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Network Picks: Ecosystem Services

No matter where you live, you rely on goods and services supplied by natural ecosystems. The resources and processes provided by ecosystems are known as “ecosystem services”, a term brought to prominence by the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA). These services include everything from the food you eat to the air you breathe. However, with increasing human demand, ecosystems and their services are at risk of exploitation, modification, and loss. This is due, in part, to the undervaluation of these ecosystem services in our market-system.
 
In this curated set, we introduce the basics of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES), a method for determining value and promoting conservation of ecosystem services. Students can then explore how PES can be applied in real-world, local contexts, consider the complex perspectives of stakeholders involved in these management decisions, and reflect on the realities and limitations of bringing ecosystems into the economic fold.

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4 Modules

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Payments for Ecosystem Services: An Introduction and Case Study on Lao PDR

Language: English
Authors: M. Esbach, M. Hedemark

Curator comment: In addition to a detailed synthesis on ecosystem services and Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES), this case study has students explore the real-world applicability of PES in Lao PDR, a country highly dependent on ecosystem services.

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Valuing Ecosystem Services: A Qualitative Analysis of Drinking Water in the Solomon Islands

Language: English
Authors: B.C. Weeks, M. Esbach

Curator comment: Ecosystem services are undervalued in a market-based system. In this case study, students consider how ecosystem service valuation can be used for management decisions in the Solomon Islands.

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Exploring the Social and Ecological Trade-offs in Tropical Reforestation: A Role-Playing Exercise

Language: English
Authors: M. Fagan, N. Schwartz

Curator comment: In this land-use simulation game, students are introduced to the complex realities and limits of practicing conservation in rural tropical landscapes.

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Ecological Economics and Biodiversity

Language: English
Authors: J. Farley, M. Ceroni

Curator comment: This module introduces the new trans-disciplinary field of ecological economics, an alternative economic approach that aims for a fair, efficient, and sustainable economy that recognizes and maintains biodiversity.

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