Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Staging
Scenarios
(
Δ
Management, Climate, Population)
Models
Biodiversity
Provisioning
Regulating
Cultural
Supporting
Food
Timber
Fresh Water
Climate
Stability
Species
Habitats
Pollination
Recreation
Tradition
Community
Flood
Control
Outputs ~ Biophysical, Economic, Cultural
Tradeoff
Curves
Balance
Sheets
Maps
Fig. 6.4 An iterative process for integrating ecosystem services into decisions. The process
begins with stakeholder engagement around impending decisions, with a focus on realistic,
alternative scenarios for the future. The modeling is shaped by stakeholders, and typically focused
on the services and scenarios deemed most important. Outputs are displayed in accordance with
stakeholder preferences, in the form of maps, trade-off curves, and/or balance sheets. These can be
expressed in biophysical (e.g., tons of carbon), economic (e.g., dollars), or cultural (e.g., visitor-
days) terms
Future Directions
With the rapid rate of development of ES mapping, from the biophysical and
economic modeling through to policy application in diverse socioeconomic
contexts, it is likely that great advances will be made in coming years. What we
report here is only a beginning. There are key arenas in which further learning is
crucial to understand what drives variation in the provision of ES, how they
percolate through various arms of society, and how social reaction leads to sustain-
able or unsustainable change in ES provision.
Relating Ecosystem Services and Human Health
The relationships between biophysical attributes of ecosystems and human health
are complex [
41
]. Destruction of natural ecosystems can at times improve aspects
of public health. Draining swamps, for example, can reduce habitat for the
