A new ecosystem services approach to enable identification of pro-biodiversity businesses of protected karst areas in Central and South-Eastern Europe
Abstract
Protected areas are a leading conservation tool for preserving biodiversity. However, the restrictions on human uses often engender resistance of local communities to the idea of living in protected environment. This paper describes the preparation of Biodiversity Investment Opportunities (BIO) maps for seven case areas in Central and South-Eastern Europe, using participatory methods. BIO maps have been further developed with the involvement of local stakeholders to define areas that can support economic activities while achieving a no net loss or even benefits for nature. The BIO maps can then be used to foster the development of Pro-Biodiversity Businesses (PBBs). PBBs are enterprises that generate financial returns without compromising the natural environments they depend on. PBBs were found to be a viable solution, effective in changing the perceptions of both the park managers and the local people towards the protected areas. Moreover, these enterprises can improve the local livelihoods, as well as actively protect nature and biodiversity. Therefore, the approach presented in this paper can be adopted as a model for managing any protected area and conserving cultural landscapes.
References
Affandi, O., Zaitunah, A. and Batubara, R. 2017. Potential economic and development prospects of non timber forest products in community agroforestry land around Sibolangit Tourism Park. Forest and Society 1. 68-77. https://doi.org/10.24259/fs.v1i1.1096
Akeroyd, J. and Page, N. 2020. Beef cattle as grassland management tool and economic resource in Transylvania, Romania. Oryx 54. (1): 9-10. https://doi.org/10.1017/S003060531900125X
Andrade, G.S.M. and Rhodes, J.R. 2012. Protected areas and local communities: an inevitable partnership towards successful conservation strategies? Ecology and Society 17. (4): 14. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-05216-170414
Arany, I., Vári, Á., Kalóczkai, Á., Aszalós, R., Blik, P. et al. 2019. Diversity of flower rich habitats can provide persistent source of healthy diet for honey bees. European Journal of Geography 10. (2): 89-106.
Babai, D. and Molnár, Z. 2014. Small-scale traditional management of highly species-rich grasslands in the Carpathians. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 182. 123-130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2013.08.018
Batáry, P., Báldi, A., Ekroos, J., Gallé, R., Grass, I.and Tscharntke, T. 2020. Biologia futura: landscape perspectives on farmland biodiversity conservation. Biologia Futura 71. 9-18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42977-020-00015-7
Bodin, O. and Prell, C. 2011. Social Networks and Natural Resource Management. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511894985
Bončina, A. 2011. History, current status and future prospects of uneven-aged forest management in the Dinaric region: an overview. Forestry 84. (5): 467-478. https://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/cpr023
Burkhard, B., Maes, J., Potschin-Young, M., SantosMartín, F., Geneletti, D. et al. 2018. Mapping and assessing ecosystem services in the EU. Lessons learned from the ESMERALDA approach of integration. One Ecosystem 3.
Cumming, G. and Allen, R. 2017. Protected areas as social-ecological systems: perspectives from resilience and social-ecological systems theory. Ecological Applications 27. (6): 1709-1717. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.1584
Davies, C.E., Moss, D. and Hill, M.O. 2004. EUNIS Habitat Classification Revised 2004. Report to: European Environment Agency-European Topic Centre on Nature Protection and Biodiversity. Available at https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/eunis-habitat-classification-1/documentation/eunis-2004-report.pdf
Defries, R. and Nagendra, H. 2017. Ecosystem management as a wicked problem. Science 356. 265-270. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aal1950
Diaci, J. 2006. Nature-based Forestry in Central Europe: Alternatives to Industrial Forestry and Strict Preservation. Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana.
Duffy, R. 2014. Waging a war to save biodiversity: the rise of militarized conservation. International Affairs90. (4): 819-834. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2346.12142
Ellis, E.C., Pascual, U. and Mertz, O. 2019. Ecosystem services and nature's contribution to people: negotiating diverse values and trade-offs in land systems. Current Opinions in Environmental Sustainability 38. 86-94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2019.05.001
EEA 2019. The European Environment: State and Outlook 2020: Knowledge for Transition to a Sustainable Europe. European Environmental Agency. Luxembourg, Publications Office of the European Union.
EEA 2020. State of Nature in the EU: Results from Reporting Under the Nature Directives 2013-2018. European Environmental Agency. Luxembourg, Publications Office of the European Union.
