Integrating trait‐based empirical and modeling research to improve ecological restoration

A global ecological restoration agenda has led to ambitious programs in environmental policy to mitigate declines in biodiversity and ecosystem services. Current restoration programs can incompletely return desired ecosystem service levels, while resilience of restored ecosystems to future threats is unknown. It is therefore essential to advance understanding and better utilize knowledge from ecological literature in restoration approaches. We identified an incomplete linkage between global change ecology, ecosystem function research, and restoration ecology. This gap impedes a full understanding of the interactive effects of changing environmental factors on the long‐term provision of ecosystem functions and a quantification of trade‐offs and synergies among multiple services. Approaches that account for the effects of multiple changing factors on the composition of plant traits and their direct and indirect impact on the provision of ecosystem functions and services can close this gap. However, studies on this multilayered relationship are currently missing. We therefore propose an integrated restoration agenda complementing trait‐based empirical studies with simulation modeling. We introduce an ongoing case study to demonstrate how this framework could allow systematic assessment of the impacts of interacting environmental factors on long‐term service provisioning. Our proposed agenda will benefit restoration programs by suggesting plant species compositions with specific traits that maximize the supply of multiple ecosystem services in the long term. Once the suggested compositions have been implemented in actual restoration projects, these assemblages should be monitored to assess whether they are resilient as well as to improve model parameterization. Additionally, the integration of empirical and simulation modeling research can improve global outcomes by raising the awareness of which restoration goals can be achieved, due to the quantification of trade‐offs and synergies among ecosystem services under a wide range of environmental conditions.     

生态系统综合评价的内容与方法

生态系统综合评价是系统分析生态系统的生产及服务能力,对生态系统进行健康诊断,做出综合的生态分析和经济分析,评价其当前状态,并预测生态系统今后的发展趋势,为生态系统管理提供科学依据。从总体上讲,综合评价更强调生态系统一系列产品与服务功能之间的权衡,具有很强的实践意义。许多学者对不同的生态系统服务功能进行了经济价值评估,但缺乏对生态系统的产品、服务、健康与管理之间关系的进一步探讨。对生态系统服务功能评价、健康评价的生态管理与预测进行了系统论述,目的是提出生态系统综合评价的框架,指导生态系统评价行动及生态系统管理。     

Continental mapping of forest ecosystem functions reveals a high but unrealised potential for forest multifunctionality

Humans require multiple services from ecosystems, but it is largely unknown whether trade‐offs between ecosystem functions prevent the realisation of high ecosystem multifunctionality across spatial scales. Here, we combined a comprehensive dataset (28 ecosystem functions measured on 209 forest plots) with a forest inventory dataset (105,316 plots) to extrapolate and map relationships between various ecosystem multifunctionality measures across Europe. These multifunctionality measures reflected different management objectives, related to timber production, climate regulation and biodiversity conservation/recreation. We found that trade‐offs among them were rare across Europe, at both local and continental scales. This suggests a high potential for ‘win‐win’ forest management strategies, where overall multifunctionality is maximised. However, across sites, multifunctionality was on average 45.8‐49.8% below maximum levels and not necessarily highest in protected areas. Therefore, using one of the most comprehensive assessments so far, our study suggests a high but largely unrealised potential for management to promote multifunctional forests.     

湖泊生态服务受益者分析及生态生产函数构建

生态系统服务管理作为生态系统管理的优化方式,是生态学研究的前沿方向。湖泊生态系统服务管理是指综合利用生态学、经济学、社会学和管理学等学科知识,对影响湖泊生态系统结构、过程、功能的关键因子进行调控,提高湖泊生态系统服务供给水平和供给能力的过程。近年来国内外学者针对湖泊生态系统服务内涵、分类、经济价值评估等方面开展了大量研究,极大地促进了湖泊生态系统服务从认知走向管理实践。然而,现有研究在开展湖泊生态系统服务价值评估时多忽略生态系统服务受益者和生态系统特征对生态系统服务的边际影响分析,无法揭示生态系统服务空间流动和转移特征及生态系统服务时空权衡关系,制约了生态系统服务研究与管理决策和政策设计结合。在综述湖泊生态系统服务定量评估方法的基础上,认为通过生态系统服务受益者分析确定湖泊生态系统最终服务,并通过构建生态生产函数确定湖泊生态系统服务权衡关系及湖泊生态系统特征对生态系统最终服务的边际影响,是生态系统服务走向管理实践和政策设计的科学依据,可以确保生态、社会、经济可持续发展。     

