From ecosystem function to ecosystem services as a foundation for conservation

Background/Question/Methods:  Basic studies of ecosystem ecology allow researchers to quantify the delivery of a huge range of services that benefit humanity including clean water, flood regulation, regulation of climate-warming carbon dioxide and protection of coastal communities from storm surge. Conservation organizations increasingly work to protect and improve the delivery of these natural services. One conservation approach that relies heavily on of basic knowledge of ecosystem function involves Payments for Ecosystem Services projects, whereby governments or other parties financially reward landowners for conserving and restoring the flow of ecosystem services. Increasingly conservation organizations are using this same basic knowledge to guide restoration efforts and to influence corporate practices. The organizations are developing scientific tools and analyses to help companies incorporate the value of nature into their business decisions. The most developed example of this is a partnership with Dow Chemical Company, whereby scientists from The Nature Conservancy have analyzed the role of natural habitats in reducing ground-level ozone, preventing storm damage and regulating water flows and quality. As a result, Dow is considering investing in hardwood forest restoration as a way of reducing ozone in the Houston area.

Results/Conclusions: One of the interesting lessons of real-world applications of ecosystem service ecology is that the geography and spatial scale of habitats and ecosystems is critical, and that there is no such thing as a dollar per hectare value in the real world because of these spatial effects.  Secondly, to change decisions and policies, the value flowing from those ecosystems needs to be measured in terms relevant to decision-makers. For example, while values expressed in terms of dollars may be needed to influence a corporation, tallying job creation is often more effective for gaining public support.  An emerging frontier in conservation is the possibility of a restoration economy, and this opportunity has the potential to inspire advances in the theory and basic science underlying restoration ecology.