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The analysis of vulnerability of socio-ecological systems to threats of different types such as extreme climate events or change in land use draws attention to the factors and processes that determine whether the ecological, social and integrated socio-ecological systems are likely to experience harm due to exposure to the threat. During the last years there has been an increasing attention to the analysis of the vulnerability of socio-ecological systems when facing the lost or degradation of ecosystem services. However, despite the existence of conceptual frameworks and empirical applications to evaluate vulnerability of socio-ecological systems some open questions and challenges still remain. How to conceptually differentiate key concepts such as sensitivity, exposition, vulnerability and threat? How to consider the differences in socio-economic characteristics of the beneficiaries and in their capacity to adapt to new conditions of the ecological system? How to link ecological vulnerability with the social system analysis to obtain an integrated risk assessment of the socio-ecological system? This paper presents a conceptual framework for vulnerability assessment of socio-ecological systems that addresses the mentioned open questions based on a review of both theoretical and empirical literature related to vulnerability and socio-ecological systems. The paper identifies the attributes and indicators of the dimensions of vulnerability for understanding both the social vulnerability and ecological vulnerability separately and then jointly, in interaction with each other. The framework offers a way to communicate with practitioners and policy makers on identifying and improving the factors that reduce vulnerability. It can thus serve as a tool for targeting the implementation of policies and practices aimed at reducing vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • The provision of multiple ecosystem services (ES) is analyzed using a sustainability perspective. • The sustainability of the patterns of multiple ES in the Venice lagoon has been explored. • Two aggregated indicators have been identified that reflect the unsustainability of ES provision. • A sustainability-driven analysis of ES can be applied in order to improve the Water Framework Directive implementation. • The analysis suggests the adoption of different management trajectories in confined and not-confined water bodies. Abstract The multiple ecosystem services (ES) co-produced by social-ecological systems include ES directly resulting from ecosystem functioning, and ES mediated by human activities, which can have negative effects on the system and on the ES provided. As a result, different patterns of multiple ES delivery can be characterized by sustainable or unsustainable trends over time, depending on the interactions occurring among ES. In this paper, a sustainability perspective was used for the identification of desirable and undesirable ES delivery patterns in the water bodies of the Venice lagoon (Italy). A set of 13 ES was quantitatively mapped for the lagoon's water bodies, and the trends of the ES provided by each water body have been explored through a modeling application. Two aggregated indicators, MED/DIR and PRESS/DIR, calculated based on the mapping outcomes, were found to be strongly associated with the modeled trends, and thus provide a synthetic indication of the potential (un)sustainability of the current ES provision. This sustainability-driven analysis paves the way for an operationalization of the ES concept in the context of the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC). Based on the analysis of the relationships between multiple ES and ecological status, we suggest that ES could play a role in the selection of the biological quality elements, by prioritizing the metrics that are positively associated with the sustainable ES patterns. Adopting a perspective focused on sustainability, the ES concept can be used to define management trajectories that aim to reach the WFD targets through the management of unsustainable ES patterns, in the context of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial configuration of urban environments and its impact on local and global ecological functions were the subject of recent urban ecosystem service (UES) research projects. The outcomes of these projects with respect to the data they used, however, mainly consisted of two dimensions (2D). Studies that assess aspects of the third dimension (3D) of UES – such as height, volume and shadowing effects – were absent. The objective of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of the local ecological functions based on knowledge of three-dimensional UES. 298 articles were selected for in-depth critical analyses. The technical and computational approaches for extracting urban 3D structures and 3D structures of vegetation were the focus of the reviewed literature. Authors’ affiliations would be a better indicator for assessing the spatial distribution of articles. Uneven distribution of knowledge among countries is related to the technical and scientific advancement of countries. There was a shift in the sub-theme of reviewed publications discussing the concept of ecosystem services in the first few years, while later researchers’ interests moved towards UES and adaptation of cities to the changing climate. Further studies should progress in the development of both 3D data and results. Implementing 3D