European Commission 2020. Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. Bringing nature back into our lives. European Commission. Available at https://ec.europa.eu/environment/strategy/biodiversity-strategy-2030_en
Felipe-Lucia, M.R., Martín-López, B., Lavorel, S., Berraquero-Díaz, L., Escalera-Reyes, J. and Comín, F.A. 2015. Ecosystem services flows: Why 'stakeholders' power relationships matter. PLoS One 10. 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0132232
Filho, W.L., Mandel, M., Al-Amin, A.Q., Feher, A. and Chiappetta Jabbour, C.J. 2016. Review: An assessment of the causes and consequences of agricultural land abandonment in Europe. International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology 24. (6): 554-560. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504509.2016.1240113
Fischer, J., Abson, D.J., Butsic, V., Chappell, M.J., Ekross, J. et al. 2013. Land sparing versus land sharing: moving forward. Conservation Letters 7. (3): 149-157. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12084
Golusin, M., Munitlak Ivanovic, O. and Teodorovic, N. 2011. The review of the achieved degree of sustainable development in South Eastern Europe - The use of linear regression method. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 15. (1): 766-772. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2010.07.064
Grass, I., Loos, J., Baensch, S., Batáry, P., LibránEmbid, F. et al. 2019. Land-sharing/-sparing connectivity landscapes for ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation. People and Nature 1. (2): 262-272. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.21
Guerrero, I., Morales, M.B., Oñate, J.J., Geiger, F., Berendse, F. et al. 2012. Response of ground-nesting farmland birds to agricultural intensification across Europe: Landscape and field level management factors. Biological Conservation 152. 74-80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2012.04.001
Haines-Young, R. and Potschin, M. 2010. The links between biodiversity, ecosystem services and human well-being. In Ecosystem Ecology. Eds.: Raffaelli, D.G. and Frid, C.L.J., Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 110-139. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511750458.007
Haines-Young, R. and Potschin, M. 2013. Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES), Version 4.3. Report to the European Environment Agency EEA/BSS/07/007. Retrieved from: www.cices.eu.
Han, F. 2008. Cross-cultural confusion: Application of World Heritage concepts in scenic and historic interest areas of China. In The Great Wilderness Debate Rages On: Continuing the Great New Wilderness Debate. Eds.: Nelson, M.P. and Callicott, J.B., Athens-London, The University of Georgia Press, 252-263.
Han, F.L. and Li, C.T. 2019. Environmental impact of tourism activities on ecological nature reserves. Applied Ecology and Environmental Research 17. (4): 9483-9492. https://doi.org/10.15666/aeer/1704_94839492
Houdet, J., Trommetter, M. and Weber, J. 2012. Understanding changes in business strategies regarding biodiversity and ecosystem services. Ecological Economics 73. 37-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2011.10.013
Keesstra, S., Nunes, J., Novara, A., Finger, D., Avelar, D., Kalantari, Z. and Cerdà, A. 2018. The superior effect of nature based solutions in land management for enhancing ecosystem services. Science of the Total Environment 610. 997-1009. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.08.077
Kuslits, B., Vári, Á., Tanács, E., Aszalós, R., Drasovean, A. et al. 2021. Ecosystem services becoming political: How ecological processes shape local resource-management networks. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.635988
Lasanta, T., Nadal-Romero, E. and Arnáez, J. 2015. Managing abandoned farmland to control the impact of re-vegetation on the environment. The state of the art in Europe. Environmental Science & Policy 52. 99-109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2015.05.012
Lasanta, T., Arnáez, J., Pascual, N., Ruiz-Flaño, P., Errea, M.P. and Lana-Renault, N. 2017. Spacetime process and drivers of land abandonment in Europe. Catena 149. 810-823. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2016.02.024
Lasen, C., Tomaselli, M., Scariot, A., Garlato, A. and Carbognani, M. 2018. Floristic composition, site conditions and diversity of poet's daffodil (Narcissus radiiflorus Salisb.) hay meadows in the Venetian Pre-Alps and outer Dolomites (N-Italy): Implications for conservation and restoration. Plant Biosystems - An Interational Journal Dealing with all Aspects of Plant Biology 152. (6): 1236-1247. https://doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2018.1435578
Leone, F. and Zoppi, C. 2019. Local development and protection onf nature in coastal zones: A planning study for the Sulcis area (Sardinia, Italy). Sustainability 11. (18): 5095. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11185095
Lescuyer, G., Ngouhouo Poufoun, J., Defo, L., Bastin, D. and Scholte, P. 2016. Does trophy hunting remain a profitable business model for conserving biodiversity in Cameroon? International Forestry Review 18. (1): 108-118. https://doi.org/10.1505/146554816819683780
Lindsey, P.A., Alexander, R.R., du Toit, J.T. and Mills, M.G.L. 2005. The potential contribution of ecotourism to African wild dog Lycaon pictus conservation in South Africa. Biological Conservation 123. (3): 339-348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2004.12.002
Mariki, S.B., Svarstad, H. and Benjaminsen, T.A. 2015. Elephants over the cliff: explaining wildlife killings in Tanzania. Land Use Policy 44. 19-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2014.10.018
MEA 2005. Ecosystems & Human Well-Being: Synthesis (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment). Washington DC, Island Press.
