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Ecosystem Services in Patagonia: A Multi-Criteria Approach for an Integrated Assessment (Natural and Social Sciences of Patagonia)
by Guillermo Martínez Pastur Pablo L. Peri Laura NahuelhualThis book aims to quantify and discuss how societies have directly and indirectly benefited from ecosystem services in Patagonia; not only in terms of provisioning and cultural services, but also regulating and supporting services. Patagonia, a region that stretches across two countries (ca. 10% in Chile and 90% in Argentina), is home to some of the most extensive wilderness areas on our planet. Natural grasslands comprise almost 30% of the Americas, including the Patagonian steppe, while Patagonian southern temperate forests are important for carbon sequestration and storage, play a pivotal role in water regulation, and have become widely recognized for their ecotourism value. However, profound changes are now underway that could affect key ecosystem functions and ultimately human well-being. In this context, one major challenge we face in Patagonia is that ecosystem services are often ignored in economic markets, government policies and land management practices. The book explores the synergies and trade-offs between conservation and economic development as natural landscapes and seascapes continue to degrade in Patagonia. Historically, economic markets have largely focused on the provisioning services (forest products, livestock) while neglecting the interdependent roles of regulating services (erosion and climate control), supporting services (nutrient cycling) and cultural services (recreation, local identity, tourism). Therefore, the present work focuses on ecosystem functions and ecosystem services, as well as on trends in biodiversity and the interactions between natural environments and land-use activities throughout Patagonia.
Ecosystem Services, Biodiversity and Environmental Change in a Tropical Mountain Ecosystem of South Ecuador
by Erwin Beck Reinhard Mosandl Achim Bräuning Franz Makeschin Jörg Bendix Stefan Scheu Wolfgang WilckeAn interdisciplinary research unit consisting of 30 teams in the natural, economic and social sciences analyzed biodiversity and ecosystem services of a mountain rainforest ecosystem in the hotspot of the tropical Andes, with special reference to past, current and future environmental changes. The group assessed ecosystem services using data from ecological field and scenario-driven model experiments, and with the help of comparative field surveys of the natural forest and its anthropogenic replacement system for agriculture. The book offers insights into the impacts of environmental change on various service categories mentioned in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005): cultural, regulating, supporting and provisioning ecosystem services. Examples focus on biodiversity of plants and animals including trophic networks, and abiotic/biotic parameters such as soils, regional climate, water, nutrient and sediment cycles. The types of threats considered include land use and climate changes, as well as atmospheric fertilization. In terms of regulating and provisioning services, the emphasis is primarily on water regulation and supply as well as climate regulation and carbon sequestration. With regard to provisioning services, the synthesis of the book provides science-based recommendations for a sustainable land use portfolio including several options such as forestry, pasture management and the practices of indigenous peoples. In closing, the authors show how they integrated the local society by pursuing capacity building in compliance with the CBD-ABS (Convention on Biological Diversity - Access and Benefit Sharing), in the form of education and knowledge transfer for application.
Ecosystem Services: Economics and Policy (Palgrave Studies in Natural Resource Management)
by Stephen MuddimanThis book bridges the gap between economic and ecological theory and practice. Its main focus is on how the principles of the Austrian School of economics could improve the validity of Ecosystem Services.The concept of ‘Ecosystem Services’ is a relatively recent innovation in environmental thought. The current system is dependent upon mainstream economic theory, in which monetary and fiscal policy controls the prevailing health of the economy. The dependence on this approach to finance, Muddiman argues, limits the potential of ecosystem services and exacerbates the effects of the existing flawed economic model. The book highlights the links between ecological and economic methodologies and concepts and outlines how the principles of Austrian Economic theory could provide better environmental outcomes. It then goes on to formulate approaches to ecosystem services which could act as drivers towards a new biodiversity-based economic framework built around distributed ledger technology, or ‘blockchain’. The key distinction of this book is its consideration of ecosystem services as a function of the current economic system. Using this as a starting point it investigates how an alternative economic model would achieve the integration of environmental considerations into economic decision making.
