Assessing ecosystem services in Neotropical dry forests: a systematic review

Published in Environmental Conservation, pp. 1-10 
Authors

Calvo-Rodriguez, S., Sánchez-Azofeifa, G.A., Durán, S.M. and Espírito-Santo, M.M.

Publication year 2016
DOI https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892916000400
Affiliations

Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2E3, Alberta, Canada and Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros, Montes Claros CP 126 CEP 39401-089, Minas Gerais, Brazil

 

IAI Program

CRN3

IAI Project CRN3025
Keywords

Abstract

There is an increasing consensus on the importance of understanding ecosystem service (ES) provision in order to facilitate decision making and the sustainable management of Neotropical dry forests (NTDFs), yet research on the ESs provided by NTDFs is limited. We identified the main existing gaps and trends in the quantification of provisioning, regulating and supporting ESs in NTDFs. Systematic web-based searches showed that research has been increasing in recent decades in NTDFs, supporting greater ES knowledge and assessment. Carbon storage and biodiversity are the main subjects under study, while ESs relating to water and soil lack investigation. The most common approaches for assessing ES were fauna and plant inventories, carbon dynamics and ecological processes.