A Narrative Policy Approach to Environmental Conservation

Due to the urgency and seriousness of the loss of biological diversity, scientists from across a range of disciplines are urged to increase the salience and use of their research by policy-makers. Increased policy nuance is needed to address the science–policy gap and overcome divergent views of separate research and policy worlds, a view still relatively common among conservation scientists. Research impact considerations should recognize that policy uptake is dependent on contextual variables operating in the policy sphere. We provide a novel adaptation of existing policy approaches to evidence impact that accounts for non-evidentiary “societal” influences on decision-making. We highlight recent analytical tools from political science that account for the use of evidence by policy-makers. Using the United Kingdom’s recent embrace of the ecosystem approach to environmental management, we advocate analyzing evidence research impact through a narrative lens that accounts for the credibility, legitimacy, and relevance of science for policy.     

A Quantitative Review of Urban Ecosystem Service Assessments: Concepts,Models, and Implementation

Although a number of comprehensive reviews have examined global ecosystem services (ES), few have focused on studies that assess urban ecosystem services (UES). Given that more than half of the world’s population lives in cities, understanding the dualism of the provision of and need for UES is of critical importance. Which UES are the focus of research, and what types of urban land use are examined? Are models or decision support systems used to assess the provision of UES? Are trade-offs considered? Do studies of UES engage stakeholders? To address these questions, we analyzed 217 papers derived from an ISI Web of Knowledge search using a set of standardized criteria. The results indicate that most UES studies have been undertaken in Europe, North America, and China, at city scale. Assessment methods involve bio-physical models, Geographical Information Systems, and valuation, but few study findings have been implemented as land use policy.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13280-014-0504-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

From Multifunctionality to Multiple Ecosystem Services? A Conceptual Framework for Multifunctionality in Green Infrastructure Planning for Urban Areas

Green infrastructure (GI) and ecosystem services (ES) are promoted as concepts that have potential to improve environmental planning in urban areas based on a more holistic understanding of the complex interrelations and dynamics of social–ecological systems. However, the scientific discourses around both concepts still lack application-oriented frameworks that consider such a holistic perspective and are suitable to mainstream GI and ES in planning practice. This literature review explores how multifunctionality as one important principle of GI planning can be operationalized by approaches developed and tested in ES research. Specifically, approaches developed in ES research can help to assess the integrity of GI networks, balance ES supply and demand, and consider trade-offs. A conceptual framework for the assessment of multifunctionality from a social–ecological perspective is proposed that can inform the design of planning processes and support stronger exchange between GI and ES research.     

企业主导生态付费模式研究——以江苏盐城国家级珍禽自然保护区为例

以江苏盐城国家级珍禽自然保护区(简称盐城保护区)为例,在问卷调查的基础上,分析了盐城保护区周边居民农药和化肥的使用对保护区生物多样性保护的潜在威胁.鉴于盐城保护区在生物多样性方面的重要性、其面临的挑战和机遇在中国众多保护区中的代表性,结合当前国际上方兴未艾的生态付费的基本思想,探讨了在盐城保护区引入私人部门主导的生态付费机制作为政府主导型生态付费机制补充形式的可能性,提出了由绿色企业对保护区周边农户直接开展生态服务付费机制的初步设计思想.     

Applying the concept of State of Good Repair to the management of ecological infrastructure

At any time, the condition of ecological infrastructure is related to the availability of funds to support operational management programmes. Environmental management outcomes are therefore often coupled to general economic conditions. When general economic conditions are favourable, investment in environmental management is often greater. This implies that environmental management frameworks need to be able to cope with the waxing and waning of economic conditions while still delivering acceptable environmental management and service delivery outcomes. At the onset of budget cuts, environmental managers therefore need effective ways of assessing the near and far future trade-offs of curtailing particular programmes in a defensible and internally consistent manner.

Operators of large civil infrastructure assets face the same problem. In response, the asset management community has developed the State of Good Repair approach. The objective of the preliminary consideration presented here was to determine whether this engineering management approach has any merit in environmental management.     

Value of Ecosystem Services in Conventional and Organic Rice Paddies： A Case Study in Wannian, Jiangxi, China

In the current study,the ecosystem services(ES)of conventional and organic rice paddies in Wannian,Jiangxi Province,China are investigated.First,the ES at the field level under organic and conventional paddies were investigated.Total economic value of ES in organic rice paddies was 30093.08yuan RMB/ha per year and that of conventional rice paddies was22 793.31 yuan RMB/ha per year.The total indirect value of ES was 14 813.7 yuan RMB/ha per year in organic rice paddies and12 424.56 yuan RMB/ha per year in conventional ones.There were significant differences between organic and conventional rice paddies for the economic values.Then,this economic information was used to extrapolate and to calculate the total and indirect value of ES from rice paddies in Wangnian.The total and indirect economic values of ES from conventional rice paddies in Wannian were6791 million and 3702 million yuan RMB per year respectively,and the total and indirect economic values of ES from organic rice paddies in Wannian were 1311 million and 646 million yuan RMB per year.If half the area had being converted to organic farming in Wannian,the total and indirect economic values of ES from conventional rice paddies were 3397 million and 1851 million yuan RMB per year,and the total and indirect economic values of ES from organic rice paddies were 5794 million and 2852 million yuan RMB per year.Finally,the total economic value of ES in rice paddies in Wannian was demonstrated through geographic information system techniques.     

