ECOSYSTEM SERVICES (ESS) VALUATION IN URBAN REGION: REVIEW AND

CONCEPT MODEL

Liqin Zhang

Department of Geography

University of Ottawa

2013-11-23

symposium -'From Urban to Rural: Multidisciplinary Perspectives of Sustainability in a Spatial World'

CONTENTS

Background

Review of Urban ESS Studies Objectives

Data & Method

Cases

Conclusions

Limitations

Research Questions and Concept Model

ESS and the Value

Natural Services (Westman,

1977, Science)

Ecosystem

Services (Enrlich, 1981)

Seldom research

between 1981 and 1991

Booming research since 1991

Background Molnar J., et al., 2012; Westman, 1977; Enrlich P. and Enrlich A., 1981; Costanza, 1997

Global ESS Valuation-R. Costanza, 1997

MA- Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2001-2005) - UN

Ecosystem and Human - a Manual for Assessment Practitioners (2010) –UNEP&UNDP

WHAT IS ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

MA, 2003, p57

Supporting ServicesSoil formation Nutrient cycling Primary production

Provisioning Services• Food• Fresh water• Fuel wood• Fiber• Biochemicals• Genetic

resources

Regulating Services

• Climate regulation• Disease

regulation• Water regulation• Water purification• Pollination

Cultural Services

• Spiritual and religious

• Recreation and ecotourism

• Aesthetic• Inspirational• Educational• Sense of place• Cultural heritage

Ecosystem services are the benefits

human beings obtain from ecosystems,

directly or indirectly. ( Costanza, 1997)K.M.A. Chan et al, 2012

Background

URBAN ESS VALUATION AND MAPPING: MEANINGFUL, NECESSARY OR NOT?

YES and DEFINITELY YES Urban areas are the fastest changing areas

with the most severe conflicts between

ecosystem services and resources usageDecision making in real world exists anytime

and anywhere

Focusthe time-depth value changes and spatial value

differences between different types of

landscapesBackground

URBAN REGION

Central urban area

rural area

Suburban /urban fringe

Intra-Urban

Urban Region

Direct drives:

inadequate/unequal access to safe water, sanitation,

green space, clean fuel, land for

housingIndirect drives:

Demographic change,

inequality; trade and development

Direct drives:air pollution, groundwater

degradation, river pollution, resource plundering, land use pressures

Indirect drives: industrialization,

motorization; trade and

development

URBAN REGION ESS VALUATIONFOCUS/DATA/METHOD/CASES/CONCLUSIONS/LIMITATIONS

Focus Urban expansion and urban-rural

ecosystem services changes

Basic data Land use/land cover data Digital elevation model Spatially explicit temperature dataset

Method Unit values /Adjusted unit values Value functions

Gret-Regamey A. et al, 2008

Scenarios Human

dimensional scenario (e.g.Urban expansion, Infrastructure development)

Climate scenario (e.g. Temperature change)

URBAN REGION ESS: CASES

Author, Year

City Data Objective

Wu K., et al, 2013

Hangzhou Metropolitan Area, China

Land use/land cover Regional ecosystem services

Lin T., et al, 2012

Xiamen, China

Land use changes metrics; Land use intensive index

Island city ecosystem services

Liu Y. et al, 2012

Taiyuan, China

Land use change data

Valuation of ecosystem services change

Estoque R., et al, 2013

Baguio, Philippines

Land use change data

Ecosystem services change

URBAN REGION ESS: CONCLUSIONS

Urban expansion & infrastructure developments

degrade value of ecosystem services.

Expansion of urban forests and green spaces

enhance ecosystem services.

