BiodiversityBiodiversity andand human human wellwell--beingbeingPatricia Patricia BalvaneraBalvanera

CenterCenter forfor EcosytemEcosytem ResearchResearch (CIECO)(CIECO)NationalNational UniversityUniversity ofof MexicoMexico (UNAM)(UNAM)pbalvanera@cieco.unam.mxpbalvanera@cieco.unam.mx

OurOur planetplanet has has beenbeendeeplydeeply transformedtransformed totocopecope withwith thethe increasingincreasingdemanddemand fromfrom human human societiessocieties

Rockstrom et al. 2009 Nature 461: 472-475

We have crossed various planetary boundariesof unacceptable environmental change

Safe operatingspace

Currentcondition

Exceededboundaries

Nu

mbe

rof

exti

nct

ion

spe

rm

illio

nye

ars

per

spec

ies

Pereira et al. 2010. Science DOI science.1196624

Extinction rates are much higher today than in thepast and will increase in the near future

Past rates

Present rates10 to 100Times higher

FutureSimilar to1000 timeshigher

ThisThis biodiversitybiodiversity lossloss isislikelylikely toto havehave negativenegativeconsequencesconsequences onon human human wellwell--beingbeing

BIO

DIV

ERSI

TY

COMPONENTS OFHUMAN WELL-BEING

BENEFITS SOCIETIESOBTAIN FROM ECOSYSTEMS

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005

Biodiversity is linked to human well-beingbecause it affects the ability of ecosystemto provide benefits or services to societies

Biodiversity is the variability among living organisms

Diversity at differentlevels of organization

Genetic diversitywithin populations

Population diversitywithin species

Species diversitywithin communities

Community diversitywithin landscapes

Biome diversity

Different types of diversity

Number of species

Relative abundance

Composition

Range of functionaltraits

Spatial distribution

Vertical diversity

Díaz et al. 2006 PLOS 4:277

Ecosystem processes and services underpin well-beingEcosystem processes: interactions among abioticand biotic components ofecosystem

Ecosystem services: thebenefits people obtain fromecosystems

Basic ecologicalprocesses thatunderpinecosystemfunctioning andthe ability todeliverecosystemservices

Resources thatcan be consumed,accounted for

Processes thatregulate thevariability in ecosystem conditions

Benefits thatarise fromHuman-ecosystemrelationships

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005, Maass et al 2005, Chan et al. prep.

Human well being can be assessedthrough its constituents

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005

The relative importanceof these constituentsof well-beingvaries among stakeholdersand among societies

REGIONAL

LANDSCAPE

LOCAL

We will analyze what we know about the links betweenbiodiversity and well-being at various spatial scales

BIO

DIV

ERSI

TY

ECOSYSTEMPROCESSES

ECOSYSTEMSERVICES

HUMANWELL-BEING

The availability of information onthe topic is uneven

ISI Web of Knowledge 2010

Biodiversity andecosystem services

0

200

400

600

800

Local Landscape Regional

Num

ber

ofpu

blic

atio

ns

0

200

400

600

800

Local Landscape Regional

Biodiversity andHuman well-being

Only a small fraction of these references provideinformation relevant to the posed question

LOCAL

BIO

DIV

ERSI

TY

ECOSYSTEMPROCESSES

ECOSYSTEMSERVICES

The links between biodiversity and ecosystem processes isvery well know.

That for ecosystem services is not so well known

Experimental studies have allowed the exploration ofthe links between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning

There has been an exponential increasein the number of publications from experiments

What is the shape of the relationship?

The dominant shape has been the rivet one

Cardinale et al. in press American Journal of Botany

Species richness

EcosystemFunction

r

103 studies (1954-2004)ca. 450 diversity “effects”

Balvanera, Pfisterer, Buchman, He, Nakashizuka, Rafaeeli, Schmid2006 Ecology Letters 9: 1146–1156

What is the direction of the relationship?