Global effects of non‐native tree species on multiple ecosystem services

Non‐native tree (NNT) species have been transported worldwide to create or enhance services that are fundamental for human well‐being, such as timber provision, erosion control or ornamental value; yet NNTs can also produce undesired effects, such as fire proneness or pollen allergenicity. Despite the variety of effects that NNTs have on multiple ecosystem services, a global quantitative assessment of their costs and benefits is still lacking. Such information is critical for decision‐making, management and sustainable exploitation of NNTs. We present here a global assessment of NNT effects on the three main categories of ecosystem services, including regulating (RES), provisioning (PES) and cultural services (CES), and on an ecosystem disservice (EDS), i.e. pollen allergenicity. By searching the scientific literature, country forestry reports, and social media, we compiled a global data set of 1683 case studies from over 125 NNT species, covering 44 countries, all continents but Antarctica, and seven biomes. Using different meta‐analysis techniques, we found that, while NNTs increase most RES (e.g. climate regulation, soil erosion control, fertility and formation), they decrease PES (e.g. NNTs contribute less than native trees to global timber provision). Also, they have different effects on CES (e.g. increase aesthetic values but decrease scientific interest), and no effect on the EDS considered. NNT effects on each ecosystem (dis)service showed a strong context dependency, varying across NNT types, biomes and socio‐economic conditions. For instance, some RES are increased more by NNTs able to fix atmospheric nitrogen, and when the ecosystem is located in low‐latitude biomes; some CES are increased more by NNTs in less‐wealthy countries or in countries with higher gross domestic products. The effects of NNTs on several ecosystem (dis)services exhibited some synergies (e.g. among soil fertility, soil formation and climate regulation or between aesthetic values and pollen allergenicity), but also trade‐offs (e.g. between fire regulation and soil erosion control). Our analyses provide a quantitative understanding of the complex synergies, trade‐offs and context dependencies involved for the effects of NNTs that is essential for attaining a sustained provision of ecosystem services.     

Testing the effects of diversity on ecosystem multifunctionality using a multivariate model

Most ecosystems provide multiple services, thus the impact of biodiversity losses on ecosystem functions may be considerably underestimated by studies that only address single functions. We propose a multivariate modelling framework for quantifying the relationship between biodiversity and multiple ecosystem functions (multifunctionality). Our framework consolidates the strengths of previous approaches to analysing ecosystem multifunctionality and contributes several advances. It simultaneously assesses the drivers of multifunctionality, such as species relative abundances, richness, evenness and other manipulated treatments. It also tests the relative importance of these drivers across functions, incorporates correlations among functions and identifies conditions where all functions perform well and where trade‐offs occur among functions. We illustrate our framework using data from three ecosystem functions (sown biomass, weed suppression and nitrogen yield) in a four‐species grassland experiment. We found high variability in performance across the functions in monocultures, but as community diversity increased, performance increased and variability across functions decreased.     

Shifting states,shifting services: Linking regime shifts to changes in ecosystem services of shallow lakes

1. Shallow lakes can shift between stable states as a result of anthropogenic or natural drivers. Four common stable states differ in dominant groups of primary producers: submerged, floating, or emergent macrophytes or phytoplankton. Shifts in primary producer dominance affect key supporting, provisioning, regulating, and cultural ecosystem services supplied by lakes. However, links between states and services are often neglected or unknown in lake management, resulting in conflicts and additional costs.
2. Here, we identify major shallow lake ecosystem services and their links to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), compare service provisioning among the four ecosystem states and discuss potential trade‐offs.
3. We identified 39 ecosystem services potentially provided by shallow lakes. Submerged macrophytes facilitate most of the supporting (86%) and cultural (63%) services, emergent macrophytes facilitate most regulating services (60%), and both emergent and floating macrophytes facilitate most provisioning services (63%). Phytoplankton dominance supports fewer ecosystem services, and contributes most to provisioning services (42%).
4. The shallow lake ecosystem services we identified could be linked to 10 different SDGs, notably zero hunger (SDG 2), clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), and climate action (SDG13).
5. We highlighted several trade‐offs (1) among ecosystem services, (2) within ecosystem services, and (3) between ecosystem services across ecosystems. These trade‐offs can have significant ecological and economic consequences that may be prevented by early identification in water quality management.
6. In conclusion, common stable states in shallow lakes provide a different and diverse set of ecosystem services with numerous links to the majority of SDGs. Conserving and restoring ecosystem states should account for potential trade‐offs between ecosystem services and preserving the natural value of shallow lakes.

