Relevant and resonant conservation: Frameworks to connect ecological and socio-economic indicators

Session: Linking Human Well-being, Quality of Life, and Ecosystem Services to Conservation Efforts (1)

Mauri Liberati, The Nature Conservancy, [email protected]
Douglas R Pearsall, The Nature Conservancy, [email protected]

Abstract

There is a growing interest in the Great Lakes region to better integrate socio-economic considerations into environmental decision-making. Tracking ecological outcomes from environmental projects is becoming a standard practice, but the co-benefits or co-management of social and economic outcomes are rarely considered. Ecosystem services provide a useful conceptual framework for natural resource managers to better connect their environmental decisions to people, however the ecosystem services framework and associated indicators do not always resonate with stakeholders. We will describe how ecosystem services can be cross-walked with other conceptual frameworks (i.e., human well-being and quality of life) as well as economic valuation approaches. By broadening the conceptual frameworks for conservation, we are more likely to identify indicators that are relevant to and resonate with stakeholders, enabling a more compelling linkage between stakeholders and the environment. These indicators need to be anchored in the socio-economic realm but have clear connections to management actions and the environmental outcomes that are motivating the work. We believe that integrating ecosystem services, human well-being, and economic valuation frameworks will reveal complementary sets of ecological and socio-economic indicators that resonate with key audiences and inform management practices that better balance the needs of nature and people.

Twitter handle of presenter
@MRLiberati