Conservation value of small reserves

The importance of large reserves has been long maintained in the scientific literature, often leading to dismissal of the conservation potential of small reserves. However, over half the global protected-area inventory is composed of protected areas that are <100 ha, and the median size of added protected area is decreasing. Studies of the conservation value of small reserves and fragments of natural area are relatively uncommon in the literature. We reviewed SCOPUS and WOK for studies on small reserve and fragment contributions to biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services, and fifty-eight taxon-specific studies were included in the review. Small reserves harbored substantial portions (upward of 50%) of regional species diversity for many taxa (birds, plants, amphibians, and small mammals) and even some endemic, specialist bird species. Unfortunately, small reserves and fragments almost always harbored more generalist and exotic species than large reserves. Community composition depended on habitat quality, surrounding land use (agricultural vs. urban), and reserve and fragment size, which presents opportunities for management and improvement. Small reserves also provided ecosystem services, such as pollination and biological pest control, and cultural services, such as recreation and improved human health. Limitations associated with small reserves, such as extinction debt and support of area-sensitive species, necessitate a complement of larger reserves. However, we argue that small reserves can make viable and significant contributions to conservation goals directly as habitat and indirectly by increasing landscape connectivity and quality to the benefit of large reserves. To effectively conserve biodiversity for future generations in landscapes fragmented by human development, small reserves and fragments must be included in conservation planning.     

An interdisciplinary assessment of private conservation areas in the Western United States

Conservation easements are the fastest growing private conservation strategy in the United States. However, mechanisms to assess private land conservation as well as their support by the general public are not well understood. This study uses the ecosystem services framework for assessing existing private lands in Idaho and identifies areas for future conservation easements. Using conservation targets of the land trust as a guide for selecting ecosystem services, we (a) mapped the spatial delivery of conservation targets across public and private lands, (b) explored public awareness in terms of social importance and vulnerability, and (c) mapped future priority areas by characterizing conservation bundles. We found that public lands provided the highest levels of conservation targets, and we found no difference in conservation target provision between private areas and conservation easements. The spatial characterization of conservation target bundles identified potential future priority areas for conservation easements, which can guide planning of land trust conservation efforts.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-020-01323-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

长三角地区城市化对典型生态系统服务供需的影响

长三角地区快速城市化进程影响了生态系统服务供需的平衡关系,为实现长三角一体化高质量发展需要探究城市化对生态系统服务供需的影响。基于生态模型、Pearson相关性、随机森林、局部空间自相关等方法分析城市化和生态系统服务供需间的影响关系、敏感性与空间交互关系,提出生态管理措施。研究发现：2000—2018年间,长三角地区城市化综合水平上涨133.33%;各典型生态系统服务供需比均为正但均呈下降趋势,平均下降幅度22.39%;城市化对生态系统服务供需比具有显著的负向影响,2000—2018年间,影响强度平均上升82.34%;食物生产对人口城市化敏感性较强,碳储存和生境质量对经济城市化敏感性较强,水源涵养和PM_2.5去除则对空间城市化敏感性较强;城市化与生态系统服务供需比存在较大的空间错配性。由此建议将长三角地区划分为生态利用区、生态重构区、生态源地区和生态修复区,并结合城市化和生态系统服务供需特征提出生态优化管理措施。     

Public policy, private landholders: perspectives on policy mechanisms for sustainable land management

A variety of tools can be employed in support of environmental policy objectives, but achieving preferred outcomes also requires the cooperation of private landholders and others with vested interests in the land. The Land Stewardship project in the state of Victoria, Australia, is an initiative devoted to exploring the ways in which private landholders could be encouraged towards more sustainable land management. Following the view that the success of policy initiatives is contingent on effective stakeholder engagement, a component of the Land Stewardship project involved a dialogue with landholders about policy tools (e.g., regulation, economic instruments) that might be deployed to encourage improved land management practices. This paper provides an account of the views and attitudes of landholders, as revealed in a series of three workshops, which consisted of discussions about the factors influencing agriculture, participants' interpretations of sustainability, and policy methods. The focus of the paper is on what landholders believe to be the strengths and limitations of standard policy tools, and the essential requirements for these tools to deliver the best land management outcomes. One of the main findings of the project was a 'preference hierarchy' in respect of policy methods, according to which the strongest support was expressed for voluntary and education-based tools, followed by market-based instruments, with command-and-control regulation identified as a measure of 'last resort'. In the paper we reflect also on how the views and outlook of landholders should be positioned relative to other inputs in the design of policy interventions.