Linking ecosystem services to human wellbeing

Emily McKenzie

2 April, InVEST Introductory Seminar, Bangkok

• Relationship between ecosystem services and well-being

• Frameworks for addressing well-being• Importance of differentiating between

providers and users• NatCap’s emerging work on well-being

Outline

Access to services Altruism Political voice Clean environment Economic growth Education

Health Nutrition Leisure time Life satisfaction Cultural fulfillment Happiness Public infrastructure

Safety Security Shelter Social cohesion Social

network Spiritual fulfillment Wealth Freedom Governance Meaning Personal activities Civic

engagement

Well-being

• A state of health, happiness and/or prosperity.– An intangible concept, can be expressed as level of

life satisfaction– A composite of many components, including social

connections, health, security, and freedom

Wellbeing

1) Material living standards (income, consumption and wealth)

2) Health3) Education4) Personal activities including work5) Political voice and governance6) Social connections and relationships7) Environment (present and future conditions)8) Insecurity, of an economic as well as physical

nature.

Measures of Well-being

Sen, Stiglitz & Fitoussi 2009, Report by the Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress.

Despite their importance, ecosystem services are not normally included in decisions.

This is because it is not clear how services contribute to well-being or the issues people care about.

Why Well-being?

To understand:• The impacts of conservation initiatives on people• The broader implications of ecosystem service loss

To design:• Joint conservation and development projects• Payment for ecosystem service schemes• Environmental priorities for other sectors (e.g. public health)

To increase relevance:• Address the things people care about• Assess true costs and benefits of options for people• Build knowledge about how degradation will affect people

Why Connect ES and Well-being?

Components of Well-being

From PPT, Smith 2010

• Human Development Index• Green Growth• Gross National Happiness• Living Planet Index• Sustainable Livelihoods Framework• Sustainable Society Index

Indicators of Well-being

NaturalFinancial

Physical

Social Human

Connect like to like:• Water quality disease rates, health• Recreation income, subjective well-being• NTFPs income, nutrition or shelter

What to Measure

Mahapatra, Albers & Robinson 2005

NTFP incomeOff-farm incomeCrop income

• Pollination education• Fisheries food security• Coastal protection

civic engagement

Distributional effects

Actors (providers)

Human Well-being

Ecosystem Services and Human Wellbeing

Institutions

Actors (users)

Demand Supply

Ecosystem structure &

function

Economic structure &

function

Ecosystem services

Other goods & services

Distribution and Change of:• Welfare• Poverty & wealth• Food security• Health/nutrition• Jobs/employment• Vulnerability & security

Providers and Beneficiaries

same location, e.g. soil fertility

directional,e.g. watershed services

omni-directional,e.g. pollination

directional, e.g. coastal protection

Providers and BeneficiariesService Provider Beneficiary

Carbon storage/ climate stabilization

Landowners Everyone – the globe

Sediment retention Upstream land managers

Downstream water users

Non-timber forest products

Landowner or state Harvesters and consumers

Coastal protection Coastal land manager Property owners along coast

Soil formation Land manager Land manager

• This distinction matters in questions of distribution, value, management control and well-being.

• For example,

Providers and Beneficiaries

Hydrological services – water fund

Coastal vulnerability – marine spatial planning

• Ecosystem services result in different benefits for different people

• Well-being frameworks and indicators exist • Measure outcomes related to the service in question• Differentiate between providers & beneficiaries

Conclusions

Critical questions

• How do changes in ecosystem services affect aspects of human wellbeing?

• What are the effects on different segments of the population?

• How do institutions affect who gains and loses?