Boundary of ecosystem services: A response to

Murray Gray; Nathan Fox; John E Gordon; José Brilha; Abhik Charkraborty; Maria da Glória Garcia; Jan Hjort; Lucie Kubalíková; Arie C Seijmonsbergen; Jan Urban

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119666

Boundary of ecosystem services: A response to

J Environ Manage. 2024 Feb:351:119666. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119666. Epub 2023 Dec 3.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ School of Geography, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, UK. Electronic address: j.m.gray@qmul.ac.uk.
² Michigan Institute for Data Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1042, USA; School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, M 48109-1042I, USA.
³ School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9AL, UK.
⁴ Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Minho, Gualtar Campus, Braga, 4710-057, Portugal.
⁵ Faculty of Tourism, Wakayama University, Wakayama, 640-8510, Japan.
⁶ Institute of Geosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, 05580-080, Brazil.
⁷ Geography Research Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu, 90570, Finland.
⁸ Institute of Geonics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 602 00, Brno, Czech Republic.
⁹ Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, 1090, GE Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
¹⁰ Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, 31-120, Krakow, Poland.

PMID: 38048706
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119666

Abstract

Chen et al. (2023) have proposed a scheme to define which services should be included as ecosystem services and which should be excluded so as to avoid "an all-encompassing metaphor that captures any benefit". We discuss the proposals, drawing attention in particular to definitions of 'natural capital' and 'ecosystems', the complexities of separating biotic from abiotic flows, and the importance of geodiversity and geosystem services in delivering societal benefits. We conclude that rather than trying to separate out bits of nature in order to draw the boundary of ecosystem services, it is perhaps time to avoid using 'nature' and 'biodiversity' as synonyms and think instead of a more holistic and integrated approach involving 'environmental', 'natural' or 'nature's services', in which the role of abiotic nature is fully recognised in both ecosystem services and non-ecosystem domains.

Keywords: Abiotic nature; Ecosystem services; Geodiversity; Geosystem services; Natural capital.

MeSH terms

Biodiversity
Conservation of Natural Resources*
Ecosystem*