     

湖泊湿地生态系统服务研究进展

湖泊湿地生态系统服务可持续供给对维持区域、国家乃至全球生态安全格局具有重要意义。近20年,国内外学者在生态系统服务内涵、评估模型、影响机制、权衡与优化等领域的研究不断深入,但与管理决策和政策设计的结合仍面临多方面严峻挑战。系统分析湖泊湿地生态系统服务研究进展与存在的不足,对于今后一段时间内湖泊湿地生态系统服务研究的全方位拓展具有重要指导意义。以湖泊湿地生态系统服务概念与内涵为切入点,对湖泊湿地生态系统服务评估内容与方法、影响机理、生态系统服务权衡与优化等几个重要方面的研究进展进行了梳理,并结合管理决策和政策设计的需求,评述其研究中存在的不足。本研究以生态系统服务监测、模型不确定性、风险评估、优化与调控等四个重点研究方向为切入点,对湖泊湿地生态系统服务的研究方向进行了展望,以期深化湖泊湿地生态系统服务研究的理论与方法,并实现其与管理决策和政策设计的高度结合。     

生态系统服务价值测度模式与方法

为了更好地权衡人类福祉与经济发展之间、生态系统各类服务之间的关系,加速生态系统服务价值评估成为全世界生态保护与可持续发展政策制定面临的首要难题。总结了原始价值评估和价值转移两类主要的生态系统服务评估测度模式,侧重概述了价值转移的涵义、类型、历史研究、应用限制及现有的可用于价值转移的有代表性的数据库,在此基础之上归纳两类测度模式的优势和普遍存在的局限性。总体而言,基于生态功能的原始评估更适用于地区尺度的精细化管理,评估准确但相对难度大、耗时长、成本高;基于相似生境的价值转移方法更适用于国家或区域尺度进行估判和分级,估值快速但相对信息少、不确定性大、影响因素多。其后还介绍了集成了一类或多类测度模式中不同方法的综合评估模型与工具。通过分析当前主流的评估方法与日益增长的评估需求之间的矛盾,结合生态系统服务级联,最终提出基于关键生态系统特征建立简化预测模型的评估思路,目的是为了简化传统评估过程、缩短评估周期,完善并发展以往的价值转移,推动生态系统服务多尺度、大范围的摸底清查。     

A practical tool for assessing ecosystem services enhancement and degradation associated with invasive alien species

Current approaches for assessing the effects of invasive alien species (IAS) are biased toward the negative effects of these species, resulting in an incomplete picture of their real effects. This can result in an inefficient IAS management. We address this issue by describing the INvasive Species Effects Assessment Tool (INSEAT) that enables expert elicitation for rapidly assessing the ecological consequences of IAS using the ecosystem services (ES) framework. INSEAT scores the ecosystem service “gains and losses” using a scale that accounted for the magnitude and the reversibility of its effects. We tested INSEAT on 18 IAS in Great Britain. Here, we highlighted four case studies: Harmonia axyridis (Harlequin ladybird), Astacus leptodactylus (Turkish crayfish), Pacifastacus leniusculus (Signal crayfish) and Impatiens glandulifera (Himalayan balsam). The results demonstrated that a collation of different experts’ opinions using INSEAT could yield valuable information on the invasive aliens’ ecological and social effects. The users can identify certain IAS as ES providers and the trade‐offs between the ES provision and loss associated with them. This practical tool can be useful for evidence‐based policy and management decisions that consider the potential role of invasive species in delivering human well‐being.     

