Sharma, S.; Hodbod, J.; Tebbs, E.; Chan, K. Mapping Agricultural Ecosystem Services across Scales. Preprints2018, 2018070029. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints201807.0029.v1
APA Style
Sharma, S., Hodbod, J., Tebbs, E., & Chan, K. (2018). Mapping Agricultural Ecosystem Services across Scales. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints201807.0029.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Sharma, S., Emma Tebbs and Kristofer Chan. 2018 "Mapping Agricultural Ecosystem Services across Scales" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints201807.0029.v1
Abstract
Given the cross-scale interactions of agricultural ecosystems, it is important to collect ecosystem service data at the multiple spatial scales they operate at. Mapping of ecosystem services helps to assess their spatial and temporal distribution and is a popular communication tool of their availability and value. For example, maps can be used to quantify distance between areas of available ecosystem services and their beneficiaries and how services fluctuate with changes in land use patterns over time, allowing identification of synergies and trade-offs. However, a lack of local context and too large a resolution can reduce the utility of these maps, whilst masking heterogeneities in access due to equity dynamics. This review identifies and summarizes eight main methods of ESS mapping found in the literature—remote sensing, biophysical modelling, agent based modelling, economic valuation, expert opinion, user preference, participatory mapping, and photo-elicitation. We consider what spatial scales these methods are utilized at and the transferability of data created by each method. The analysis concludes with a methodological framework for mapping ecosystem services, intended to help researchers identify appropriate methods for a multi-scale research design. The framework is exemplified with an overview of a research project in Ethiopia.
Keywords
ecosystem services; agricultural systems; mapping; values; cross-scale; participatory; local
Subject
Social Sciences, Geography, Planning and Development
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.