Browsing by Keyword "Ecosystem services"
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Item Assessing impacts to biodiversity and ecosystems: Understanding and exploiting synergies between Life Cycle Assessment and Natural Capital Accounting(2022) Cordella, Mauro; Gonzalez-Redin, Julen; Lodeiro, Raul Ugarte; Garcia, David Alvarez; Tecnalia Research & Innovation; ECONOMÍA CIRCULARAll economic activity depends on natural capital, i.e., the stock of both renewable and non-renewable resources (including biodiversity) providing a flow of ecosystem services (ES) to society. However, as also highlighted in the European Green Deal and follow-up policy initiatives of the European Commission, unsustainable practices of production and consumption of human beings have put nature in crisis, which has negative effects on different aspects of human wellbeing as retro-feedback. The need for action is urgent, and this calls for the availability of appropriate methods and tools that can be used to assess and guide the mitigation and reversion of the impacts of human activities on biodiversity and ES. In this context, we describe a conceptual framework that aims to show how Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) and Natural Capital Accounting (NCA) can be integrated and used for a more comprehensive understanding of the biodiversity and ES quality footprint, i.e., pressures and impacts, associated with product value chains, organizations and territories. First, an in-depth and separate description of LCA and NCA is provided, including ongoing progress, complexities, and challenges of each field. Second, integration options are presented that could be followed and further developed to link LCA and NCA, thus helping to overcome the shortages of the two fields and providing a more holistic and interdisciplinary approach to address the current environmental crisis.Item Knowledge needs for the operationalisation of the concept of ecosystem services(2018-02) Carmen, Esther; Watt, Allan; Carvalho, Laurence; Dick, Jan; Fazey, Ioan; Garcia-Blanco, Gemma; Grizzetti, Bruna; Hauck, Jennifer; Izakovicova, Zita; Kopperoinen, Leena; Liquete, Camino; Odee, David; Steingröver, Eveliene; Young, Juliette; ADAPTACIÓN AL CAMBIO CLIMÁTICOAs environmental challenges and their management are increasingly recognised as complex and uncertain, the concept of ecosystem services has emerged from within scientific communities and is gaining influence within policy communities. To better understand how this concept can be turned into practice we examine knowledge needs from the perspective of the different stakeholders directly engaged with the operationalisation of ecosystem systems concept within ten socio-ecologically different case studies from different countries, levels of governance and ecosystems. We identify four different but interrelated areas of knowledge needs, namely; (i) needs related to develop a common understanding, (ii) needs related to the role of formal and informal institutions in shaping action on the ground, (iii) needs related to linking knowledge and action, and (iv) and needs related to accessible and easy to use methods and tools. These findings highlight the need to view knowledge as a process which is orientated towards action. We discuss the potential to develop transdisciplinary research approaches and the development of tools and methods explicitly as boundary objects in the ecosystem service science community to develop more collaborative practices with other stakeholders and facilitate the operationalisation of the concept of ecosystem services across contexts.Item Mitigating and adapting to climate change: Multi-functional and multi-scale assessment of green urban infrastructure(2014-12-15) Demuzere, M.; Orru, K.; Heidrich, O.; Olazabal, E.; Geneletti, D.; Orru, H.; Bhave, A. G.; Mittal, N.; Feliu, E.; Faehnle, M.; ADAPTACIÓN AL CAMBIO CLIMÁTICOIn order to develop climate resilient urban areas and reduce emissions, several opportunities exist starting from conscious planning and design of green (and blue) spaces in these landscapes. Green urban infrastructure has been regarded as beneficial, e.g. by balancing water flows, providing thermal comfort. This article explores the existing evidence on the contribution of green spaces to climate change mitigation and adaptation services. We suggest a framework of ecosystem services for systematizing the evidence on the provision of bio-physical benefits (e.g. CO2 sequestration) as well as social and psychological benefits (e.g. improved health) that enable coping with (adaptation) or reducing the adverse effects (mitigation) of climate change. The multi-functional and multi-scale nature of green urban infrastructure complicates the categorization of services and benefits, since in reality the interactions between various benefits are manifold and appear on different scales. We will show the relevance of the benefits from green urban infrastructures on three spatial scales (i.e. city, neighborhood and site specific scales). We will further report on co-benefits and trade-offs between the various services indicating that a benefit could in turn be detrimental in relation to other functions. The manuscript identifies avenues for further research on the role of green urban infrastructure, in different types of cities, climates and social contexts. Our systematic understanding of the bio-physical and social processes defining various services allows targeting stressors that may hamper the provision of green urban infrastructure services in individual behavior as well as in wider planning and environmental management in urban areas.