Both of inner urban and urban fringe are

important for urban ESS, but urban fringe is

more important for urban planning with higher

marginal cost of ESS, due to the invasion of

built-up areas into green. Gret-Regamey A. et al, 2008

INTRA-URBAN ESS VALUATIONFOCUS/DATA/METHOD/CASES/CONCLUSIONS/LIMITATIONS

Focus Inner urban differentiation and the relation to

urban ESS Data

Land use /land cover (landscape)Residents’ interview for scenery valueMarket price and Proxy of market price

Method Unit values /Value functions Hedonic method (cultural services)

INTRA-URBAN ESS: CASES

Author, Year City Data Objective

Strobach M., Haase D., 2013

Leipzig, Germany

Urban trees Carbon storage

Netusil N.R., et al, 2010

Portland, Oregon

Tree canopy Effect on property value

Kong F., et al, 2007

Jinan, China

Landscape metrics Valuation of amenity of urban green space

Ecosystem services value of urban forests and green spaces- the

natural-cum-cultural resources - is the most important contents

for urban ecosystem service studies. (Jim C.Y. and Chen W.Y., 2009)

INTRA-URBAN ESS: CASES

Author, Year City Data Objective

Larondelle N. et al, 2013

European cities

Spatial data along urban-rural gradient

Different impact between core cities and their regions

Depietir Y., et al., 2013

Cologne urban area, Germany

Spatial landscape data and stakeholders’ interview

Assess the social vulnerability to heat waves in Cologne

With respect to the core cities, Comparing with their regions, the core cities with high degree impermeable land do not mean fewer ecosystem services, especially for areas containing a large number of mature trees. (Larondelle N. and Haase D., 2013)

Though vulnerability is higher in central districts, attention needs to be paid to the periphery where the most susceptible groups reside. (Depietri Y., et al., 2013)

URBAN ESS: CASESAuthor, Year City Data Objective

McPhearson T., et al., 2013

New York,USA

Socio-ecological data, urban landscape data

Develop an socio-ecological ESS assessment method

Vejre H., et al., 2010

Copenhagen

Landscape in urban fringe

Assess cultural ESS based on landscape

Urban ESS valuation should consider socio-ecological conditions

and their spatial patterns across the urban landscape. ( McPhearson

T., et al., 2013)

The intangible services may dominate the tangible in

Copenhagen (related urban region). (Vejre H., et al., 2010)

Non-material (intangible) ecosystem services, are linked to

human perception, so the valuation must be linked to physical

landscape and process. (Vejre H., et al., 2010)

URBAN ESS: CASES

Author, Year City Data Objective

Jim C.Y., et al, 2009

Hongkong, China

Landscape data and view variables

Value of scenic views

Sander H., et al, 2012

Dakota, Minnesota, USA

Aesthetic quality variables related with landscapes

Cultural ecosystem services

Plieninger T., et al, 2013

Eastern Germany

Interview data based on local landscape

Cultural ecosystem services and disservices

Different types of ESS should be capitalized based on different perceptions (1) between different populations (2).

Cultural services follow specific patterns in terms of the aesthetic environment, intensity, richness and diversity of their provision (3).

(Ma S., Swinton S.,2011; Sagie H., et al, 2013; Plieninger T., et al., 2013; Sander H., Haight R., 2012)

LIMITATIONS OF URBAN ESS-1

Central urban area

Rural area

ESSGradient

Interaction

Suburban /Urban fringe

Regulating

CulturalProvisioning

Integration

Urban

Landscap

e Change

Urban

ESS

Change

Focus

Lack

LIMITATIONS OF URBAN ESS-2

QUESTION PROPOSED

How do direct and indirect factors drive or interact

with the change of urban ecosystem services?

Focusing on the quantitative model for study areas

How to integrate ESS valuation into urban planning?

Spatial analysis tool and mapping will be applied for study;

Interaction between ESS and urban physical landscape

changes will be considered.

Landscape &Human

Perception

CONCEPT MODEL

Direct drives

Indirect drives

EcosystemServices

Urban Landscape

Human Benefit

s

Demographic change,

inequality…

Security, Basic material for a good life, Health, Good social relations

THANK YOU!

MERCI!