Ecosystem Services: Key Issues
by Mark EverardThe concept of ecosystem services has emerged in recent years as one of the most powerful guiding principles for ecology, biodiversity conservation and the management of natural resources. It provides the basis of assessing the multiple values and services that ecosystems can provide to humankind, including such diverse issues as carbon sequestration, flood control, crop pollination and aesthetic and cultural services. This introductory textbook sets out the key aspects of ecosystem services. The book details the historical roots of ecosystem services in the second half of the twentieth century and through initiatives such as the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. It shows how ecosystem goods and services can be categorised and valued in economic as well as non-monetary terms, while also highlighting some of the difficulties and limitations of valuation techniques. The author describes how themes such as systems thinking, social-ecological resilience and natural capital relate to ecosystem services, and how these can contribute to more sustainable and equitable development. The book assumes limited prior knowledge and is aimed at a wide interdisciplinary audience of students across the social, environmental and life sciences. It is illustrated by a wide range of international case studies and includes learning objectives and guidance for further reading.
Ecosystem Services: Key Issues (Key Issues in Environment and Sustainability)
by Mark EverardRevised and fully updated, this textbook provides a detailed yet accessible introduction to the key aspects of ecosystem services. Ecosystem services is one of the most powerful guiding principles for ecology, biodiversity conservation and the management of natural resources. It provides the basis of assessing the multiple values and services that ecosystems can provide to humankind, including diverse issues such as carbon sequestration, flood control, crop pollination and aesthetic and cultural services. The second edition of Ecosystem Services: Key Issues has been fully revised and updated to address policy and scientific developments, as well as new and emerging issues, such as nature-based solutions, zoonotic diseases and environmental justice. It includes new and updated case studies from across the world and each chapter contains further reading, learning objectives and discussion questions to aid student learning. The book details the historical roots of ecosystem services in the second half of the twentieth century, through initiatives such as the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, The Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It shows how ecosystem goods and services can be categorised and valued in economic as well as non-monetary terms, while also highlighting some of the difficulties and limitations of valuation techniques. The author describes how themes such as systems thinking, social-ecological resilience and natural capital relate to ecosystem services, and how these can contribute to more sustainable and equitable development. This book will be essential reading for students and scholars of ecosystem services, ecology, environmental science, biodiversity conservation, environmental economics, natural resource management and sustainable development. It will also be of use to professionals and policymakers who are looking to integrate ecosystems and their services into their decision making processes.
Ecosystem and Cultural Services: Environmental, Legal and Social Perspectives in Argentina (The Latin American Studies Book Series)
by Clara María Minaverry Sebastián ValverdeThis book describes cases and experiences in connection with environmental and cultural ecosystem services in Argentina. It contributes to the debate in connection with different approaches to analyse ecosystem services, focusing on the environment, the Law and social perspectives and concerns. Among the topics discussed are the implementation of the National Forests Act, the regulation and recognition of ecosystem services, the role of indigenous people, the policies in place for nature and forest conservation in different regions of Argentina. This book is one of the few research studies about cultural ecosystem services developed in Latin America and presents an attractive combination of the legal, environmental and social approaches and was written by an interdisciplinary team of academics who have theoretical and practical experience in this region where there is a valuable natural and cultural heritage.
Ecosystem and Species Adaptations in the Andean-Amazonian Region: Traditional Land-Use Systems in Peru
by Ana SabogalThis book focuses on ecosystems and species adaptations in the unique Peruvian Andean-Amazonian region. The presence of the Andes as the backbone is the cause of the huge ecosystem diversity and biodiversity of species that characterize the Andean-Amazonian ecosystems. The complex orography of Peru as results of the Andes presence in its tropical setting favors the occurrence of local climatic features that provide diverse environmental conditions for multiple, unique plant and animal species, many of them endemic to the Andes. The book will introduce the reader to the climatic history and geography of the Peruvian Andes and the Peruvian Natural Areas Protection system focusing on the Manu and Northwest biosphere reserves given their relevant ecological importance as well as the relationship between them and the local population. Important global topics like urbanization, deglaciation and global warming will be analyzed and discussed due to their impact in the Andes-Amazon ecosystems. Finally, the traditional land-use systems, agrobiodiversity and agrodiversity in Peru are present and linked with the climate change adaptations.
