Sunday, June 12, 2011

Quantification of interdependencies between economic systems and ecosystem services: An input–output model applied to the Seine estuary

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800911001625
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to assess the possible contribution of an input–output model towards two of the basic principles of the sustainability strategy of integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) and Post-Normal Science. According to these principles, decision-support tools should offer a holistic perspective and handle high uncertainty. The difficulties in reaching sustainability are due partly to the prevailing use of “narrow-system-boundary” tools that are non-holistic. Consequently, they fail to capture important ecosystem services and ignore interdependencies between them. To comply with the basic principles, our method allows environmental assets to be evaluated in multiple units and integrates results from recent researches in natural sciences. Both enable coverage of interdependencies between ecosystem services. Thereby, we enlarge input–output modelling from the two conventional ecosystem services of sink and provisioning to the most vital ones: the supporting services. An application to the Seine estuary addresses the impacts of maritime transportation infrastructures on nursery habitats for commercial fish. The ecosystem services covered are life support and resource provisioning. Our results show that the restoration of a total of 73.7 km2 of nursery areas over the period 2004–2015 would result in a stock of sole in 2015 that exceeds the “business as usual” scenario by 44.2% (uncertainty range: 35.9%–69.9%). In spite of high restoration costs, the negative macro-economic impact is very low. However, on the sector level, a trade-off results between nurseries and three economic sectors. The quantification of such trade-offs in our model is particularly useful to public participation in decision-making.

by Mateo Cordier 1 and 3, José A. Pérez Agúndez 2, Martin O'Connor 3, Sébastien Rochette 4 and Walter Hecq 1
1. Centre d'Etudes Economiques et Sociales de l'Environnement/Centre Emile Bernheim, Université Libre de Bruxelles (CEESE-ULB), Université d'Europe, 44 avenue Jeanne, CP. 124, 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium; Tel.: + 32 2 650 35 88; fax: + 32 2 650 46 91.
2. Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (Ifremer)/UMR-Amure/Département d'économie maritime, Centre de Brest, Technopôle de Brest-Iroise, BP 70, 29280, Plouzané, France
3. Recherches en Economie-Ecologie, Eco-innovation et ingénierie du Développement Soutenable à l'Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (REEDS-UVSQ), 47 boulevard Vauban, Guyancourt 78047 cedex, France
4. Université Européenne de Bretagne, UMR 985 Agrocampus OUEST, INRA «Ecologie et Santé des Ecosystèmes», Ecologie halieutique, Agrocampus OUEST, 65 rue de St Brieuc, CS 84215, 35042 Rennes, France
Ecological Economics via Elsevier Science Direct www.ScienceDirect.com
Volume 70, Issue 9; 15 July 2011; Pages 1660-1671
Special Section - Governing the Commons: Learning from Field and Laboratory Experiments
Keywords: Input–output; Ecosystem services; Participative process; Integrated coastal zone management; Post-Normal Science; Decision-support

No comments:

Post a Comment