10 years later: revisiting priorities for science and society a decade after the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

Mulder, Christian; Bennett, Elena M.; Bohan, David A.; Bonkowski, Michael; Carpenter, Stephen R.; Chalmers, Rachel; Cramer, Wolfgang; Durance, Isabelle; Eisenhauer, Nico; Fontaine, Colin; Haughton, Alison J.; Hettelingh, Jean-Paul; Hines, Jes; Ibanez, Sebastien; Jeppesen, Erik; Krumins, Jennifer Adams; Ma, Athen; Mancinelli, Giorgio; Massol, Francois; McLaughlin, Orla; Naeem, Shahid; Pascual, Unai; Penuelas, Josep; Pettorelli, Nathalie; Pocock, Michael J.O. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4375-0445; Rafaelli, Dave; Rasmussen, Jes J.; Rusch, Graciela M.; Scherber, Christoph; Setala, Heikki; Sutherland, William J.; Vacher, Corinne; Voigt, Winfried; Vonk, J. Arie; Wood, Stephen A.; Woodward, Guy. 2015 10 years later: revisiting priorities for science and society a decade after the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Advances in Ecological Research, 53. 1-53. 10.1016/bs.aecr.2015.10.005

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Abstract/Summary

The study of ecological services (ESs) is fast becoming a cornerstone of mainstream ecology, largely because they provide a useful means of linking functioning to societal benefits in complex systems by connecting different organizational levels. In order to identify the main challenges facing current and future ES research, we analyzed the effects of the publication of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA, 2005) on different disciplines. Within a set of topics framed around concepts embedded within the MEA, each co-author identified five key research challenges and, where feasible, suggested possible solutions. Concepts included those related to specific service types (i.e. provisioning, supporting, regulating, cultural, aesthetic services) as well as more synthetic issues spanning the natural and social sciences, which often linked a wide range of disciplines, as was the case for the application of network theory. By merging similar responses, and removing some of the narrower suggestions from our sample pool, we distilled the key challenges into a smaller subset. We review some of the historical context to the MEA and identify some of the broader scientific and philosophical issues that still permeate discourse in this field. Finally, we consider where the greatest advances are most likely to be made in the next decade and beyond.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1016/bs.aecr.2015.10.005
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Pywell
ISBN:	9780128038857
ISSN:	0065-2504
Additional Keywords:	biodiversity, ecological networks, ecosystem functioning, human well-being, Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, research questions, science and policy, services, sustainability
NORA Subject Terms:	Ecology and Environment
Date made live:	10 Dec 2015 11:25 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/512379

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