Understanding the Use of Ecosystem Services Concepts in Environmental Policy

本项目将研究生态系统服务的概念如何以及为何已成为环境政策的重要组成部分。生态系统服务的广义定义是人类从生态系统及其提供的服务中获得的惠益。本研究将调查哪些机构和政策制定者正在使用生态系统服务的概念，以及这种使用与以往在政策中将环境概念化的方式有何不同。它还将解释这种新方法在改善环境管理方面的潜在成功和失败。了解社会和技术因素在形成这些概念和在政策中使用方面发挥的重要作用很重要，因为为生态系统服务付费已被推广为解决各种环境问题的一种办法。本研究探讨了如何在不同的政策环境中使用生态系统服务，以及如何在不同的背景下将生态系统功能转化为货币估值。该项目将突出说明哪些类型的政策能更有效地以更适当的方式让利益攸关方参与，从而使社会受益。该项目还将加强关于环境决策的社会科学研究，同时提高本科生和研究生对全球科学的认识。尽管生态系统服务概念日益受到关注，但在澄清概念背后的价值观并将其转化为政策方面仍然存在重大挑战。这些挑战包括：确定什么是生态系统，从木材等有形商品到土壤侵蚀控制等调节服务，再到更无形的“文化生态系统”;如何以纳入对自然的不同观点和理解的方式对生态系统进行估价;如何以有利于社会的方式设计和提供生态系统的付款或补偿。本研究计画将探讨两个主要的研究问题：（1）在政策制定过程中，不同的参与者如何定义、衡量环境服务，并将其列为优先事项？(2)不同的环境服务是如何转化为经济价值的，通过什么方式转化为经济价值的，为什么有些环境服务是有偿的，而另一些则不是？该研究项目将采用混合方法，包括焦点小组，参与性绘图和访谈，以评估当地的理解，使用和评价ES在三个流域为基础的案例研究，以及与国家和国际决策者和科学家的访谈，以了解ES概念的吸收，最终在ES数据库的建设。虽然该项目将使用东南亚的案例研究来评估这些问题，但其研究结果在该地区以外也具有高度适用性，可以为改善美国及其他地区的环境政策制定和生态系统利益共享提供启发。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project will examine how and why the concept of ecosystem services (ES) has become an important component of environmental policy. Ecosystem services are broadly defined as the benefits humans obtain from ecosystems and the services they provide. This research will investigate what institutions and policymakers are using the concept of ecosystem services and how this use differs from previous ways of conceptualizing the environment in policy. It will also explain the potential successes and failures of this new approach in improving environmental management. Understanding the important role that social and technical factors play in shaping these concepts and use in policy is important as payments for ecosystem services have been promoted as a solution to a variety of environmental problems. This research explores how ecosystem services are used in diverse policy settings, and how the translation of ecosystem functions into monetary valuation has evolved in different contexts. The project will benefit society by highlighting what types of policies are more effective in engaging stakeholders in more appropriate ways. The project will also strengthen social science research on environmental policy-making while building improved global scientific understanding among undergraduate and graduate students. Despite the growing attention to ecosystem services (ES) concepts, there remain major challenges regarding clarifying the values underlying the concept and translating it into policy. These challenges include identifying what counts as an ES, ranging from physical goods like timber to regulating services like soil erosion control to more intangible "cultural ES"; how ES can be valued in ways that incorporate diverse viewpoints and understandings of nature; and how payments or compensation for provisioning of ES can be designed and delivered in ways that are socially beneficial. This research project will aim to answer two key research questions: (1) How are ES defined, measured, and prioritized by different actors in policymaking? (2) How are different ES turned into economic values and through what means, and why are some ES paid for, while others are not? The research project will use mixed methods, including focus groups, participatory mapping, and interviews to assess local understanding, use, and valuation of ES in three watershed-based case studies, as well as interviews with national and international policymakers and scientists to understand the uptake of ES concepts, culminating in the construction of an ES database. While this project will assess these questions using case studies from Southeast Asia, the findings are highly applicable outside the region, and can illuminate ways to improve environmental policy-making and ecosystem benefit sharing in the US and beyond.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.