Ecosystem and Species Habitat Modeling for Conservation and Restoration
by Rajarshi Dasgupta Shalini Dhyani Dibyendu Adhikari Rakesh KadaveruguThis edited book is focused on SDG 15. This volume covers aspects of species and ecosystem modeling in understanding the complexity of ecological systems, restoration, protected area management, and species conservation. The book follows a systematic and situation-sensitive approach to discuss ecosystem and species modeling tools, approaches, science, case studies, opportunities, and gaps for enhancing conservation efforts, ensuring ecosystem resilience, and addressing sustainability issues. The book emphasizes on science, innovations, case studies, and strategic relevance as main pillars of using ecosystem and species modeling tools and implementing the outcomes and results. In addition, clear conceptual frameworks, elaborated methodologies, and their applications are included to support policy planning and interventions to reduce and reverse human encroachment in human-dominated natural ecosystems, their degradation, and loss of important species and ecosystem services. Essential information with a special focus on advances and opportunities in advancing the implementation of results and outputs of the modeling tools, challenges and constraints for addressing loss of ecosystem services, designing and implementing sustainable landscape restoration, environmental risk assessment, and finally understanding policy implications and concerns for mainstreaming modeling results in conservation planning and decision-making is included in the book. Further topics include ultimate translational value of modeling tools and efforts across transitional ecosystems and species habitat to provide better evidence to influence the nature-based solutions (NbS) and ecosystem health assessment using Red List of Ecosystems (RLE). The emerging roles of integrative socio-ecological as well as techno-cultural factors in promoting the relevance of ecosystem and species modeling is one of the key features of this book. This edited volume is of interest and useful to researchers, students, scholars, policy makers, forest managers, consultants, and policy makers in the fields of protected area management, forest department, conservation, modeling, climate change, and sustainability science, and also authors engaged in IPBES, IPCC, and several other assessments.
Ecosystem-Based Disaster and Climate Resilience: Integration of Blue-Green Infrastructure in Sustainable Development (Disaster and Risk Research: GADRI Book Series)
by Rajib Shaw Mahua MukherjeeThis book provides an introduction to the critical role of ecosystem-based disaster risk resilience (Eco-DRR) for building community resilience to multiple environmental risks such as rising heat, water stress, and pollution. Blue-green infrastructure (BGI) is an Eco-DRR tool that is an under-explored paradigm and can respond as one common strategy to targets set by the Sustainable Development Goals (UNDP), Climate Agreements (UNEP), the Sendai Framework (UNISDR), and the New Urban Agenda (UNCHS). Highlighted here in a systematic way is the importance of blue-green infrastructures in resilience building. The purpose is to introduce readers to the challenging context of development and opportunity creation for Eco-DRR. The roles of policy, scientific research, and implementation are presented cohesively. An attractive proposition of the book is a collection of case studies from different parts of the world where integration of BGI is experimented with at various levels of success. It envisages that shared tacit experiences from the realm of practice will further strengthen explicit knowledge. The focus in this book is on need and context building, policy and science (investigation, analysis, and design), case studies, and a road map for the future in four successive parts. Each part is self-sufficient yet linked to its predecessor, successor, or both, as the case may be.
Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management
by Jason S. LinkResponsible fisheries management is of increasing interest to the scientific community, resource managers, policy makers, stakeholders and the general public. Focusing solely on managing one species of fish stock at a time has become less of a viable option in addressing the problem. Incorporating more holistic considerations into fisheries management by addressing the trade-offs among the range of issues involved, such as ecological principles, legal mandates and the interests of stakeholders, will hopefully challenge and shift the perception that doing ecosystem-based fisheries management is unfeasible. Demonstrating that EBFM is in fact feasible will have widespread impact, both in US and international waters. Using case studies, underlying philosophies and analytical approaches, this book brings together a range of interdisciplinary topics surrounding EBFM and considers these simultaneously, with an aim to provide tools for successful implementation and to further the debate on EBFM, ultimately hoping to foster enhanced living marine resource management.
Ecosystem-Based Management for the Oceans
by Brad Barr Heather Leslie Karen Mcleod Maria de los Angeles Carvajal Lilian Lilian Naia Alessa Alessa Marco Marco Octavio Aburto AburtoConventional management approaches cannot meet the challenges faced by ocean and coastal ecosystems today. Consequently, national and international bodies have called for a shift toward more comprehensive ecosystem-based marine management. Synthesizing a vast amount of current knowledge, Ecosystem-Based Management for the Oceans is a comprehensive guide to utilizing this promising new approach. At its core, ecosystem-based management (EBM) is about acknowledging connections. Instead of focusing on the impacts of single activities on the delivery of individual ecosystem services, EBM focuses on the array of services that we receive from marine systems, the interactive and cumulative effects of multiple human activities on these coupled ecological and social systems, and the importance of working towards common goals across sectors. Ecosystem-Based Management for the Oceans provides a conceptual framework for students and professionals who want to understand and utilize this powerful approach. And it employs case studies that draw on the experiences of EBM practitioners to demonstrate how EBM principles can be applied to real-world problems. The book emphasizes the importance of understanding the factors that contribute to social and ecological resilience --the extent to which a system can maintain its structure, function, and identity in the face of disturbance. Utilizing the resilience framework, professionals can better predict how systems will respond to a variety of disturbances, as well as to a range of management alternatives. Ecosystem-Based Management for the Oceans presents the latest science of resilience, while it provides tools for the design and implementation of responsive EBM solutions.
