Understanding the Use of Ecosystem Services Concepts in Environmental Policy

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.