions and collisions. The loss of vultures in Asia provided a window into a catastrophic scenario without vultures and the impact of the loss of the ecosystem services they provide. In the African context, there is a knowledge gap on the importance of vultures to humans and the impact that a loss of vultures would have. This paper attempts to fill this gap with an economic valuation of the ecosystem services provided by vultures in Southern Africa, with a focus on Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The ecosystem services addressed in the assessment include provisioning, regulating and cultural services. Data were collected through four surveys targeting different beneficiary groups: 1. local communities in the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area; 2. the general public within each country; 3. the international public; and 4. rangers and park managers. A mix of valuation methods were used including discrete choice experiments, contingent valuation, avoided damage costs, replacement costs, and net factor income. The total economic value of ecosystem services in the three countries is estimated to be just over USD 250 million per year. This is largely attributed to existence and bequest values and the sanitation and pest control service provided by vultures. Although vultures are arguably not as charismatic as other species of interest in the continent, their conservation is highly important to the welfare and health of people in Southern Africa.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51312,"journal":{"name":"Ecosystem Services","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 101775"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145107991","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-09-30DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101766
Imane Mahjoubi , Catalina Osorio-Peláez , Blanka Mallow , Laura Scheef , Nils Kaczmarek , Luis Miguel Silva-Novoa Sanchez , Elisabeth Berger , Oliver Frör , Lisa Bossenbroek
Cultural ecosystem services are vital to local identity, well-being and social cohesion in arid regions such as the Middle Drâa valley in Morocco. However, climate change, recurrent droughts and human practices are threatening their continuity. We investigated changes in cultural ecosystem services caused by droughts in the Mezguita, Ternata and Fezouata oases through interviews and surveys with local inhabitants. Our findings show a decline in water-dependent cultural ecosystem services such as agricultural festivals, spiritual practices and traditional crafts, leading to cultural erosion and loss of identity. Community activities such as riverbed cleaning and collective irrigation have also become rare. Conversely, artisanal knowledge-sharing (e.g. pottery or silverwork) and spiritual music are the only ones that show resilience and adapted to environmental and socio-economic changes. The decline of cultural ecosystem services has also been a source of psychological distress, with communities expressing anxiety about the disappearance of traditions and the degradation of the landscape. These findings highlight the limitations of existing ecosystem service frameworks, which often overlook intangible and relational interactions with nature. To safeguard both biodiversity and cultural heritage, it is imperative to integrate cultural ecosystem services into conservation policies, fostering adaptive strategies that sustain oasis landscapes and their cultural significance in the face of environmental uncertainty.
{"title":"Echoes of the Oasis: Water-dependent cultural ecosystem services in the Middle Drâa valley, Morocco","authors":"Imane Mahjoubi , Catalina Osorio-Peláez , Blanka Mallow , Laura Scheef , Nils Kaczmarek , Luis Miguel Silva-Novoa Sanchez , Elisabeth Berger , Oliver Frör , Lisa Bossenbroek","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101766","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101766","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cultural ecosystem services are vital to local identity, well-being and social cohesion in arid regions such as the Middle Drâa valley in Morocco. However, climate change, recurrent droughts and human practices are threatening their continuity. We investigated changes in cultural ecosystem services caused by droughts in the Mezguita, Ternata and Fezouata oases through interviews and surveys with local inhabitants. Our findings show a decline in water-dependent cultural ecosystem services such as agricultural festivals, spiritual practices and traditional crafts, leading to cultural erosion and loss of identity. Community activities such as riverbed cleaning and collective irrigation have also become rare. Conversely, artisanal knowledge-sharing (e.g. pottery or silverwork) and spiritual music are the only ones that show resilience and adapted to environmental and socio-economic changes. The decline of cultural ecosystem services has also been a source of psychological distress, with communities expressing anxiety about the disappearance of traditions and the degradation of the landscape. These findings highlight the limitations of existing ecosystem service frameworks, which often overlook intangible and relational interactions with nature. To safeguard both biodiversity and cultural heritage, it is imperative to integrate cultural ecosystem services into conservation policies, fostering adaptive strategies that sustain oasis landscapes and their cultural significance in the face of environmental uncertainty.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51312,"journal":{"name":"Ecosystem Services","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 101766"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145222758","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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