Enabling stakeholders to apply the Ecosystem Services concept in practice

WHOM?

First thoughts generally goes to developing countries, where issues about ES are usually more evident, and engagement easier

But what happens with people like you?

A general rule!

And your feelings (yes, it’s about your spirituality) can prevail over the technoscientific facts.

And so, some of you really hate ES concept

This is a MUST READ book!

Nature has an intrinsic value, it’s true!

And economic valuation is not the only way to evaluate ES

And this happen here! ECOSYSTEM SERVICES as an outlawed concept!

And they feel supported by the scientific authorities!

There are ways of tackling the problem too simple to be useful!

Conventional wisdom about political conflict will not work

Are there metrics for moral orders?

Much better try to uncover the narratives that shape moral orders Which instruments for that? Surveys, GIS, text analytics for surveys,..

But when doing that, please avoid reinventing the wheel!Need a lot of work & science to conclude that well-educated and politically liberal people are more concerned about environment?

Of course information and environmental education works!

Of course information and environmental education works!

But there is a need metrics and methods to understand their narratives

Different points of view can also construct a super-brain!

And citizen science can be a wonderful way to engage people

Ok!

But the aim of this presentation was to explain how a project about ES, (which is an exemplar -or case study- of the OPERAs project, and that has been “constructed” by the metropolitan administration of Barcelona ) can enable stakeholders to apply the ecosystem services concept.

Ok!

But the aim of this presentation was to explain how a project about ES, (which is an exemplar -or case study of the OPERAs project, and that has been “constructed” by the metropolitan administration of Barcelona ) can enable stakeholders to apply the ecosystem services concept.

And we have seen that there can be also ES concept haters!

What happens with the interface between those concepts?

What happens with the interface between those concepts?

And what about the “exemplar”?

1908

Circa 1950

Last mobile dunes 1980

1992 the first maritime promenade in Spain with dunes as central aspect of the landscape treatment

Transformations due to urbanization & modification of coastal dynamics

1950

2014

Anthropocene!

Coastal regression due to the new harbour

Mechanical sieving impedes the natural sand aeolian transport

Anthropocene!

Impact of dog excreta over marram grass & cat colonies over fauna

A trade-off

Dune relief disappearance, afforestation and no more semi-mobile dunes!

Anthropocene!

Ecosystem services as opportunities for a new way of management

Altered ecosystem but biodiversity still remaining. Still on time to react!

Nicer landscapes lead to higher price of properties!! The brandscape of the metropolitan area?

$$

Brandscape?

A wider window to cope with a complex environment

With municipalities

The Barcelona Metropolitan Administration

And the central government, with a new shore act that enables other stakeholders to make actions on coastal defence for first time

A wider window to cope with a complex environment

The promenades are intensively used throughout the year and new projects pose risks to protected areas. The Kentish plover on the verge of extinction.

So Hybrid-dune project was launched with the construction of dunes and blowouts

Construction of dunes and blowouts that can be seen on satellite imaginery

And as happens in other places along European coast, marram grass is displaced easily by other plants: so, there

is a need to improve methods.

Wind no more construct dunes, but still able to erode the constructed ones! So along with AMB we are making a

manual about urban dune construction and management

Anthropocene environment

So, there are some trade-offs

Trampling: people love to walk over bare sand and the top of the dunes.

The impact of dogs over marram grass and fauna. And stray cat colonies with a much higher impact on fauna

A difficult task

Also professional dog-walkers

So, we are working to identify groups, narratives, places, and how do evolve along the year cycle

As in other periurban open spaces, the demand of ES is huge

Working with different communication projects

Another outcome is that the beach nourishment (100.000m3 each year) does not affect the emerged

profile.The vulnerability to flood has not varied.

Even on the areas with most accretion, the risk of flooding persists.

The modification of the profile of the emerged beach could be an effective way to protect the coast and at a

cost much cheaper than the prevailing beach nourishment.

And as the national shores act has been modified and opened the window to other stakeholders and administrations to participate on coastal defence, there is a huge opportunity of governance and of ES operationalization.

So, an experience that can be applied to other urban dunes, with an improved toolbox: the Ecosystem services perspective.

Enabling stakeholders to apply the Ecosystem Services concept in practiceinfo@sgm.es

Thank you Any questions?