º abundance

º

º

40-1 0

1ª/2

ª/3ª

prod

uctiv

ity 1 º Producer

1º Consumer abundance

2 º Consumer abundance

Ecosystemproperty

Mycorrhiza abundance

Plant root biomass

Decomposer activity

Plant nutrient concentration

Nutrient supply from soil

1º Consumer diversity

1° Consumer (Plant disease severity)

(Invader fitness)(Invader diversity)

Invasion resistanceConsumption resistance

Drought resistanceResistance to other disturbancesNatural variation

0 80Number of measurementsResponse to

increasing biodiversity 1-Ecosystem service

Nut

rient

cy

clin

g

Decomposer diversity

Reg

ulat

ion

ofB

iolo

gica

l div

ersi

tySt

abili

tyEr

osio

n

cont

rol

Plants

1ª Consumers

Micorrhiza

Decomposer

Multitrophic

Balvanera et al. 2006 Ecology Letters 9: 1146–1156

We found clear positive We found clear positive effects of biodiversity on effects of biodiversity on most ecosystem services most ecosystem services analyzedanalyzedTheseThese effectseffects werewere analyzedanalyzedaccrossaccross multiplemultiple ecosystemecosystem typestypes, , multiplemultiple trophic trophic levelslevels, , andandmultiplemultiple functionsfunctions pointingpointingtowardstowards consistencyconsistency

Yet, little is known for many types ofecosystems, e.g. very diverse systems suchas tropical forests

Increasingrichness andmagnitudeof servicealongsuccession

Aboveground carbon storage

Pasture

Earlysuccessional

Latesuccessional

Old growth-forest

0.E+00

1.E+05

2.E+05

3.E+05

0 20 40 60 80Cummulative species richness

To

tal

acc

um

ula

ted

carb

on

(Kg

/h

a)

Balvanera et al 2005 Ecological Applications 15:360-375, Balvanera et al in prep.

We are analyzing links between biodiversity andecosystem services for successional tropical forests

LOCAL

BIO

DIV

ERSI

TY

ECOSYSTEMPROCESSES

ECOSYSTEMSERVICES

HUMANWELL-BEING?

Much less is known for the links to well-beingat the local scale

How different components of well-being are relatedto biodiversity?

LANDSCAPE

BIO

DIV

ERSI

TY

ECOSYSTEMPROCESSES

ECOSYSTEMSERVICES

HUMANWELL-BEING

Little is known on the links between biodiversity, ecosystem services and well-being at landscape scales

Biodiversity within mangrovesprovides human well-being

Barbier et al. Science 319: 321

Mangroves provide habitat for fisheries

Coastal protection

Decreasing shrimp farmingProfit as mangrove area increases

300,000,000300,000,000WorldWorld

22,000,00022,000,000CaCa 7,0007,000MexicoMexico

200200397397San Lorenzo San Lorenzo PPáápalopalo

NUMBER OF NUMBER OF PEOPLE PEOPLE BENEFITEDBENEFITED

NUMBER OF NUMBER OF NONNON--TIMBER TIMBER FOREST FOREST PRODUCTSPRODUCTS

EXAMPLEEXAMPLE

Solís 2006 MSc Thesis, Balvanera et al. 2009 Capital Natural de México

Biodiversity is a direct source of food, fuel, medicine for rural populations of the world

Various componentsOf well-being

Basic materialsHealthSecurityGood social-relations

Biodiversity within Satoyama and Sataoumiis important for human well-being

SatoyamaSataoumi

High species diversity

High diversity ofcommunities/ecosystems

Widevarietyofecosystemservices

MultiplecomponentsofWell-being

Basic materialsHealthSecurityGood social-relations

Japan Satoyama Sataoumi Assessment 2010

BiodiversityBiodiversity isis importantimportanttoto servicesservices andand wellwell--beingbeingat at landscapelandscape scalesscales, , thoughthough thethe patternspatterns are are notnot simplesimple

REGIONALB

IOD

IVER

SITY

ECOSYSTEMPROCESSES

ECOSYSTEMSERVICES

HUMANWELL-BEING

Some studies have analyzed the link between biodiversity,ecosystem services and well-being at regional scales

