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Ecosystem services are critical elements of the relationship between humans and wildlands. Intact ecosystems provide people with food, fuel, materials, water, respite, and joy around the world. Their importance is obvious, yet in our capitalist culture, the value of these services must be quantified in order for nature-based solutions to hold their own against less holistic options.
At Spatial Informatics Group, we approach problems with methodologies informed by scientific rigor. Valuing ecosystem services is an evolving field, and SIG is at the forefront of developing and implementing new solutions to credibly value them.
And we take the next step too, helping our clients monetize ecosystem services through carbon and water credits, as well as other innovative pathways. Our goal is to let ecosystem services hold their own on a balance sheet, promoting the maintenance of healthy landscapes.
Determining the value of ecosystem services means first identifying which services are relevant to a specific context, then figuring out the scale of the service flows. Finally, it entails assessing a monetary value for these flows.
SIG works with landowners to establish which ecosystem services are being supplied by a particular natural area. These can include everything from clean water, beautiful views, wildlife (for many reasons, including viewing, hunting, and biodiversity), flood mitigation, carbon sequestration, and more. We then refine that set by focusing on services relevant to a landowner’s management objectives.
We apply both established methodologies and well-benchmarked innovative tools to generate a holistic picture of the ecosystem services flowing from a landscape. With this knowledge, managers can make informed decisions to strengthen and protect these flows.
In some cases, like the work we did for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, we use multiple methodologies side by side. In others, such as our engagement with Kamehameha Schools, we work with the landowners to create customized, culturally appropriate ecosystems services classifications.
In every case, we provide relevant, actionable pathways towards sustainable ecosystem management around the world.
Having identified the scope of relevant ecosystem services, we work with our clients and partners to monetize them–to connect landowners with revenues supporting the maintenance of a healthy ecosystem.
Revenues can come from many sources, depending on the nature of the ecosystem in question and the local regulatory environment. Conservation and agricultural easements, grants, favorable tax treatment, and other tools are widely available.
Additionally, certain landowners may be able to access direct payments for the provision of clean water, for carbon storage, and for other critical ecosystem services. SIG’s Ecosystem Services team specializes in helping landowners to realize these revenues by first quantifying the services in question, and then helping navigate the monetization landscape.
