AUTHORS: Stephanie Tomscha, Centre for Biodiversity and Restoration Ecology, Victoria University of Wellington*, Sarah Gergel, Department of Forest and Conservation Science, University of British Columbia
ABSTRACT: Trade-offs among ecosystem services result from both the biophysical and social components of landscapes. While most research on ecosystem service trade-offs has focused on their biophysical locations, the spatial dynamics of people and their use of ecosystem services use can provide important insights into the causes and consequences of ecosystem service trade-offs. Participatory mapping is particularly key for understanding trade-offs at the terrestrial-aquatic interface as many ecological characteristics are less detectible using terrestrial mapping techniques. Exploring wetland, floodplain, and riverine ecosystem services in case studies in New Zealand and Canada, we ask three main questions to better understand the biophysical and social facets of ecosystem service trade-offs: (1) Where are important locations of biophysical trade-offs among ecosystem services? (2) Where do activities of different user groups, such as restoration and recreation, overlap across the landscape? and (3) How can this information be linked to biophysical models to inform our understanding of ecosystem service dynamics? We demonstrate the importance of paired biophysical and participatory mapping approaches in two distinct case study sites by tracking gains in ecosystem services and positive relationships among stakeholders, as well as by exploring the consequences of problematic ecosystem services trade-offs and their links to user-group conflict. We aim to produce management strategies that build social capital and encourage win-win strategies for ecosystem service restoration.