Worldwide network to enhance the science, policy and practice of ecosystem services for conservation and sustainable development

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In memoriam Leon Braat 25 March 2021

by Categories: News

It is with great sadness that we share the news that on March 25 Leon Braat, the founding Editor-in-Chief of ‘Ecosystem Services’, passed away after a short but unstoppable illness. ‘We’ in this case are his fellow-editors and involved staff at Elsevier. Many were not only colleagues but also close friends with Leon for many years.

Leon was one of the few economists who recognized early that if we are to save the incredible diversity of life on this planet, we need fundamental changes in our economic system. Sentiments and ethics alone are, clearly and unfortunately, not enough to stop the ongoing destruction of ecosystems and loss of biodiversity. [Read more…] about In memoriam Leon Braat 25 March 2021

Updates from ESP Brazil

by Categories: News, Publications

The ESP Brazil network is pleased to announce the following updates:

  1. Resilience of Community Food Systems (CFS): Co-Design as a Long-Term Viable Pathway to Face Crises in Neglected Territories?
    A publication on how COVID-19 affected the food systems and what can be done to overcome the challenges. This publication is a result of a collaborative study between Brazil and Germany. You can access it from here.
  2. Brazils Highway BR-319: The road to the collapse of the Amazon and the violation of indigenous rights
    A scientific publication that impacted a public call in the Amazon region. You can access it from here.
  3. The ESP Brazilian network is on Instagram! You can follow them now @brasil.esp.

Ecosystem Services Valuation Database Latest Version

by Categories: News

We are pleased to share with you the latest version of the Ecosystem Service Valuation Database.

For this update, we teamed-up with Agrifood Economics Division (ESA) of the Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO). ESVD data are linked to the Biodiversity Integrated Assessment and Computation Tool (B-INTACT) for evaluating the ‘social cost of biodiversity’ indicator (one out of a set of indicators employed in the tool). Our focus was on increasing the coverage of the database for natural terrestrial biomes in order to improve the current indicator robustness. We also expanded data towards Mangroves (Coastal systems biome) as part of a meta-analytic application of ESVD, commissioned by the World Bank. [Read more…] about Ecosystem Services Valuation Database Latest Version

New paper on the use of ecosystem services conceptual models

by Categories: News, Publications

Exploring the Use of Ecosystem Services Conceptual Models to Account for the Benefits of Public Lands: An Example from National Forest Planning in the United States

A shared understanding of the benefits and tradeoffs to people from alternative land management strategies is critical to successful decision-making for managing public lands and fostering shared stewardship. This study describes an approach for identifying and monitoring the types of resource benefits and tradeoffs considered in National Forest planning in the United States under the 2012 Planning Rule and demonstrates the use of tools for conceptualizing the production of ecosystem services and benefits from alternative land management strategies.

[Read more…] about New paper on the use of ecosystem services conceptual models

Input 2020 – 11th International Conference on Innovation in Urban and Regional Planning

by Categories: News, Upcoming events

The 11th Edition of the International Conference on “Innovation in Urban and Regional Planning” will focus on how to integrate Nature-Based Solutions in urban and regional planning processes and science. There is growing evidence that Nature Based Solutions (NBS) are strategic instruments to restore or improve the functionality of urban ecosystems toward more liveable, healthier and resilient cities. Despite their many advantages, NBS are not widely implemented because the evidence of their effectiveness is not yet sufficiently diffused among policy makers, city-planners and residents and because NBS is often overlooked due to the complexity of their design and lack of normative instruments supporting planning choices.

[Read more…] about Input 2020 – 11th International Conference on Innovation in Urban and Regional Planning