Munroe, D.K., van Berkel, D.B., Verburg, P.H. and Olson, J.L. 2013. Alternative trajectories of land abandonment: causes, consequences and research challenges. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 5. (5): 471-476. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2013.06.010
Nagel, T.A., Firm, D., Mihelic, T., Hladnik, D., de Groot, M. and Rozenbergar, D. 2017. Evaluating the influence of integrative forest management on old-growth habitat structures in a temperate forest region. Biological Conservation 216. 101-107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2017.10.008
Phalan, B., Onial, M., Balmford, A. and Green, R.E. 2011. Reconciling food production and biodiversity conservation: land sharing and land sparing compared. Science 333. 1289-1291. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1208742
Prell, C., Reed, M.S. and Hubacek, K. 2011. Social network analysis for stakeholder selection and the links to social learning and adaptive co-management. In Social Networks and Natural Resource Management. Eds.: Bodin, Ö. and Prell, C., Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 95-118. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511894985.006
Shackleton, C.M., Pandey, A.K. and Ticktin, T. (eds.) 2015. Ecological Sustainability for Non-Timber Forest Products: Dynamics and Case Studies of Harvesting. London, Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315851587
Simms, M.J. 2005. Sedimentary processes, karst and palaeokarst. In Encyclopedia of Geology. Eds.: Selley, R.C., Cocks, L.R.M. and Plimer, I.R., Oxford UK, Elsevier Academic Press, 678-687. https://doi.org/10.1016/B0-12-369396-9/00483-4
Simončič, T. and Matijašič, D. (eds.) 2013. Green Book on Payment for Environmental Services from Mediterranean Forests. Ljubljana, Slovenia Forest Service.
Stronza, A.L., Hunt, C.A. and Fitzgerald, L.A. 2019. Ecotourism for conservation? Annual Review of Environment and Resources 44. 229-253. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-101718-033046
Tanács, E. 2016. Modern resource use and its impact in karst areas-agriculture, forestry and grazing. Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie, Supplementary Issues 60. (2): 175-198. https://doi.org/10.1127/zfg_suppl/2016/00315
The World Bank 2020. World Bank County and Lending Groups. Available at https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519-world-bank-country-and-lendinggroups
UNDP 2019. United Nations Development Programme. Human Development Report 2019. Beyond Income, beyond Averages, beyond Today: Inequalities in Human Development in the 21st Century. New York, United Nations Development Programme.
Van der Zanden, E.H., Verburg, P.H., Schulp, C.J.E. and Verkerk, P.J. 2017. Trade-offs of European agricultural abandonment. Land Use Policy 62. 290-301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.01.003
Vári, Á., Arany, I., Aszalós, R., Bóné, G., Blik, P. et al. 2017. Mapping and modelling ecosystem services in the Niraj- Târnava Mică region. In Mapping and assessing ecosystem services in Natura 2000 sites of the Niraj-Târnava Mică region. Eds.: Vári, Á., Czúcz, B. and Kelemen, K., Tirgu Mures, Romania, Milvus Group; MTA Ökológiai Kutatóközpont; CEEweb, 85-126.
Vári, Á., Arany, I., Kalóczkai, Á., Kelemen, K., Papp, J. and Czúcz, B. 2020. Berries, greens, and medicinal herbs - mapping and assessing wild plants as an ecosystem service in Transylvania (Romania). Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 16. (1): 13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-020-0360-x
Vári, Á., Podschun, S.A., Erős, T., Hein, T., Pataki, B. et al. 2022. Freshwater systems and ecosystem services: Challenges and chances for cross-fertilization of disciplines. Ambio 51. (1): 135-151. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-021-01556-4
Wood, S.L.R., Jones, S.K., Johnson, J.A., Brauman, K.A., Chaplin-Kramer, R. et al. 2018. Distilling the role of ecosystem services in the sustainable development goals. Ecosystem Services 29. (A): 70-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.10.010
World Economic Forum 2022. The Global Risks Report 2022. 17th Edition. World Economic Forum.
Copyright (c) 2022 Sašo Gorjanc, Tina Simončič, Aleš Poljanec, Béla Kuslits, Ildikó Arany, Eszter Tanács, Ágnes Vári, Réka Aszalós, Anghel Drasovean, Alin Mos, Laura Maeso Velasco, Andrea Reuter, Udo Gattenlohner
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