Ecosystem-Based Management, Ecosystem Services and Aquatic Biodiversity: Theory, Tools and Applications
by Manuel Lago Timothy G. O’Higgins Theodore H. DeWittAquatic ecosystems are rich in biodiversity and home to a diverse array of species and habitats, providing a wide variety of benefits to human beings. Many of these valuable ecosystems are at risk of being irreversibly damaged by human activities and pressures, including pollution, contamination, invasive species, overfishing and climate change. Such pressures threaten the sustainability of these ecosystems, their provision of ecosystem services and ultimately human well-being.Ecosystem-based management (EBM) is now widely considered the most promising paradigm for balancing sustainable development and biodiversity protection, and various international strategies and conventions have championed the EBM cause and the inclusion of ecosystem services in decision-making. This open access book introduces the essential concepts and principles required to implement ecosystem-based management, detailing tools and techniques, and describing the application of these concepts and tools to a broad range of aquatic ecosystems, from the shores of Lough Erne in Northern Ireland to the estuaries of the US Pacific Northwest and the tropical Mekong Delta.
Ecosystems
by National Science Resources CenterEcosystems get students thinking about ecosystems¿what they are, what threatens them, and what scientists and others are doing to keep them in balance. The first section of the book introduces students to basic concepts about ecosystems, from a brief ecological vocabulary lesson to information about the interrelationships of animals with the land and plants in their habitat. One story presents the theory that a global catastrophe led to the extinction of dinosaurs. Other stories discuss threats to Earth's ecosystems and ways that people can minimize those threats. The final section of the book relates the stories of three environmental pioneers: Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, and Rachel Carson.
Ecosystems Student Activity Book: Science and Technology for Children
by The National Academy of SciencesThe contents of this book are: Thinking about Ecosystems, Setting Up the Terrarium and adding animals to it, Setting Up the Aquarium and adding animals to it, Observing the Completed Aquarium, Joining the Terrarium and Aquarium, Upsetting the Stability, Reporting on Pollutants, Planning and Setting Up Our Pollution Experiments, Observing Early Effects of Pollution, Where Do the Pollutants Go?, Drawing Conclusions about Our Experiment, Examining a Real Environmental Problem, etc.
Ecosystems Without Borders 2023: Opportunities and Challenges (Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems #705)
by Ruslan PolyakovThe book in your hands is a collection of papers delivered at the II International Conference "Ecosystems Without Borders: Opportunities and Challenges" held at Kaliningrad State Technical University in February 2023.The materials include studies reflecting the transformation of ecosystems, both in innovative development and in science, technology and business, as well as the spatial aspects of ecosystems and features of the formation of a creative class in ecosystem conditions. In addition, the book includes theoretical articles, which aim to implement the ideas of sustainable development and circular economy. The book is intended for a wide range of readers, including practicing economists, students, graduate students and researchers, as well as government officials and company managers. We are confident that our book serves as an important source of information and knowledge that leads to scientific and innovative progress in the field of sustainable development of society.
Ecosystems Without Borders 2024: Opportunities and Challenges (Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems #1092)
by Ruslan PolyakovThis book is a continuation of a series of presentations given at the III International Conference "Ecosystems Without Borders: Opportunities and Challenges" held at the Kaliningrad State Technical University in September 2023. The book presents research reflecting the transformation of ecosystems in the context of innovative development, science, technology and business. It also considers spatial aspects of ecosystems and the peculiarities of the formation of the creative class in the context of ecosystems. Theoretical articles aimed not only at the realization of the ideas of sustainable development in the economy but also at the realization of the ideas of structural transformation of innovation processes. The book is useful to a wide range of readers: practicing economists, students, graduate students and researchers, as well as government officials and company managers. The authors are confident that this book will serve as an important source of information and knowledge that will contribute to scientific and innovative progress in the field of sustainable development of society.
Ecosystems Without Borders: Opportunities and Challenges (Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems #474)
by Ruslan PolyakovThis book presents selected papers from the II International Conference "Ecosystems without Borders 2021", held at Kaliningrad State Technical University in Kaliningrad, Russia on October 5–7, 2021.Materials of the book "Ecosystems without Borders - Opportunities and Challenges" include theoretical and spatial aspects of ecosystems, features of the formation of a creative class in these conditions, as well as studies reflecting transformation of ecosystems, both in terms of innovations and in science, technology and business.This book will be of interest to a wide range of readers, such as practicing economists, students, graduate students and researchers, as well as government employees and company managers.
