TESSA: A toolkit for rapid assessment of ecosystem services at sites of biodiversity conservation importance

Kelvin S H Peh; Andrew Balmford; Richard B. Bradbury; Claire Brown; Stuart H M Butchart; Francine M R Hughes; Alison Stattersfield; David H L Thomas; Matt Walpole; Julian Bayliss; David Gowing; Julia P G Jones; Simon L. Lewis; Mark Mulligan; Bhopal Pandeya; Charlie Stratford; Julian R. Thompson; Kerry Turner; Bhaskar Vira; Simon Willcock; Jennifer C. Birch

doi:10.1016/j.ecoser.2013.06.003

TESSA: A toolkit for rapid assessment of ecosystem services at sites of biodiversity conservation importance

Kelvin S H Peh^*, Andrew Balmford, Richard B. Bradbury, Claire Brown, Stuart H M Butchart, Francine M R Hughes, Alison Stattersfield, David H L Thomas, Matt Walpole, Julian Bayliss, David Gowing, Julia P G Jones, Simon L. Lewis, Mark Mulligan, Bhopal Pandeya, Charlie Stratford, Julian R. Thompson, Kerry Turner, Bhaskar Vira, Simon WillcockJennifer C. Birch

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

156 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Sites that are important for biodiversity conservation can also provide significant benefits (i.e. ecosystem services) to people. Decision-makers need to know how change to a site, whether development or restoration, would affect the delivery of services and the distribution of any benefits among stakeholders. However, there are relatively few empirical studies that present this information. One reason is the lack of appropriate methods and tools for ecosystem service assessment that do not require substantial resources or specialist technical knowledge, or rely heavily upon existing data. Here we address this gap by describing the Toolkit for Ecosystem Service Site-based Assessment (TESSA). It guides local non-specialists through a selection of relatively accessible methods for identifying which ecosystem services may be important at a site, and for evaluating the magnitude of benefits that people obtain from them currently, compared with those expected under alternative land-uses. The toolkit recommends use of existing data where appropriate and places emphasis on enabling users to collect new field data at relatively low cost and effort. By using TESSA, the users could also gain valuable information about the alternative land-uses; and data collected in the field could be incorporated into regular monitoring programmes.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	51-57
Number of pages	7
Journal	Ecosystem Services
Volume	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2013.06.003
Publication status	Published - Sept 2013

Keywords

Climate regulation
Cultivated goods
Ecosystem-service tools
Harvested wild goods
Nature-based recreation
Water-related services

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1016/j.ecoser.2013.06.003

Cite this

Peh, K. S. H., Balmford, A., Bradbury, R. B., Brown, C., Butchart, S. H. M., Hughes, F. M. R., Stattersfield, A., Thomas, D. H. L., Walpole, M., Bayliss, J., Gowing, D., Jones, J. P. G., Lewis, S. L., Mulligan, M., Pandeya, B., Stratford, C., Thompson, J. R., Turner, K., Vira, B., ... Birch, J. C. (2013). TESSA: A toolkit for rapid assessment of ecosystem services at sites of biodiversity conservation importance. Ecosystem Services, 5, 51-57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2013.06.003

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title = "TESSA: A toolkit for rapid assessment of ecosystem services at sites of biodiversity conservation importance",

abstract = "Sites that are important for biodiversity conservation can also provide significant benefits (i.e. ecosystem services) to people. Decision-makers need to know how change to a site, whether development or restoration, would affect the delivery of services and the distribution of any benefits among stakeholders. However, there are relatively few empirical studies that present this information. One reason is the lack of appropriate methods and tools for ecosystem service assessment that do not require substantial resources or specialist technical knowledge, or rely heavily upon existing data. Here we address this gap by describing the Toolkit for Ecosystem Service Site-based Assessment (TESSA). It guides local non-specialists through a selection of relatively accessible methods for identifying which ecosystem services may be important at a site, and for evaluating the magnitude of benefits that people obtain from them currently, compared with those expected under alternative land-uses. The toolkit recommends use of existing data where appropriate and places emphasis on enabling users to collect new field data at relatively low cost and effort. By using TESSA, the users could also gain valuable information about the alternative land-uses; and data collected in the field could be incorporated into regular monitoring programmes.",

keywords = "Climate regulation, Cultivated goods, Ecosystem-service tools, Harvested wild goods, Nature-based recreation, Water-related services",

