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Methodological innovations within the RAWES framework for use in development scenarios.

Authors :
Cianchi, Ben
Everard, Mark
McInnes, Rob
Cooke, Rob
Source :
Integrated Environmental Assessment & Management; Jan2024, Vol. 20 Issue 1, p189-200, 12p
Publication Year :
2024

Abstract

Built development changes the nature of land and its ecosystems, with diverse ramifications for human well‐being and the resilience of the socioecological system. Robust and replicable approaches are required to assess ecosystem services generated by sites both predevelopment and for evaluation of postdevelopment options, to assess change and to support a paradigm shift from a "do less harm" to a "regenerative" approach. The Rapid Assessment of Wetland Ecosystem Services (RAWES) approach provides an internationally recognized methodology for systemic assessment of the ecosystem services generated by a site, taking account of all ecosystem services and service categories across multiple spatial scales. The RAWES assessments of constituent ecosystem services can be combined into Ecosystem Service Index scores. This article outlines innovations in RAWES methods to assess changes in ecosystem services likely to result from differing development scenarios in the context of a case study site in eastern England. These adaptations of the RAWES approach include revised methods for the analysis of ecosystem service beneficiaries across multiple spatial scales, the establishment of a common baseline against which to compare likely ecosystem service outcomes under a range of development scenarios, and a standardized method for accounting for supporting services through their contributions to other more directly exploited services. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;20:189–200. © 2023 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC). Key Points: Built development changes the nature of ecosystem service production and utilization both on a site and at wider geographical scales.Robust and replicable approaches are required to assess ecosystem services generated by sites both predevelopment and for evaluation of postdevelopment options.The internationally recognized RAWES methodology was adapted to assess changes in ecosystem services likely to result from differing development scenarios in the context of a case study site in eastern England.Adaptions include revised methods for the analysis of ecosystem service beneficiaries across multiple scales, the establishment of a common baseline against which to compare ecosystem service outcomes under a range of scenarios, and a standardized method for accounting for supporting services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
15513777
Volume :
20
Issue :
1
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
Integrated Environmental Assessment & Management
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
174443921
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1002/ieam.4799