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什么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利益。这项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，以及这种使用与以前在政策中对环境进行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的使用方面发挥的重要作用是重要的，因为生态系统服务的付费已被作为一种解决各种环境问题的办法加以推广。这项研究探索了生态系统服务如何在不同的政策环境中使用，以及生态系统功能到货币价值的转换是如何在不同的背景下演变的。该项目将通过突出哪种类型的政策在以更适当的方式使利益攸关方参与方面更有效，从而使社会受益。该项目还将加强关于环境政策制定的社会科学研究，同时在本科生和研究生之间建立更好的全球科学理解。尽管生态系统服务(ES)概念日益受到关注，但在澄清概念背后的价值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，从木材等实物商品到土壤侵蚀控制等规范服务，再到更无形的“文化生态系统”；如何以融合了对自然的不同观点和理解的方式对生态系统进行估值；以及如何设计和提供对社会有益的生态系统的付款或补偿。这项研究项目将致力于回答两个关键的研究问题：(1)不同的参与者在决策中如何定义、衡量和优先考虑经济价值？(2)不同的经济价值是如何转化为经济价值的，通过什么手段，以及为什么一些经济价值是付费的，而另一些则不是？该研究项目将采用混合方法，包括重点小组、参与性绘图和访谈，在三个基于分水岭的案例研究中评估当地对可持续发展的理解、使用和评估，以及与国家和国际政策制定者和科学家的访谈，以了解可持续发展概念的理解，最终建立可持续发展数据库。虽然这个项目将使用东南亚的案例研究来评估这些问题，但这些发现在该地区以外的地方非常适用，并可以说明如何改善美国和其他地区的环境政策制定和生态系统利益分享。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.