Ecosystem Service Perspectives

or… ANR role?

or…how can I make a buck?

Ecosystem Services Perspectives

• What are ES values used for?

• Examples of projects

• Building on the culture

ES are broadly defined as the

conditions and processes through

which ecosystems sustain and

enrich human life (Daily 1997); they are

ecological processes or functions

that have value for people.

Ecosystem services are about…

Decisions

How we use ecosystem services

values: Three examples

• Influencing landowner decisions and

choices

• Influencing policy choices

• Analytic tool

Influencing Landowner decisions

and choices

• Encourage more environmentally positive practices and outcomes

• PES: EQIP (74 m in 2011), tax breaks (CLCA 80m when fully funded)

• Markets for ES:

– Conservation easements

– Grass fed, environmentally friendly beef

– Certifications (FSC)

– Etc

Making policy decisions

• More environmentally positive actions

• Morgan’s example of the watershed in

New York State.

• Zoning to prevent habitat fragmentation

• Regulating pesticides to protect pollinators

– Native bees on rangelands, 2 + billion in

pollination services (Chaplin-Kramer et al.

2011)

7,000 per acre in US

Pollinating apples

in China 2011

Analytic Tool

• Why do ranchers do the things they do?

• 1972 Economic Research Service report:

ranchers, “when contrasted to more

progressive agriculturalists, seem to make

irrational economic decisions and continue

to employ economically unproductive

managerial strategies” (Schultz 1972).

Survey

Research

Ranchers have been

described as “lifestyle

consumers”; “not

economic men”; ranch

fundamentalism (Smith

and Martin 1972)

Reasons ranchers in California and Colorado studies gave for continuing to

ranch (Rowe et al. 2001a, Sulak and Huntsinger 2002).

I continue to ranch

because…California

n=37

Colorado

n=34-37

Enjoy animal husbandry 95% 97%

Way of life 95% 95%

Family 95% 87%

Tradition 95% 81%

Live near natural beauty 92% 87%

Work 89% 89%

It would be difficult to get a job

outside the ranch 14% 27%

It's a good way to make money 14% 19%

Percent landowners living in oak

woodlands because of family

business and natural beauty

Increase in planting of oaks; decrease in

cutting

“I keep the oaks because I want it to look like a ranch not a farm.”

(McClaran 1995; Standiford et al. 1996)

Rancher and Public-consumed

Ecosystem Services

Ranch land prices

• Reveals value above the production price

(Torell et al 2005)

• Can be used to put a value on owner-consumed ecosystem services

Contingent Valuation study of oak

woodland ranchers: valuing

“landowner consumed” ecosystem

services based on what owners

forgo to stay in ranching

Grazing income generally

increases linearly with property size

Grazing

income

Property size

Owner consumed ecosystem services as a

motive reach a saturation point: can be satisfied

with a property of a few hectares (Campos et al.

2009, Oviedo et al 2012).

Property size

Ecosystem

Services

Sheds light on:

• Why working landscapes, combining

market products with ecosystem service

consumption, is a good idea

• Popularity of ranchettes, trend of land

fragmentation

Long term outlook: Those interested

in easements more likely to invest in

maintaining trees

Studies in California, Colorado, Arizona & West Sulak &

Huntsinger

Liffmann

et al.

Huntsinger

et al.

Rowe

et al.

(a&b)

Smith &

Martin

Bartlett

et al.

Gentner

& Tanaka

Date 2002 2000 1997 2001 1972 1989 2002

State CA CA CA CO AZ CO Western

US

Sample Permittees

of 3

Forests,

similar

non

permittees

All

ranchers

in three

CA

counties

Oak

woodland

ranchers

statewide

Permittees

in CO two

counties

All AZ

ranch

owners

All CO

federal

permittees

All

permittees

of FS and

BLM

Off-ranch

income

43% not

dependent

on

ranching

44%

income is

off-ranch

85% have

off-ranch

income

78% have

other

source of

income

80% hold

off-ranch

jobs

62% hold

off-ranch

jobs

Survey

type

Interviews Mail Mail Interviews Interviews Mail Mail

Sample

size

Small

(n=37)

Large

(n=245)

Large

(n~200)

Small

(n=37)

Medium

(n=89)

Large

(n=313)

Very

large

(n~1070)

Oak Woodland Studies

Challenge

• Much focus on using ecosystem services valuation is to increase income streams. Converting intangibles to “products” as in “I want to manage for real things”; finding monetary values.

• Ranchers already manage for many ecosystem services for cultural reasons, stewardship ethic, lifestyle benefits, psychological reasons.

• What are the most powerful motivations? Does emphasizing one detract from the other? Snoo 2012: We should aim to place farmland biodiversity ‘in the hands and minds of farmers’.

Farmers involved in PES for

green practices programs in the

EU did not show increased

“environmental awareness”

Build on the existing culture

• Most want to be good stewards

• Want to enjoy their properties and work

• Enjoy relative autonomy, innovate

• Enjoy the environment

• Already pay for this

ANR Role?

• Long term outlook—multi-scaled approach

• Stewardship—appreciation for ES produced

• Protect ES people are getting out of their own

land

• Shared learning, human values, partnerships

• Prevent increased costs

• Things that increase costs to benefit society

should be paid for (Bromely, 2004)

Landscape

Ranch

Ecosystem services are provided at

multiple, interdependent scales….

Pasture