Ecosystem Services and their value

On behalf of the Eurosite Ecosystem Services Working Group:

Ecosystem services are all the products and services from nature that are or can be used by humans. They are indispensable for human life on Earth – they deliver nature's products (such as forest fruits, crops, materials), regulate the environment (e.g. quality of water and air), enable nature-based tourism and recreation, but also make people experience various spiritual and aesthetic values.

On the second day of this years’ Annual Meeting (Nov 3) we organise a workshop about using ecosystem services in nature management. Our aim is to further the practical use of this concept for the sake of sustainable use of nature.

In preparation of this workshop we would like to learn more about experience with the practical implementation of the ecosystem services concept. Therefore, we kindly ask you to provide the answers on the questions below. Since we are using the method of multiple choice, this will take only five minutes of your time. At the bottom of this questionnaire you will also find an opportunity for personal remarks about ecosystem services in general and their (assumed) importance for human beings.

Your information will be used in an anonymized way only so that your privacy is guaranteed. We hope to present some of the outcomes in the above-mentioned workshop, as well as use the information provided to improve / direct the future endeavours of the Economics and Ecosystem Services Working Group.

Thank you for your help!

About the working group:

The concept of ecosystem services can be useful for site managers. However, the application of the concept is not yet straightforward or already incorporated in the strategic decisions or day to day activities of site management organisations. Therefore, Eurosite’s Economics and Ecosystem Services Working Group helps and supports the Eurosite members to take action and make ecosystem services work for them.

The main goals of the Economics and Ecosystem Services Working Group are to:

raise awareness of the ecosystem services and natural capital concepts among the managers of protected sites;
build capacity among site managers on how to implement ecosystem services in their day-to-day work by finding and sharing examples of practical applications;
find ways to utilise the ecosystem services approach to generate additional funding for site management.

The Working Group was formed in 2013. It meets regularly throughout the year and holds annual demand-driven workshops on relevant topics.

Question Title

* 1. Is your organisation familiar with the concept of ecosystem services?

Very familiar

Not at all

Somewhat familiar

If yes, please provide the term used within your organisation (e.g. nature inclusive or the like) if this is any term other than 'ecosystem services'

Question Title

* 2. For what purpose(s) does your organisation use ecosystem services?

Influence policy- and decision makers

Nature management - restoration measures and management plans

Stakeholder communication

Raising awareness

Assessment of plans and trade-offs

Generating income

Question Title

* 3. Which ecosystem services are you interested in?

Provisioning (e.g. cultivated crops and reared animals, wild plants, water for drinking and non-drinking purposes, wood production, venison)

Regulating (e.g. pollination, pest control, preserving soil fertility, flood control and water regulation, coastal protection, regulation of water and air quality, nutrient regulation, noise remediation, erosion risk control)

Supportive (biodiversity maintenance and protection, life cycle maintenance, ecosystem process maintenance)

Cultural (recreation, nature tourism, education, aesthetic value, spiritual experience, cultural identity and heritage, mental well-being and health)

All of them

Question Title

* 4. Where is/are your site(s) located?

Natural area

Rural area

Peri-urban / urban area

Question Title

* 5. Which sectors benefit most from the supplied services?

Conservation

Agriculture

Fishery

Tourism

Forestry

Urban development

Rural development

Industry

Other

Question Title

* 6. Does your organisation make funding out of payment for the delivery of ecosystem services?

Yes

If yes, is this funding based on a specified paying scheme mechanism (PES scheme) and what was your role in the PES (Facilitator, monitor/validator, buyer or seller)?

Question Title

* 7. If your organisation has not participated in any PES (Payment for ecosystem Service) scheme, are you at least familiar with any?

Yes

If yes, please specify

Question Title

* 8. Is your organisation familiar with GIS?

Yes, very familiar

No, not at all

Somewhat familiar

If yes, please specify if there is a dedicated GIS expert in your organisation and which tools (software, methods) your organisation uses to map and/or assess ecosystem services.

Question Title

* 9. If your organisation is using GIS in practice, what are the purpose(s) for which you use it?

Site assessment

Calculation of various (e.g. biophysical) parameters

Ecosystem services assessment (i.e. valuation)

Map production

As a basis for various plug-ins (software)

All of the above

We do not use GIS

Question Title

* 10. Please feel free to leave some personal remarks about the concept of ecosystem services in general and their (assumed) importance for human beings, which tutorials (methods, tools) you are interested in, and if you would like to attend thematic webinars / workshops on ecosystem services in the future.