data and results helps to better understand the coupling of humans and their environs. It will be then a critically important step toward developing ecologically friendly cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Visualization and quantitative analysis of the global ecological carbon sinks and sources. • Enhance the prediction of carbon sequestration dynamics under climate change. • Climate change potentially affecting the carbon-climate feedback. • Research content is becoming clearer and more systematic. • Keyword clustering the classification of the research into six relatively independent subtopics. Climate change is extensively affecting the global ecosystem, especially the ecosystem carbon sequestration and sequestration potential, which are issues of global concern. The proposed concept of "carbon neutrality" in 2020 has brought ecological carbon sequestration to the forefront. Therefore, the research on climate change and ecosystem carbon sequestration need to be systematically reviewed, summarized, and examined. Based on the Web of Science database, this paper analyzed 4005 articles (1992–2022 year) after rigorous screening via a bibliometrics analysis and then presented the research trends and future research focus of ecological carbon sequestration. The following conclusions are drawn: (1) the research over the last 30 years has steadily improved, and the annual number of publications has increased in a cubic polynomial fashion (R 2 = 0.9937), with 87.57 % of the total publications appearing after 2009. Global Change Biology and Science of the Total Environment are the most influential journals in the field; (2) participation in such research is becoming increasingly common with expanding research areas covering Eurasia, America, Oceania, and Africa. The United States and China are the most productive and influential countries; (3) the diversity of this research is increasing, and the research content is becoming more explicit and systematic. Most research focuses on climate change, carbon sequestration, management, land-use changes, and nitrogen and soil organic carbon; (4) although traditional ecological evaluation techniques were essential early on, remote sensing and modeling have become the primary methods for assessment; (5) keyword clustering allows the classification of the research into six relatively independent subtopics: climate change and terrestrial ecosystems, sequestration and organic-carbon, ecosystem services, nitrogen and carbon cycling, biomass and forest, and blue carbon, which provides a reference for further research on ecological carbon sequestration and carbon neutrality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring changes in the terrestrial carbon cycle and vegetation health can only be undertaken over large areas and on a regular basis using ecological indicators derived from satellite-based sensors. Climate conditions in Mediterranean ecosystems have undergone, and are projected to undergo, significant change in the future with marked impacts on forest and shrubland vegetation. In the southwest of Australia (SWAU), endemic tree species have experienced significant declines in health and mortality since the early 1990s primarily due to these climatic changes. In this paper we examine trends in Net Primary Production (NPP) from 2000 to 2011 as an indicator of productivity and health condition of the woody vegetation across the SWAU region. To do so, we examine NPP estimates derived from satellite imagery and climate data to answer the questions: (1) what is the extent and rate of change in NPP for the SWAU region over the study period, and (2) how important is fire as a contributing factor in the observed trends? Our results suggest that, similar to the global trend in Mediterranean ecosystems, between 2000 and 2011, overall NPP declined across the study region, with the majority of declines occurring in the ecological transition zone between trees and shrubs. Twenty-six percent of the 37,042 square kilometre of woody vegetation that showed a declining NPP trend, was affected by fire. The overall rate of NPP decline for the region was estimated to be −0.38 megaton C per year since 2000, indicating a reduction in the capacity of the region to act as a carbon sink. Under climate change projections, the observed decline trends are likely to continue and our results suggest that the carbon storage potential in this region is gradually decreasing following an ecological shift from tall tree-dominated to lower shrub-dominated vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We analyse the research progress of ecosystem service cascade in recent ten years. • We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different ecosystem service research frameworks. • We look forward to the future development of ecosystem service cascade. Ecosystem service cascade (ESC) links each component of ecosystem services with social value, building an interdisciplinary research bridge between natural science and social science, which can help decision-makers better integrate the concept of ecosystem services into decision-making. This paper combed the content of the concept of ecosystem services cascade effect, reviewed the research progress of the cascade effect found: ESC due to its structure feature and flexibility, can help researchers to more fully understand the concept of ecosystem services to promote interdisciplinary communication, constantly adjust the structure of the ESC and scope in order to improve the applicability of the model in different research. ESC is widely used in ecosystem service mapping and regional policy regulation. Through literature review, We get the following understanding ①The purpose of research often determines the definition of services and policy preferences, a clear definition of the system will improve the applicability of the ESC framework. ②Assess the wishes and connections of stakeholders and quantify the forms of human participation and impact on each component in the cascade framework, clarify the development characteristics and driving mechanism of Human -Natural relationship, identify the feedback process and quantify the positive and negative feedback cycle.