O TYM ODCINKU
In this episode, Ben is joined once again by Dr Olalekan (Lekan) Adekola, Senior Lecturer in Geography at York St John University, to discuss the concept of ‘Ecosystem Services’ – the idea that we can value different environments or ecologies on the basis of the provisioning, regulatory, supporting or cultural benefits or services they provide (primarily to humans). We discuss the origins of the term, and its implications and practical application to environmental management, as well as addressing some of the key critiques of this approach. We reflect on how geographers might offer a useful perspective on the value of specific natures, and a means to counter some of the concept’s more utilitarian tendencies.
Below, for those who are interested, are some links to relevant readings mentioned in conversation and that further flesh out the concepts / topics discussed...
Key Reading #1: Lekan discusses the work of Robert Constanza and others from 1997 – ‘The value of the world’s ecosystem services and natural capital’, published in Nature – that demonstrates an early, influential effort to quantify environmental benefits in terms of monetary value. Link here: https://www.nature.com/articles/387253a0
Key Reading #2: Sharachchandra Lele et al’s 2013 review of the concept published in Conservation and Society (‘Ecosystem Services: Origins, Contributions, Pitfalls, and alternatives’) incorporates a summary of some of the key ways that the concept of ES has been taken up in response to the challenges of environmental management and conservation, as well as reflecting on the weaknesses of the approach, and how these might be addressed. Open access and available here: https://www.jstor.org/stable/26393131?seq=1
Further Reading: Mark Everard’s textbook, Ecosystem Services: Key Issues, a second edition published in 2022, provides an accessible introduction and overview of the concept of ecosystem services (and associated ideas) via a range of case studies and suggested further reading. A previous is available via Google Books: https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Ecosystem_Services/r9dSEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0
Further Reading: Kurt Jax et al’s 2013 paper in Ecological Economics (‘Ecosystem services and ethics’) reflect on the ethical assumptions of potential issues arising from the application of the ES concept, and consider the importance of context for assessing the worth of the approach, as well as considering how improved clarity around the processes of evaluating the environment might address some of these concerns. Link here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800913002073
(C) 2022. Produced / Edited by B. Garlick
