Forest use suitability:Towards decision-making-oriented sustainable management of forest ecosystem services

Management of forest lands considering multi-functional approaches is the basis to sustain or enhance the provi-sion of specific benefits,while minimizing negative impacts to the environment.Defining a desired management itinerary to a forest depends on a variety of factors,including the forest type,its ecological characteristics,and the social and economic needs of local communities.A strategic assessment of the forest use suitability(FUS)(namely productive,protective,conservation-oriented,social and multi-functional)at regional level,based on the provision of forest ecosystem services and trade-offs between FUS alternatives,can be used to develop management strategies that are tailored to the specific needs and conditions of the forest.The present study assesses the provision of multiple forest ecosystem services and employs a decision model to identify the FUS that sup-ports the most present and productive ecosystem services in each stand in Catalonia.For this purpose,we apply the latest version of the Ecosystem Management Decision Support(EMDS)system,a spatially oriented decision support system that provides accurate results for multi-criteria management.We evaluate 32 metrics and 12 as-sociated ecosystem services indicators to represent the spatial reality of the region.According to the results,the dominant primary use suitability is social,followed by protective and productive.Nevertheless,final assignment of uses is not straightforward and requires an exhaustive analysis of trade-offs between all alternative options,in many cases identifying flexible outcomes,and increasing the representativeness of multi-functional use.The assignment of forest use suitability aims to significantly improve the definition of the most adequate management strategy to be applied.

Multi-scale analysis of trade-off/synergistic effects of forest ecosystem services in the Funiu Mountain Region,China

The trade-offs and synergies of forest ecosystem service are important research topics for several disciplines.The multi-scale analysis of service trade-offs and synergies assists in the implementation of more effective forest resource management.Based on multi-source data including forest distribution,topography,NDVI,meteorology and soil conditions,key forest ecosystem services,including total forest volume,carbon storage,water yield,soil retention and habitat quality were mapped and evaluated for the Funiu Mountain Region through integrated deployment of the CASA model,the InVEST3.2 model and the ArcGIS10.2 software.The characteristics of trade-offs and synergies among different ecosystem services were then mapped and considered across multiple spatial scales(i.e.,by region,north and south slopes,vertical belt)using the spatial overlay analysis method.The main results are as follows:(1)Mean forest volume is 49.26 m^(3)/ha,carbon density is 156.94 t/ha,water yield depth is 494.46 mm,the unit amount of soil retention is 955.4 t/ha,and the habitat quality index is 0.79.(2)The area of forests with good synergy is 28.79%,and the area of forests with poor synergy is 10.15%,while about 61.06%of forests show severe trade-offs and weak trade-offs.The overall benefits of forest ecosystem services in the study area are still low.In the future,bad synergy and severe trade-off areas should be the focus of forest resource management and efficiency regulation.(3)Synergy between ecosystem services is better for forest on south slope than that on north slope.Deciduous broad-leaved forest belt at moderate elevations on south slope in the mountains(SIII)has the highest synergies,while that at low elevations on north slope(NI)exhibits the lowest synergy levels.

Valuation of Forest Ecosystem Services and Benefit Sharing:A Case Study of Qingdao City, China

The forest ecosystem goods and services and the natural capital stocks that produce them make great contribution to national economy and human welfare both directly and indirectly. This paper evaluates the economic value of natural capital stock and the annual output flow of forest ecosystem goods and services taking Qingdao City and its eight districts as case study. The results of the valuation study showed, that the stock value of forest natural capital of Qingdao was RMB 13.46 billion at the end of 2007. The flow value of annual output of forest ecosystem goods and services of Qingdao was RMB 26.76 billion which amounted to 7.07% of its GDP of 2007. However, the share of forest goods and services actually included in its GDP of 2007, in accordance with the current national accounting system, was only 0.71%. Among the annual flows the value of intangible forest ecosystem services alone accounted for 70.90% of total flows which was 2.44 times the value of forest material goods. These non- market forest benefits mainly contributed to the non-forestry sectors of the economy and to the social groups who did not own and manage the forests. Extensive policy implications were analyzed as per the results of the forest valuation study.

Integrating beneficiaries into assessment of ecosystem services from managed forests at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest,USA

Background：Forests contribute to human wellbeing through the provision of important ecosystem services.Methods：In this study,we investigated how the perceived importance of ecosystem services may impact the overall benefit provided by managed watersheds at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest over a 45-year period,using standardized measures of service capacity weighted by service importance weights derived from a survey of beneficiaries.Results：The capacity of watersheds to regulate water flow and quality was high in all watersheds throughout the study period,whereas cultural services such as scenic beauty declined after harvest.Impacts on greenhouse gas regulation depended on the efficiency with which harvested biomass was used.Surveys revealed that stakeholders placed high value on all ecosystem services,with regulating and cultural services seen as more important than provisioning services.When service metrics were weighted by survey responses and aggregated into a single measure,total service provision followed the same overall trend as greenhouse gas regulation.Where biomass use was less efficient in terms of greenhouse gas emissions,harvesting resulted in an overall ＂ecosystem service debt＂;where use was more efficient,this ＂ecosystem service debt＂ was reduced.Beneficiaries＇ educational backgrounds significantly affected overall assessment of service provision.Beneficiaries with college or university degrees incurred smaller ＂ecosystem service debts＂ and were less negatively affected by harvesting overall.Conclusions：This study highlights the importance of including empirical measures of beneficiary preference when attempting to quantify overall provision of ecosystem services to human beneficiaries over time.

What Developing International Markets for Ecosystem Services Reveal for China's Forestry Sector?

The market mechanism for forest ecosystem service has already become common knowledge among countries in the international movement to address global climate change.In this paper,international experiences of forest ecosystem market such as better understanding of concept,public participation, sound trading rules and measurement standards are analyzed,and its implication for China is also summarized.Finally,the prospects of forest ecosystem service market in China are discussed.The purpose of this paper i...