Guest editorial
Ecosystem services are benefits obtained by people from ecosystems. That may seem to be a fancy name for what we used to call natural resource use, but there is more recognition of what resources are being used for, and that is for human well-being.
As such, consideration of ecosystem services promotes a broader view of all those services that contribute to human well-being, both individually and collectively. To clarify this broader perspective the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) classified ecosystem services as either provisioning, regulating, supporting or cultural.
The MEA completed a global assessment of ecosystem services and found that over the last 50 years humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than in any other comparable period in human history.
However, the assessment was carried out at a global scale while in New Zealand management of natural resources is usually undertaken at national and regional scale. If we are to expect improvement in natural resource management through a broader and more direct consideration of benefits then overview of ecosystem services should also be at these scales.
Recently I edited a book that leading scientists and academics came together to produce – the first national assessment of ecosystem services in New Zealand. More detailed information on the book and its findings is on page 4 but in effect it uses already published data to look at the conditions and trends of ecosystems and their services.
It’s a broad topic and one that many New Zealanders know nothing, or very little about. Yet, for those working in local, regional and central government and other regulatory, planning and conservation organisations ecosystem services are well known and increasingly understood. It’s on that basis that this issue of Discovery is presented; it covers a diverse range of articles starting with a ‘beginners guide’ to ecosystem services (page 3). We also briefly outline broad areas of work that Landcare Research undertakes – through science portfolios – that have relevance to ecosystem services.
And, we include new research investigating policy instruments that decision-makers can use when considering options and approaches to enhance, protect or maintain the suite of services provided by ecosystem services.
This issue of Discovery provides an overview of ecosystem services, their importance to our livelihood, and the work being undertaken to understand them and protect them. I hope you enjoy this issue of Discovery and welcome your questions, feedback and ideas on the topics we present here, or your own challenges with sustainable practice.
John Dymond
Principal Scientist