1. Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
CambridgeConservationInitiative
Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
Kelvin Peh
Research associate
Conservation Science Group

2. A ‘Cambridge Conservation Initiative’ (CCI) Project
Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
A ‘Cambridge Conservation Initiative’ (CCI) Project
University of Cambridge
BirdLife Global Secretariat
Anglia Ruskin University
RSPB
UNEP-WCMC
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3. Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
Developing a toolkit for rapid ES assessment of sites which are important for conservation, relative to an alternative (converted) state
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4. Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
Developing a toolkit for rapid ES assessment of sites which are important for conservation, relative to an alternative (converted) state
Simple assessments of the gross values of a particular service is not useful
Give policy-makers an idea of the net consequences of their decision
Difference in the extent of the service(s) in its current state versus in a plausible alternative state.
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5. Who are our target users?
Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
Who are our target users?
Site managers
Developers/planners
Conservationists/lobbyists
Co-ordinators of site networks
Site stakeholders
etc.
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6. Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
Key challenges
Can we collect data which is meaningful at site level and which has broader power with policy-makers?
Must be appropriate for use by non-experts including those in developing countries with minimal resources
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7. Key challenges Which services to measure?
Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
Key challenges
Which services to measure?
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8. Project approach April 2010 – Start date May 2010 – Expert workshop
Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
Project approach
April 2010 – Start date
May 2010 – Expert workshop
Expert workshop – develop draft methods for rapid ES assessment at sites
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9. Project approach Expert workshop – 29 experts
Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
Project approach
Expert workshop – 29 experts
Anglia Ruskin University
Bird Conservation Nepal
BirdLife International
CEH
Cranfield University
Kings College of London
RSPB
UNEP-WCMC
University College of London
University of East Anglia
University of Leeds
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10. Project approach Initial focus on: Climate change mitigation
Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
Project approach
Initial focus on:
Climate change mitigation
Water services
Use of wild goods
Nature-based tourism
Cultivated goods
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11. Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
Project approach
Fieldwork – pilot & develop methods at 3 case study sites
Asia – Nepal
Caribbean – Montserrat
Europe - UK
Site chosen –
Pre-existence of at least partial ES assessments
Represent an array of habit types
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12. Field site CambridgeConservationInitiative
Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
Field site
Shivapuri-Nagarjun National Park, Nepal
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13. Centre Hills, Montserrat
Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
Field sites
Shivapuri-Nagarjun National Park, Nepal
Centre Hills, Montserrat
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14. Centre Hills, Montserrat
Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
Field sites
Shivapuri-Nagarjun National Park, Nepal
Centre Hills, Montserrat
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15. Project approach End product – User-oriented manual
Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
Project approach
End product – User-oriented manual
Provide simple, replicable guidelines on how to identify & collect simple data on important services
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16. Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
Measuring and monitoring ecosystem services at the site scale: a practical toolkit
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17. CambridgeConservationInitiative
Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
Identify relevant habitats & estimate area
Follow guidelines to
obtain data for both states
Cultivated goods
Harvested wild
goods
Hydrological
Climate change mitigation
Tourism &
recreation
Decide how to analyse & present data
Produce maps, tables, graphs & reports
Introduction to ES
Select relevant services for current and the alternative states
Advocacy & awareness
Decide on
alternative land cover
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18. Section 1: Introduction
Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
Section 1: Introduction
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19. Section 1: Introduction
Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
Section 1: Introduction
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20. Section 2: Identifying relevant habitats and ES
Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
Section 2: Identifying relevant habitats and ES
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21. Section 2: Identifying relevant habitats and ESs
Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
Section 2: Identifying relevant habitats and ESs
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22. Ecosystem services Section 3: Climate change mitigation
Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
Ecosystem services
Section 3: Climate change mitigation
carbon (stock, sequestration, loss); carbon dioxide flux; methane flux; nitrous oxide flux
Section 4: Water
hillslope hydrological services; wetland hydrological services (flood protection, water provision/regulation, water quality improvement)
Section 5: Harvested wild goods
Section 6: Nature-based tourism
Section 7: Cultivated goods
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23. Technique: Field measurement
Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
Technique: Field measurement
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24. Technique: Using look-up tables
Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
Technique: Using look-up tables
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25. Technique: Simple web-based modelling
Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
Technique: Simple web-based modelling
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26. Technique: Individual questionnaire
Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
Technique: Individual questionnaire
Name of product
Name/number of respondent
Date
Location/name of village
Are the questions being answered per individual or household?
Individual
Household
Quantity and value of product
Total quantity collected from the site in last 12 months 
Unit 
Percentage for own use %
Percentage sold/ bartered
Average price obtained per unit* 
Gross value (a x e)
Family labour
Annual time taken by respondent and family members (unpaid) to harvest and process the product (state units – e.g. days)
Daily wage rate that these family members could earn doing alternative work on days spent harvesting/processing
Annual cost of family labour (g x h)
Hired labour
Annual input of hired labour for harvesting and processing (state units, e.g. days)
Daily wage rate of hired labour
Annual cost of hired labour (j x k)
Other costs
Annual cost of tools or material needed for harvesting and processing (purchase, repair, maintenance)
Annual transport/marketing costs
Total costs
Total costs of harvesting, processing and marketing (i + l + m + n) 
Net income (f – o)
* If the individual respondent does not sell the product they gather, but others do, then apply the average price recorded from other respondents.
Reliability of respondent/other notes
Wild Harvested Good – Individual/Household Questionnaire
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27. Results: Carbon storage (Shivapuri, Nepal)
Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
Results: Carbon storage (Shivapuri, Nepal)
Total carbon storage in the Park is 2.9 million tonnes compared to 1.4 million tonnes in the alternative state
Economic value of carbon based on social costs1 of $50 tC is $145.5 million ($74.2 million more than in alternative state)
1Tol (2010) The economic impact of climate change, Perspectiven der Wirtschaftspolitik 99(s1): 13-37
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28. Results: Water provision (Shivapuri, Nepal)
Building a practical toolkit for measuring ecosystem services
Results: Water provision (Shivapuri, Nepal)
Legends: Black – actual water produced from Shivapuri; Red – current use of water from Shivapuri; Blue –modelled land-use change scenario with 100 % bare ground.
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29. Conservation Science Group
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THANK YOU
Kelvin Peh
Research associate
Conservation Science Group