Linking Ecology and Economics for Ecosystem Management

Authors

Stephen Farber, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs,University of PittsburghFollow
Robert Costanza, Gund Institute for Ecological Economics, University of Vermont
Mathew Wilson, Gund Institute for Ecological Economics and School of Business Administration, University of Vermont
Jon Erickson, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont
Dan Childers, Biology Department, Florida International UniversityFollow
Katherine Gross, Department of Plant Biology,Michigan State University and W. K. Kellogg Biological Station in Hickory Corners
Morgan Grove, Northeastern Research Station, USDA Forest ServiceFollow
Charles S. Hopkinson, Ecosystems Center,Marine Biological Laboratory
James Kahn, Environmental Studies Program and Economics Department, Washington and Lee University
Stephanie Pincetly, Institute of the Environment, University of CaliforniaFollow
Paige Warren, Department of Natural Resources Conservation, University of Massachusetts

Abstract

This article outlines an approach, based on ecosystem services, for assessing the trade-offs inherent in managing humans embedded in ecological systems. Evaluating these trade-offs requires an understanding of the biophysical magnitudes of the changes in ecosystem services that result from human actions, and of the impact of these changes on human welfare. We summarize the state of the art of ecosystem services-based management and the information needs for applying it. Three case studies of Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites--coastal, urban, and agricultural-- illustrate the usefulness, information needs, quantification possibilities, and methods for this approach. One example of the application of this approach, with rigorously established service changes and valuations taken from the literature, is used to illustrate the potential for full economic valuation of several agricultural landscape management options, including managing for water quality, biodiversity, and crop productivity.

Comments

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation through the Florida Coastal Everglades Long-Term Ecological Research program under Cooperative Agreements #DBI-0620409 and #DEB-9910514. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Recommended Citation

Farber, S., R. Costanza, D.L. Childers, J. Erickson, K. Gross, J.M. Grove, C. Hopkinson, J. Kahn, S. Pincetl, A. Troy, P. Warren, M. Wilson. 2006. Linking Ecology and Economics for Ecosystem Management. Bioscience 56(2): 117-129.