基于生态系统服务的生态补偿政策制定探讨

生态补偿是促进生态保护、协调区域发展的有效手段,生态系统服务理论和方法为制定多元化生态补偿政策提供了科学基础,科学理解生态系统服务在解决生态补偿核心问题上的优势和不足,对于优化生态补偿政策具有重要意义,也是生态学、地理学与社会经济学等多学科交叉的研究前沿和热点。在综合分析相关研究成果的基础上,总结了基于生态系统服务的生态补偿研究技术方法,评述了相关研究和实践应用的进展和不足,并针对生态补偿的核心问题探讨了未来研究思路和方向,包括将生态系统服务流与生态补偿政策制定的结合研究,参照思路方向设计了基于生态系统服务的生态补偿政策制定流程框架,为后期相关研究提供了理论和方法参考。     

Undertaking large‐scale forest restoration to generate ecosystem services

The global community is seeking to substantially restore the world's forest cover to improve the supply of ecosystem services. However, it is not clear what type of reforestation must be used and there is a risk that the techniques used in industrial timber plantations will become the default methodology. This is unlikely to be sufficient because of the well‐known relationship between biodiversity and ecological functioning. Restoration may be achieved through natural regeneration but this may not always occur at critical locations. Ecological restoration involving species‐rich plantings might also be used but can be difficult to implement at landscape scales. I review here the consequence of planting more limited numbers of species and the effects of this on the delivery of ecosystem services. Evidence suggests many commonly sought ecosystem services—though not all—may be generated by the modest levels of species richness provided these species have appropriate traits. The literature also shows that the alpha diversity of restored forests is not the only driver of functionality and that the location and extent of any reforestation are significant as well; beta and gamma diversity may also affect functionality but these relationships remain unclear. Encouraging the adoption of even moderately diverse plantings at landscape scales and at key locations will require policies and institutions to balance the type, location, and scale of restoration and make the necessary trade‐offs between national and local aspirations. New approaches and metrics will have to be developed to monitor and assess restoration success at these larger scales.     

Planning mine restoration through ecosystem services to enhance community engagement and deliver social benefits

Mining companies are expected to return land to a stable, productive, and self‐sustaining condition by rehabilitating degraded areas to also deliver social benefits, an essential dimension of sustainable land management. This research aimed to develop a framework for mine rehabilitation planning based on an integrated analysis of the social‐ecological system provided by the ecosystem services concept to facilitate community engagement and the delivery of social benefits. An Ecosystem Services Assessment for Rehabilitation framework was tested at two bauxite mines undergoing ecological restoration. The mines are operated by the same company in two countries. Key results showed that the framework can help companies, regulators, and community members alike identify whether biophysical restoration efforts translate into key human benefits. Overall the framework provides a means for enhancing community engagement to explicitly address social benefits that, with a business as usual focus on ecological goals, may not be delivered. The ecosystem services concept provides a practical approach to link ecological and social outcomes of mine restoration.     

Four approaches to guide ecological restoration in Latin America

There is strong upswing in conservation and restoration efforts in Latin America (LA), particularly in the recent decades after several countries have committed to international agreements such as the Aichi targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Initiative 20×20, and the Bonn Challenge. To fulfill these agreements, the practice of ecological restoration has to be defined based on ecological knowledge, but also on the specific social, economic, and legal aspects of each country in the region. Here, we give some examples about the national understanding of ecological restoration in 10 countries of LA. We identify difficulties and opportunities to define restoration priorities and needs, and discuss some approaches to cope with economic constraints and agreements, including the potential role of restoration networks in this process. On the basis of the socioecological complexity of these countries and the expectations they have in relation to restoration, we proposed four approaches to guide restoration practice and policy in the region: (1) including biodiversity and ecosystem services approach into ecosystem restoration initiatives; (2) promoting restoration in their frequently human‐modified landscapes; (3) accounting for cost–benefit trade‐offs; and (4) assembling “horizontal” communication frameworks. These approaches should be based at national levels, but adapted to local‐regional levels, in a bottom‐up perspective. We consider that national and international restoration networks in the region can help to overcome difficulties, fostering a solid scientific community, helping to develop national approaches that better match the specific conditions of each country and enhancing communication among different groups of stakeholders.     

