Ecosystem Services
Case Studies
On this page we provide studies that deal with ecosystem services and how they can be used as indicators in the context of soil management.
In the first study of Paul et al. (2021) a standardization of soil-related ecosystem services is explained. For doing so, it was assessed which of the classes of the International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES) are soil-related or affected by agricultural soil management.The analysis revealed several challenges of the CICES classification system when applied to soils. For instance, the distinction between biotic and abiotic components is problematic, as soils are by definition systems of interrelated biotic and abiotic components. However, CICES can help to standardize ecosystem service assessments and therefore improve their relevance to policy.
The second study of Paul et al. (2022) gives an insight about how the indicator factsheets for the assessment perspective of the ecosystem services were developed, and describes the dataset in more detail. The dataset is based on a literature review that identified 180 research articles about indicators of ecosystem services in agriculture, of which 121 paper met the selection criteria. For each indicator, the recommended spatial scale was recorded, and the category of the input data (e.g. direct measurement, survey, expert assessment) is provided.
The third study of MacPherson et al. (2020) evaluates how well farm-level sustainability assessment tools and models incorporate ecosystem services (ES) and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This investigation is important for comparing sustainability across farming systems as well as scaling up local practices to address global sustainability goals. The study found out that sustainability assessment tools cover ES and SDGs more comprehensively than models. Nonetheless, current tools and models do not sufficiently include the concept of ecosystem services.
The last study conducted by Bartkowski et al. (2020) explores how economic valuation of soil-based ecosystem services can support sustainable soil management and inform policy decisions. Current studies are shown to focus on a narrow set of services and often use cost-based rather than preference-based valuation methods. This approach limits their relevance for political processes. Expanding the range of evaluated ecosystem services and using preference-based methods could improve the relevance of valuation for policy-making.
Abstract: Ecosystem services represent an important concept for assessing the sustainability of agricultural management. However, in practical applications, it can be difficult to find indicators suitable for specific services or specific spatial scales. In order to create a toolbox of indicators for assessing the actual or potential supply of ecosystem services in the context of agricultural land and soil management, we conducted a keyword-based literature review in Web of Science Core Collection and SCOPUS, using the terms ecosystem service AND indicator AND agricultur*. The search was performed in January 2019 and was restricted to journal articles written in English. After eliminating duplicates, we identified 180 articles, out of which 121 met our selection criteria. We extracted information on addressed ecosystem services and indicators which used a full-text review. Where studies used ecosystem service definitions other than the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES V.5.1), indicators were assigned to the corresponding CICES class or classes. We used the information derived from the review to create factsheets for 37 ecosystem services. Each factsheet provides tables with available indicators applicable at multiple spatial scales that range from field to global, information on the type of input data required, and a reference to the article or articles that the indicator was taken from. The dataset provides a toolbox for researchers to find indicators that fit their respective research needs.
Citation: Paul, C., Donmez, C., Koeppe, P., Robinson, J. S., & Barnickel, S. (2022). Dataset of Indicators for the Assessment of Ecosystem Services Affected by Agricultural Soil Management. Data, 7(8), 102.
Link to the study: https://doi.org/10.3390/data7080102
Dataset: The MS Word and PDF versions of the dataset are available through the BonaRes Repository (Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Germany, with the following data identification number: https://doi.org/10.20387/bonares-mpzr-ja21 (email required)
Abstract: A number of tools and models have been developed to assess farm-level sustainability. However, it is unclear how well they potentially incorporate ecosystem services (ES), or how they may contribute to attaining the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Understanding how farm-level assessment tools and models converge on these new paradigms of sustainability is important for drawing comparison on sustainability performances of farming systems, conducting meta-analyses and upscaling local responses to global driving forces. In this study, a coverage analysis was performed for several farm-level sustainability assessment (SA) tools (SAFA, RISE, KSNL, DLG) and models (MODAM, MONICA, APSIM), in regard to their potential for incorporating ES and contribution to attaining the SDGs. Lists of agricultural-relevant CICES classes and SDG targets were compiled and matched against the indicators of the tools and models. The results showed that SAFA possessed the most comprehensive coverage of ES and SDGs, followed by RISE and KSNL. In comparison to models, SA tools were observed to have a higher degree of potential for covering ES and SDGs, which was attributed to larger and broader indicators sets. However, this study also suggested that, overall, current tools and models do not sufficiently articulate the concept of ecosystem services.
Citation: MacPherson, J., Paul, C., Helming, K. (2020). Linking Ecosystem Services and the SDGs to Farm-Level Assessment Tools and Methods. Sustainability, 12(16), 6617
Link to the study: https://doi.org/10.3390/su12166617
Abstract: The concept of ecosystem services, especially in combination with economic valuation, can illuminate trade-offs involved in soil management, policy and governance, and thus support decision making. In this paper, we investigate and highlight the potential and limitations of the economic valuation of soil-based ecosystem services to inform sustainable soil management and policy. We formulate a definition of soil-based ecosystem services as basis for conducting a review of existing soil valuation studies with a focus on the inclusion of ecosystem services and the choice of valuation methods. We find that, so far, the economic valuation of soil-based ecosystem services has covered only a small number of such services and most studies have employed cost-based methods rather than state-of-the-art preference-based valuation methods, even though the latter would better acknowledge the public good character of soil related services. Therefore, the relevance of existing valuation studies for political processes is low. Broadening the spectrum of analyzed ecosystem services as well as using preference-based methods would likely increase the informational quality and policy relevance of valuation results. We point out options for improvement based on recent advances in economic valuation theory and practice. We conclude by investigating the specific roles economic valuation results can play in different phases of the policy-making process, and the specific requirements for its usefulness in this context.
Citation: Bartkowski, B., Bartke, S., Helming, K., Paul, C., Techen, A. K., & Hansjürgens, B. (2020). Potential of the economic valuation of soil-based ecosystem services to inform sustainable soil management and policy. PeerJ, 8, e8749.
Link to the study: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.8749