Ecosystems and Human Well-being: A Manual for Assessment PractionersSlide No 1

Towards a MA manual for sub-global assessments

Thomas HenrichsNational Environmental Research Institute

University of Aarhus – Denmark

EIONET / NRC biodiversity seminar – 23 September 2008

Ecosystems and Human Well-being: A Manual for Assessment PractionersSlide No 2

Background

A global strategy for follow-up to the MA (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment) has been agreed upon MA partner organisations:

- to build and further improve the knowledge base

- to integrate ecosystem service approaches into decision making

- to disseminate of the findings of the MA

- to explore the needs and options of future global assessments

A global secretariat has been established to coordinate hosted by UNEP; UNU-IAS hosts a secretariat to link sub-global assessments.

Ecosystems and Human Well-being: A Manual for Assessment PractionersSlide No 3

More background

As part of this follow-up – and to address past shortcomings – a methodology manual is being drafted to support those that carry out (global and/or sub-global) ecosystem assessments.

Process is coordinated by UNEP-WCMC; limited funding available from the ‘Zayed Prize’ presented to MA authors in 2005.

Current working title: ‘Ecosystems and Human Well-being: A manual for assessment practioners’

Ecosystems and Human Well-being: A Manual for Assessment PractionersSlide No 4

Aim & Context

The manual complements the recent ‘Ecosystem Services: A Guide for Decision Makers’ published by the World Resources Institute (WRI, 2008)

[http://pdf.wri.org/ecosystem_services_guide_for_decisionmakers.pdf]

The manual incorporates best practices for ecosystem assessments identified through the MA and other assessments as appropriate.

Manual is geared towards use in sub-global ecosystem assessments.

Ecosystems and Human Well-being: A Manual for Assessment PractionersSlide No 5

Outline

Six chapters (see next set of slides), totalling around 300 pages.

Each chapter coordinated by one/two coordinating lead authors, with contributions from several lead authors; a review process including invited review editors established to ensure quality.

The text gives ‘how to …’ guidance, drawing both on theory and best practice examples – to meet the needs of both those looking for an introduction and those that already have some experience.

Ecosystems and Human Well-being: A Manual for Assessment PractionersSlide No 6

Chapter 1: Assessing Ecosystems, Ecosystem Services and Human Well-being Focus:

- How to improve decision-making using assessments

- How to conduct an ecosystem services assessment (overview)

- How to understand the decision-making context for an assessment

Coordinated by Neville Ash

Ecosystems and Human Well-being: A Manual for Assessment PractionersSlide No 7

Chapter 2: Stakeholder Participation, Governance, Communication and Outreach Focus:

- How to ensure credibility, legitimacy and relevance

- How to establish the need for and scope of an assessment

- How to organize an assessment process

- How to manage the assessment process

- How to bring an assessment to a close

- How to communicate assessment findings

Coordinated by Nicolas Lucas and Hernan Blanco

Credibility

Legitimacy

Relevance

Ecosystems and Human Well-being: A Manual for Assessment PractionersSlide No 8

Chapter 3: Conceptual Frameworks for Ecosystem Assessment

Focus:

- How to understand the relationship between people and nature

- How to develop a conceptual framework

- How to use a conceptual framework to focus an assessment

- How to use a conceptual framework to engage users

Coordinated by Tom Tomich

Ecosystems and Human Well-being: A Manual for Assessment PractionersSlide No 9

Chapter 4: Assessing State and Trends in Ecosystem Services and Human WellbeingChapter focus:

- How to select what to measure

- How to gather and assess information on ecosystem services

- How to gather and assess information on human well-being

- How to assess the link between ecosystem services and human well-being

- How to communicate state and trends

Coordinated by Robert Scholes

Ecosystems and Human Well-being: A Manual for Assessment PractionersSlide No 10

Chapter 5: Scenario Development and Analysis for Forward-looking Ecosystem Assessments Focus:

- How to explore the future with a scenario exercise

- How to set up a scenario exercise

- How to develop scenarios

- How to analyse scenarios

- How to use and communicate scenarios

Coordinated by Thomas Henrichs and Monika Zurek

Ecosystems and Human Well-being: A Manual for Assessment PractionersSlide No 11

Chapter 6: Assessing the Effectiveness of Intervention Strategies

Focus:

- How to identify issues, actions and actors

- How to assess what worked / failed in the past

- How to assess alternatives for action

- How to engage with decision-making processes

Coordinated by David Simpson and Bhaskar Vira

Ecosystems and Human Well-being: A Manual for Assessment PractionersSlide No 12

Timeline towards publication

Sep 2007 Author team established / process launched

Oct 2007 First author meeting

Mar 2007 First draft (for internal review)

Jun 2008 Second author meeting

Sep 2008 Second draft (for external review, deadline 24 Oct)

…

Jan 2009 Final draft

Mar 2008 Planned publication

Ecosystems and Human Well-being: A Manual for Assessment PractionersSlide No 13

Finalising the manual

The draft for external review will be made available on CIRCA; comments on the draft are welcome (until 24 October 2008).

Further case study material which might help illustrate good practice in ecosystem assessments may be included as ’boxes’.

We hope the manual will prove to be useful in future ecosystem assessment exercises.

… thank you !