Changes in ecosystem services and an analysis of driving factors for China's Natural Forest Conservation Program

China's Natural Forest Conservation Program (NFCP) is aimed at improving the fragile and unstable ecological environment and has become one of the largest ecological restoration programs in the world because of its enormous investment and effects. It is important to work out and strengthen new measures to overcome difficulties to promote more ecosystem services and human well‐being in the NFCP. This study focused on how to evaluate the ecosystem services change brought about by implementing the NFCP. Taking the key state‐owned forest areas in the Northeast and Inner Mongolia as the study area, we provide a basic overview of development and construct an evaluation index system and a distributed calculation method for the NFCP to analyze the implications of the NFCP on ecosystem services combined with multi‐source data coupling. An evaluation index system for NFCP ecosystem services was constructed. The system includes five ecological service functions and 12 evaluation indices. The trade‐off and/or synergistic analysis of ecosystem services were carried out. The regional characteristics and changes in the NFCP ecosystem services were emphasized. Although it has not been implemented for a long time, the NFCP has had a great impact on ecosystem services because it reduces soil and water losses, increases soil fertility, strengthens the forest carbon sink and helped the forest accumulate nutrients and purify the atmosphere. Socioeconomic factors affect the NFCP ecosystem services, such as the implementation area of NFCP, investment amount of NFCP, area ratio of nature reserves, and yield of tree stock volume. Policy drivers of the NFCP, changes in the economic structure and reductions in forest yield are the main factors affecting the change in NFCP ecosystem services. Although the NFCP has positively affected the society, the economy, and the ecological environment, it has also generated some problems, such as the improper management of forest resources, shortage of capital investment, staff transfer, etc. The social and economic problems will be transient with implementation of the NFCP, and the structural changes in forestry and agriculture may eventually benefit the forestry workers and other stakeholders.     

Step back from the forest and step up to the Bonn Challenge: how a broad ecological perspective can promote successful landscape restoration

We currently face both an extinction and a biome crisis embedded in a changing climate. Many biodiverse ecosystems are being lost at far higher rates than they are being protected or ecologically restored. At the same time, natural climate solutions offer opportunities to restore biodiversity while mitigating climate change. The Bonn Challenge is a U.N. programme to restore biodiversity and mitigate climate change through restoration of the world's degraded landscapes. It provides an unprecedented chance for ecological restoration to become a linchpin tool for addressing many environmental issues. Unfortunately, the Forest and Landscape Restoration programme that underpins the Bonn Challenge, as its name suggests, remains focused on trees and forests, despite rising evidence that many non‐forest ecosystems also offer strong restoration potential for biodiversity and climate mitigation. We see a need for restoration to step back to be more inclusive of different ecosystem types and to step up to provide integrated scientific knowledge to inform large‐scale restoration. Stepping back and up will require assessments of where to restore what species, with recognition that in many landscapes multiple habitat types should be restored. In the process, trade‐offs in the delivery of different ecosystem services (e.g. carbon, biodiversity, water, albedo, livestock forage) should be clearly addressed. We recommend that biodiversity safeguards be included in policy and implemented in practice, to avoid undermining the biophysical relationships that provide ecosystem resilience to climate change. For ecological restoration to contribute to international policy goals will require integrated large‐scale science that works across biome boundaries.     

Valuing ecosystem services to explore scenarios for adaptive spatial planning

As the ecosystem services concept increasingly gains importance, it needs translation into practical applications. Recent efforts of EU member states to map ES are opening new opportunities to include ES in spatial planning and adaptive land management. For this, spatial planners and policy makers need practical tools that integrate a variety of social and biophysical information in an accessible way. We argue that monetary valuation of ES can contribute to this challenge. A methodological framework was developed to explore adaptive management of bioproductive space. The first stage in the methodology is a spatially explicit evaluation of various ecosystem services for different land uses. In a second stage, bio-physical and socio-economic drivers or shocks are introduced that can influence the value society attributes to specific ecosystem services. The third stage of the methodology takes policy priorities into account. In a final stage, the output of the approach is synthesised by ranking the analysis results for different scenarios and policy priority settings. This methodology allows spatial planners to explore and evaluate policy decisions against trade-offs between various land use alternatives, while taking ecosystem services into account. To demonstrate its use, the methodology is applied to a small-scale case study that combines extensive livestock production with the development of natural values. The application to the case demonstrates that the optimal strategy from a societal perspective, can be highly context-dependent. Besides the potential for supporting policy makers to think about the broader implications of land use changes for community wellbeing, the methodology provides useful feedback for adaptive farm and landscape management. We underline both the potential and possible caveats in using this approach for land use evaluation.     

