Ecosystem Services and Ecological Processes
The natural capital framework for sustainably efficient and equitable decision makingBackgroundThe concept of ‘natural capital’ is increasingly accepted in government and private sector decision-making for its role in sustaining economic and social well-being. However, the field is fragmented, and many applications misuse its foundations in economics and ecology, which this perspective addresses by proposing an integrated framework. Available with subscription or purchase |
Valuing natural capital and ecosystem services toward the goals of efficiency, fairness, and sustainabilityBackgroundNatural capital (NC) and ecosystem services (ES) are fundamental to sustaining human life, but valuing them requires a whole-system understanding of the interdependencies between humans and nature. Conventional economic valuation, based solely on individual willingness-to-pay, is too narrow for this complex task. Available with subscription or purchase |
Ecosystem services in decision making: time to deliverBackgroundOver the past decade, valuing and protecting ecosystem services has been promoted as a strategy to mainstream conservation globally. While the vision of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment is gaining traction, a significant scientific and policy-implementation gap remains. Natural capital is often undervalued or ignored in major decisions by governments, businesses, and the public, a problem highlighted by natural disasters and crises where the loss of protective services becomes starkly apparent. Open access copy available |
Diverse values of nature for sustainabilityBackgroundDespite 25 years of progress in valuing ecosystem services, a global biodiversity crisis persists, underpinned by a "values crisis." Current policies and decisions often prioritize a narrow subset of market-based instrumental values, ignoring the diverse ways people relate to and benefit from nature. This paper, based on the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Values Assessment, synthesizes over 50,000 sources to address this gap. Open access copy available |
Current trends and future directions for integrating social values into mangrove restorationBackgroundDifferent communication styles, governance, and social issues create barriers to successful mangrove forest restoration projects, and may hinder the ability to scale up projects to meet global restoration goals. Incorporating social values and stakeholder preferences into restoration projects can help identify best management practices, promote successful outcomes, and prevent distrust and inequality between restoration practitioners and stakeholders with different needs and perceptions of mangrove forests. Open access copy available |
Public Perceptions of Mangrove Forests Matter for Their ConservationBackgroundOpen access copy available |
Bridging conservation and policy: evaluating national targets to reduce mangrove loss under the Kunming–Montreal biodiversity frameworkBackgroundThis research examines the alignment between the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) targets and national efforts to halt mangrove loss. Under the Convention on Biological Diversity, GBF’s Targets 1 and 3 aim to reduce habitat loss and expand protected areas to conserve 30% of critical ecosystems by 2030. Mangroves, vital for biodiversity, carbon storage, and coastal protection, continue to experience degradation due to both human and natural drivers. Despite partial success in global mangrove protection, national policies often fail to address underlying drivers of degradation or incorporate specific, measurable conservation actions. Open access copy available |
The enduring world forest carbon sinkBackgroundForests are critical to mitigating climate change because they absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) and store it in biomass and soils. In 2023, atmospheric CO₂ levels exceeded 420 ppm, intensifying the urgency to understand terrestrial carbon sinks. Forests historically lost 180 Pg of carbon through land-use change, yet they remain central to achieving global net-zero goals by 2050. While remote sensing and modeling offer insights, this study emphasizes long-term, ground-based forest inventory data as the most reliable source for assessing trends in carbon sinks across boreal, temperate, and tropical forest biomes. Open access copy available |
Warming induces unexpectedly high soil respiration in a wet tropical forestBackgroundTropical forests play a key role in regulating the global carbon cycle, exchanging more carbon dioxide with the atmosphere than any other terrestrial biome. However, limited in situ experiments constrain understanding of their response to climate warming. Understanding these responses is crucial, as even small changes in soil respiration in tropical regions can substantially influence global carbon dynamics and climate feedbacks. Open access copy available |
Land availability and policy commitments limit global climate mitigation from forestationBackgroundOpen access copy available |