Ostfeld & Keesing. 2000. Conservation Biology 14: 722–728

BacteriaBorreliaburgdorferi

The higher the biodiversity the lower the disease incidence

White-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus)

Tick

Many studies have now confirmed the links betweenbiodiversity loss and increased disease transmission

A- host/vector abundanceB- host/vector/parasite behaviour

Kessing et al. 2010 Nature 468:647-652

Many studies todate havemappedbiodiversityanddelivery ofmultipleecosystemservices

Patterns of corrrelations between biodiversity andecosystem services are not clear cut

Chan et al 2006 PLOS 4 e379

Low overall correlationbetween biodiversityand services- California

High spatial variance inconcordance or discordance

Turner et al 2007 BioScience 57: 868-873

Onlybiodiversity

Only services Both

Anderson et al 2009 J Appl Ecol 46 888–896

Spatial co-variance among serviceschange with resolution

and service - UK

100Km2

4Km2

100Km2

Carb

on

Agric

ultu

reVa

lue

Rec

reat

ion

Nelson et al 2009 Front EcolEnviron 7: 4–11

Future scenariosfor biodiversityand for ecosystemservices have beendeveloppedto informdecision making

Pereira et al. 2010. Science DOI science.1196624

Yet modelsthat predictimpactsonecosystemservicesbased onchanges inbiodiversityare not yetavailable

BiodiversityBiodiversity isis importantimportanttoto ecosystemecosystem servicesservices andandwellwell--beingbeing, , yetyet thetherelationshiprelationship at regional at regional scalesscales isis veryvery complexcomplex

BIO

DIV

ERSI

TY

COMPONENTS OFHUMAN WELL-BEING

BENEFITS SOCIETYOBTAINS FROM ECOSYSTEMS

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005

Biodiversity underpins the delivery of ecosystem servicesand human well-being

Yet the relationship between biodiversity andhuman well-being is scale dependent and complex

WhatWhat do do wewe needneed toto know?know?Role Role playedplayed by a by a rangerange ofof biologicalbiologicalgroupsgroups andand differentdifferent diversitydiversitycomponentscomponentsImpactsImpacts onon a a widerwider rangerange ofofecosystemecosystem servicesservicesExplicitExplicit links links toto human human wellwell--beingbeingRelationshipsRelationships andand relativerelative importanceimportanceat at multiplemultiple spatialspatial scalesscalesSynthesisSynthesis toto understandunderstand generalitiesgeneralitiesandand particularitiesparticularities

WeWe havehave shownshown thatthatbiodiversitybiodiversity lossloss willwill threatenthreatenecosystemecosystem servicesservices deliverydelivery andandhuman human wellwell--beingbeing

In In thethe faceface ofof thethe newnewPlatformPlatform forfor BiodiversityBiodiversityandand EcosystemEcosystem Services Services muchmuch more more informationinformation isisneededneeded toto explicitlyexplicitly link link biodiversitybiodiversity toto wellwell--beingbeingat at multiplemultiple spatialspatial scalesscales

AckowledgementsAckowledgements

Sandra Sandra QuijasQuijasMariaMaria JoseJose MartMartíínez nez HarmsHarmsFrancisco MoraFrancisco MoraRadikaRadika BhaskarBhaskarManuel Manuel BeteramsBeteramsAdinaAdina MerelenderMerelenderAlicia CastilloAlicia CastilloElena LazosElena LazosHelena Helena CotlerCotlerMarisa Marisa MazariMazariKarina CaballeroKarina Caballero

Manuel Manuel MaassMaassPatricia Patricia AvilaAvilaFabiana Fabiana CastellariniCastellariniAmericoAmerico SaldivarSaldivarEk del Ek del ValValErnesto VegaErnesto VegaEnrique MartEnrique Martííneznez--MeyerMeyerBernhard SchmidBernhard SchmidBradleyBradley CardinaleCardinaleHenriqueHenrique PereiraPereira…….. more .. more studentsstudents, , assistantsassistants andand collaboratorscollaborators

Science Coucil of Japan