Ecosystems and Human Health
by Crescentia Y. DakuboEcosystems and Human Health introduces Ecohealth as an emerging field of study, traces its evolution, and explains its applications in cross-disciplinary and holistic programs. Its integrative approach not only focuses on managing the environment to improve health, but also analyzes underlying social and economic determinants of health to develop innovative, people-centered interventions.
Ecosystems and Human Health: Toxicology and Environmental Hazards, Third Edition
by Richard B. PhilpSince the second edition of this text was published, many new environmental incidents have occurred, including another nuclear disaster, a mine disaster in the United States, and the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Updated throughout the text, Ecosystems and Human Health: Toxicology and Environmental Hazards, Third Edition explores the broad range of env
Ecosystems and Human Well-Being: A Manual for Assessment Practitioners (Five Volume Set Ser.)
by Thomas Tomich Monika Zurek Neville Ash Hernán Blanco Keisha Garcia Bhaskar ViraDesigned by a partnership of UN agencies, international scientific organizations, and development agencies, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) is the most extensive study ever of the linkages between the world's ecosystems and human well-being. The goal of the MA is to establish the scientific basis for actions needed to enhance the contribution of ecosystems to human well-being without undermining their long-term productivity. With contributions by more than 500 scientists from 70 countries, the MA has proven to be one of the most important conservation initiatives ever undertaken, and the ecosystem services paradigm on which it is based provides the standard for practice. This manual supplies the specific tools that practitioners of the paradigm need in order to extend their work into the future. The manual is a stand-alone "how to" guide to conducting assessments of the impacts on humans of ecosystem changes. In addition, assessment practitioners who are looking for guidance on particular aspects of the assessment process will find individual chapters of this manual to be useful in advancing their understanding of best practices in ecosystem assessment. The manual builds on the experiences and lessons learned from the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment global and sub-global assessment initiatives, with chapters written by well-known participants in those initiatives. It also includes insights and experiences gained from a wider range of ecosystem service-focused assessment activities since the completion of the MA in 2005.
Ecosystems and Living Resources of the Baltic Sea
by Evald OjaveerThis volume presents a reconstruction of the formation of the environmental conditions and biota in the present-day Baltic Sea area during the last glacial cycle and thereafter under the influence of extra-terrestrial, climatic and geological factors. Abiotic conditions in the contemporary Baltic Sea (water salinity, temperature, oxygen and light conditions, currents and other water movements) are characterized and in this background the natural regional system of the sea has been generated. Important issues are considered such as life forms in the Baltic and their dependence on the natural environment (both in the conditions of the relative stable environment and during the regime shifts), as well as anthropogenic influences and the basic differences between the areas of the World Ocean and the brackish Baltic Sea. This book also equips readers with basic principles of assessments and management of ecosystems and fish resources (including the long-term assessment and forecast on ecosystems and fish resources) and provides information on the structures of international collaboration developed in the Baltic Sea.
Ecosystems and Their Interactions, Student Guide
by Carolina Biological Supply Company/Smithsonian Science Education CenterNIMAC-sourced textbook
Ecosystems of Extremes: Climate, Soils, and Sustainable Land Use in the Central-Eastern Sahara (Advances in Geographical and Environmental Sciences)
by Fayez AlailyThis book explores the environmental conditions, particularly the climate and soils, of one of the driest regions on earth, the Central-East of the Sahara. These factors control the ecosystems and determine the land's suitability for use. The area receives only 0.5 mm of precipitation annually and contains one of the largest aquifers in the Sahara, with fossil groundwater. The region's lithology includes Cretaceous formations and crystalline rocks, largely covered by quaternary sediments. Exogenous activities have shaped various landscape types, such as ergs with different dunes, deflated depressions with playas, and yardangs. Soils in the region are primarily formed through physical processes and are often shallow, sandy, and enriched with soluble salts. The book provides a detailed analysis of their physical and chemical properties, genesis, and relation to environmental factors and sociological aspects. It also discusses rare ecosystems, including those dependent on food imports and those that arise episodically and last for a few years. Considering all ecological parameters, a land assessment system for irrigated agriculture is developed, along with descriptions of suitable cultivation methods and optimal irrigation systems. The book's contents are based on data from several expeditions and laboratory work funded by the German Research Foundation.