Chapter Six: Disentangling the Pathways and Effects of Ecosystem Service Co-Production

• Published in: Advances in ecological research Vol. 54; pp. 245 - 283
• Main Authors: Palomo, Ignacio, Felipe-Lucia, María R, Bennett, Elena M, Martín-López, Berta, Pascual, Unai
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Elsevier BV 01.01.2016
• Subjects: Ecosystem assessment; Ecosystem services; Ecosystems; Environmental management; Human-environment relationship
• ISSN: 0065-2504; 2163-582X
• DOI: 10.1016/bs.aecr.2015.09.003

Research on ecosystem services has become a dominant field within environmental management, framing the way in which human-nature relationships are understood and managed. Although ecosystem services are usually defined as 'the benefits that humans receive from nature', our work shows that most services are actually co-produced by a mixture of natural capital and various forms of social, human, financial and technological capital. Here, we review how ecosystem services are co-produced, and then we assess how this affects the quantity, quality, trade-offs, resilience and the equity of the distribution of ecosystem services. Then we discuss the implications of co-production for sustainability. Finally, we present some challenges for an adequate consideration of co-production within the assessment of ecosystem services.