生态系统服务功能分类与价值评估探讨

生态系统服务功能及其价值评估研究是当前生态学研究的热点,对于促进生态系统可持续管理具有重要作用。目前,在生态系统服务功能分类及价值评估方面,还没有形成比较系统的理论;在服务价值的评估方面,国内相关研究多数套用现有的一般化计算公式对生态服务功能进行计算,缺少针对性和探索性。总结近年来笔者在这方面的研究得失,并综合前人的研究,将生态系统服务功能进行新的分类,提出“核心”服务功能、“理论”服务价值与“现实”服务价值的概念,并以温州三湿地生态系统服务功能及其价值评估研究作为实例,论证所提出的新概念。生态系统服务功能及价值评估研究的最终目的是为生态系统管理决策者提供信息,因此服务价值评估的意义不在于对每一项服务功能价值的精确估算,甚至不需要计算一个生态系统所有的服务功能价值,而应抓住一个或几个有计算依据的核心服务功能。提出理论服务价值概念的主要目的在于同现实服务价值的比较,量化某服务功能的退化程度,明确后续生态恢复和重建的主要目标,并可在一定程度上作为生态恢复的重要指标。     

Marine ecosystem regime shifts: challenges and opportunities for ecosystem-based management

Regime shifts have been observed in marine ecosystems around the globe. These phenomena can result in dramatic changes in the provision of ecosystem services to coastal communities. Accounting for regime shifts in management clearly requires integrative, ecosystem-based management (EBM) approaches. EBM has emerged as an accepted paradigm for ocean management worldwide, yet, despite the rapid and intense development of EBM theory, implementation has languished, and many implemented or proposed EBM schemes largely ignore the special characteristics of regime shifts. Here, we first explore key aspects of regime shifts that are of critical importance to EBM, and then suggest how regime shifts can be better incorporated into EBM using the concept of integrated ecosystem assessment (IEA). An IEA uses approaches that determine the likelihood that ecological or socio-economic properties of systems will move beyond or return to acceptable bounds as defined by resource managers and policy makers. We suggest an approach for implementing IEAs for cases of regime shifts where the objectives are either avoiding an undesired state or returning to a desired condition. We discuss the suitability and short-comings of methods summarizing the status of ecosystem components, screening and prioritizing potential risks, and evaluating alternative management strategies. IEAs are evolving as an EBM approach that can address regime shifts; however, advances in statistical, analytical and simulation modelling are needed before IEAs can robustly inform tactical management in systems characterized by regime shifts.     

禁牧政策对宁夏盐池县农业生态系统服务影响的能值分析

农牧交错区农业可持续发展问题一直是我国区域农业研究的重要课题,以典型北方农牧交错区宁夏盐池县为例,利用农业生态系统能值分析框架,评估盐池县1991—2016年农业生态系统正反服务,揭示禁牧政策对农业可持续发展的影响。研究结果表明:(1) 1991—2016年盐池县农业投入能值和农业生态系统正反服务能值一直处于增长的趋势,禁牧政策实施以后增长速度高于禁牧之前,其中农业投入能值的增加主要是由于经济反馈能值投入的增加。(2)根据Pearson相关性分析,盐池县农业生态系统服务和反服务在0.01水平(双侧)呈显著的强正相关,农业生态系统服务和反服务具有相同的变化趋势。(3)生态环境的改善、经济反馈能值和农业灌溉面积的增加,可以增强北方农牧交错区农业抵御气候波动的能力。(4)盐池县农业可持续性高于全国和典型农区的平均水平,禁牧政策实施之前盐池县农业可持续性表现出稳定的下降趋势,而禁牧政策实施以后其可持续性表现为上升的趋势,禁牧政策的实施已初步实现农业生产的生态经济效益。