③Quantitatively simulate the impact and regulation of climate change and socio-economic development on regional development under different regional development scenarios. Construct the optimization index system of ESC components to provide schemes and Countermeasures for regional sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Upland waters are located upstream of the areas of direct human disturbance and intensive land use through industry, agriculture and urbanisation and are valued particularly as sources of potable water and as biodiverse freshwater habitats. Nonetheless, the impact of human activity can be detected even in some of the most remote lakes on the planet due to the effects of long-range transport of air pollutants and global climate change. In the UK, upland waters are threatened by a range of pressures including not only atmospheric deposition of acidic compounds, trace metals and organic pollutants, but also climate change, nutrient enrichment by deposited nitrogen and changing land-use or land management regimes. The threat from acid deposition has declined sharply since the 1980s but its legacy remains a major concern; recovery is taking place but even assuming a complete chemical and biological recovery to a pre-industrial baseline were possible, dynamic models suggest that this could take another 100 years. However, current climate change projections suggest that by then, UK upland waters will become much warmer, with lower summer streamflows, higher winter streamflows and a much reduced or even absent influence of snowfall and lake ice-cover. Hence there is no rationale for aspiring to the return of pre-industrial “reference” conditions because climate change is likely to shift the climatic baseline at an unprecedented rate. Meanwhile, expansion of forest planting, changing grazing regimes and management measures for peatland restoration, among other land-use pressure, will affect upland catchments in the UK with potentially major repercussions for aquatic ecosystems, both positive and negative. The challenge for scientists, policymakers and other stakeholders in the uplands is to determine not only the trajectory of change in upland waters, but also to define the ecological endpoints needed to provide the optimum range of ecosystem services for society. Integrated monitoring of the kind exemplified by the papers in this volume is a fundamental prerequisite in this regard. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • Transfers of wetland cover types lead to indirect impacts on water conservation. • Climate change is a dominant and direct factor impacting wetland water conservation. • The Dongting and Poyang Lake wetlands exhibited different evolution patterns of water conservation. • The InVEST model is applicable for quantitatively evaluating lake wetland water conversation. Water conservation is the core wetland ecological function. The pattern of water conservation in geography often exhibits local spatial heterogeneity. In this paper, the Dongting Lake (DT) and Poyang Lake (PY) wetlands were taken as research objects, and the water yield (WY) module of the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) model was used to spatially quantify water conservation, with the aim of revealing the differences in water conservation in homogeneous wetlands. We observed spatio-temporal changes in the WY over six periods from 1998 to 2018 and used multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and the system cluster method to explore the patterns and driving factors of water conservation in the DT and PY wetlands. The research results were as follows: (1) the WY in the two wetlands showed declining trends, but the trend in the DT wetland was more obvious. (2) Water conservation in the PY wetland exhibited a more sensitive response to climate than water conservation in the DT wetland. (3) From the perspective of the WY level, the PY wetland was generally high, while the DT wetland was generally low. (4) Climate change was the main contributor to and direct driving factor of water production, while wetland changes and socio-economic factors were indirect driving factors. (5) The effect of wetland cover changes on the WY showed significant differences among wetland cover types, indicating that the drivers of the WY changes had a clear relationship with landscape changes and transfers in wetland cover types. (6) The InVEST model was applicable for evaluating lake wetland water conservation. In summary, paying more attention to the differences in the changes in heterogeneous and homogenous regions can help us understand the factors that impact water conservation. Additionally, rational adjustment of indirect driving forces is conducive to ecological safety management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]