author = "Peh, {Kelvin S H} and Andrew Balmford and Bradbury, {Richard B.} and Claire Brown and Butchart, {Stuart H M} and Hughes, {Francine M R} and Alison Stattersfield and Thomas, {David H L} and Matt Walpole and Julian Bayliss and David Gowing and Jones, {Julia P G} and Lewis, {Simon L.} and Mark Mulligan and Bhopal Pandeya and Charlie Stratford and Thompson, {Julian R.} and Kerry Turner and Bhaskar Vira and Simon Willcock and Birch, {Jennifer C.}",

year = "2013",

month = sep,

doi = "10.1016/j.ecoser.2013.06.003",

language = "English",

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Peh, KSH, Balmford, A, Bradbury, RB, Brown, C, Butchart, SHM, Hughes, FMR, Stattersfield, A, Thomas, DHL, Walpole, M, Bayliss, J, Gowing, D, Jones, JPG, Lewis, SL, Mulligan, M , Pandeya, B, Stratford, C, Thompson, JR, Turner, K, Vira, B, Willcock, S & Birch, JC 2013, 'TESSA: A toolkit for rapid assessment of ecosystem services at sites of biodiversity conservation importance', Ecosystem Services, vol. 5, pp. 51-57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2013.06.003

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T2 - A toolkit for rapid assessment of ecosystem services at sites of biodiversity conservation importance

AU - Peh, Kelvin S H

AU - Balmford, Andrew

AU - Bradbury, Richard B.

AU - Brown, Claire

AU - Butchart, Stuart H M

AU - Hughes, Francine M R

AU - Stattersfield, Alison

AU - Thomas, David H L

AU - Walpole, Matt

AU - Bayliss, Julian

AU - Gowing, David

AU - Jones, Julia P G

AU - Lewis, Simon L.

AU - Mulligan, Mark

AU - Pandeya, Bhopal

AU - Stratford, Charlie

AU - Thompson, Julian R.

AU - Turner, Kerry

AU - Vira, Bhaskar

AU - Willcock, Simon

AU - Birch, Jennifer C.

PY - 2013/9

Y1 - 2013/9

N2 - Sites that are important for biodiversity conservation can also provide significant benefits (i.e. ecosystem services) to people. Decision-makers need to know how change to a site, whether development or restoration, would affect the delivery of services and the distribution of any benefits among stakeholders. However, there are relatively few empirical studies that present this information. One reason is the lack of appropriate methods and tools for ecosystem service assessment that do not require substantial resources or specialist technical knowledge, or rely heavily upon existing data. Here we address this gap by describing the Toolkit for Ecosystem Service Site-based Assessment (TESSA). It guides local non-specialists through a selection of relatively accessible methods for identifying which ecosystem services may be important at a site, and for evaluating the magnitude of benefits that people obtain from them currently, compared with those expected under alternative land-uses. The toolkit recommends use of existing data where appropriate and places emphasis on enabling users to collect new field data at relatively low cost and effort. By using TESSA, the users could also gain valuable information about the alternative land-uses; and data collected in the field could be incorporated into regular monitoring programmes.

AB - Sites that are important for biodiversity conservation can also provide significant benefits (i.e. ecosystem services) to people. Decision-makers need to know how change to a site, whether development or restoration, would affect the delivery of services and the distribution of any benefits among stakeholders. However, there are relatively few empirical studies that present this information. One reason is the lack of appropriate methods and tools for ecosystem service assessment that do not require substantial resources or specialist technical knowledge, or rely heavily upon existing data. Here we address this gap by describing the Toolkit for Ecosystem Service Site-based Assessment (TESSA). It guides local non-specialists through a selection of relatively accessible methods for identifying which ecosystem services may be important at a site, and for evaluating the magnitude of benefits that people obtain from them currently, compared with those expected under alternative land-uses. The toolkit recommends use of existing data where appropriate and places emphasis on enabling users to collect new field data at relatively low cost and effort. By using TESSA, the users could also gain valuable information about the alternative land-uses; and data collected in the field could be incorporated into regular monitoring programmes.

KW - Climate regulation

KW - Cultivated goods

KW - Ecosystem-service tools

KW - Harvested wild goods

KW - Nature-based recreation

KW - Water-related services

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U2 - 10.1016/j.ecoser.2013.06.003

DO - 10.1016/j.ecoser.2013.06.003

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84884592743

SN - 2212-0416

VL - 5

SP - 51

EP - 57

JO - Ecosystem Services

JF - Ecosystem Services

ER -

TESSA: A toolkit for rapid assessment of ecosystem services at sites of biodiversity conservation importance

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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