This Special Issue edited by SWG 10 lead team members Marianne Thomsen and Lorie Hamelin endeavors to put together a comprehensive set of articles of key relevance for the sectoral working group (SWG) on “ecosystem services in a bio- and circular economy” of the Ecosystem Service Partnership.
Can a bioeconomy and circular economy be partners in sustainability, as detailed in a recent report by the European Environment Agency? What are the roles of ecosystem services in ensuring the development of sustainable bio- and circular economies and how to reflect these services in holistic assessments such as life cycle assessments (LCAs)? It is well acknowledged that a successful bioeconomy implies tapping into the potential of renewable (yet not unlimited in supply) biological resources; can this be achieved without negatively affecting ecosystem services? How to develop the future bio- and circular economies in such a way that these ecosystem services are not just preserved, but even enhanced? What are the interactions between ecosystem services and a successful and sustainable bioeconomy?
In order to answer these questions, we invite submissions of original research papers from multiple disciplines addressing how to create ecosystem services that preserve circular resource management systems as an inherent feature of future bio-based sustainable production and consumption systems. Review articles providing new insights into these fundamental questions are also welcomed. Sustainable development connects environmental, social and economic research and requires a multi-disciplinary approach in order to assess, explore and engage multiple actors with an important challenge of the first half of the 21st century: supplying food, water, energy and materials to a growing and changing population while avoiding irreversible global temperature increases, environmental degradation and loss of ecosystem services.
The Special Issue will be made available on the Ecosystem Service Partnership webpage to target the international community of scientists, policymakers, practitioners, stakeholders and end-users engaged in enhancing ecosystem services at the local, national, regional and global scale. The first SWP10 meeting will advertise this Special Issue and facilitate debate on theoretical and practical investigations on the subjects covered by this Special Issue. The papers selected for this Special Issue will be subject to a rigorous peer review procedure with the aim of the rapid and wide dissemination of research results, developments and applications.
The deadline for submission of manuscripts is 1 May 2019.
Click here for more information about the Special Issue and manuscript submission information.