Naturally, at your service: - RSPB

If global efforts to conserve biodiversity are to deliver broader economic benefits
to people, it is useful to know how biodiversity and ecosystem services overlap
spatially. Identifying regions, that are important for both nature conservation and
ecosystem services production, could benefit spatial planning processes and
sustainable development.
Global data exists on the ranges of
certain species, but we have very
little information on the location of
ecosystem service provision. This
is unsurprising given the limited
means we have of actually
measuring services. In 2006, as
part of its research programme,
the RSPB organised a workshop
to map the relationship between
areas of high global biodiversity
and high ecosystem service value.
Global maps of four ecosystem
services were developed and
compared with maps of global
distributions of conventional,
species-based targets for
conservation. Preliminary results
from this research show that
regions selected to maximise
biodiversity conservation are no
better at providing ecosystem
services than regions chosen
randomly. There was also little
correlation between different
services.
Conclusions may differ for different
services or at other spatial scales
but, however preliminary this
research, these findings are a
caution against generalisations
regarding relationships between
biodiversity and ecosystem service
provision. Exploiting an ecosystem
service approach will only benefit
conservation where there is overlap
between important locations for
biodiversity and ecosystem services
and if there is congruence in the
particular land or marine uses that
best delivers both. More generally,
research on general patterns of
congruence in ecosystem services
and biodiversity may ultimately
prove less informative for decisionmaking
than a more focused
regional approach.
Despite this note of caution, it is
clear that ‘win-win’ locations, and
ecosystem categories, exist.
Tropical forests appear to be one of
the prime examples, largely due to
their carbon storage function. For
an ecosystem services agenda to
be used in support of conservation,
it is important to understand where
such synergies, or trade-offs,
between biodiversity conservation
priorities and ecosystem service
values exist. For policy purposes,
this again stresses the need for
multi-scale decision-making, so as
to reflect both local conditions and
broader-scale priorities.
Niall Benvie (rspb-images.com)