Journal Article

Integrating ecosystem-service tradeoffs into land-use decisions

Daily, Gretchen C, Goldstein, Joshua H, Caldarone, Giorgio, Duarte, Thomas Kaeo, Ennaanay, Driss, Polasky, Stephen, Mendoza, Guillermo, Hannahs, Neil, Wolny, Stacie

2012

Overview

Recent high-profile efforts have called for integrating ecosystem-service values into important societal decisions, but there are few demonstrations of this approach in practice. We quantified ecosystem-service values to help the largest private landowner in Hawaii, Kamehameha Schools, design a land-use development plan that balances multiple private and public values on its North Shore land holdings (Island of O’ahu) of ∼10,600 ha. We used the InVEST software tool to evaluate the environmental and financial implications of seven planning scenarios encompassing contrasting land-use combinations including biofuel feedstocks, food crops, forestry, livestock, and residential development. All scenarios had positive financial return relative to the status quo of negative return. However, tradeoffs existed between carbon storage and water quality as well as between environmental improvement and financial return. Based on this analysis and community input, Kamehameha Schools is implementing a plan to support diversified agriculture and forestry. This plan generates a positive financial return ($10.9 million) and improved carbon storage (0.5% increase relative to status quo) with negative relative effects on water quality (15.4% increase in potential nitrogen export relative to status quo). The effects on water quality could be mitigated partially (reduced to a 4.9% increase in potential nitrogen export) by establishing vegetation buffers on agricultural fields. This plan contributes to policy goals for climate change mitigation, food security, and diversifying rural economic opportunities. More broadly, our approach illustrates how information can help guide local land-use decisions that involve tradeoffs between private and public interests.

• Publisher: National Academy of Sciences,National Acad Sciences
• Subject: Agricultural economics / Agricultural land / Agriculture / Agriculture - economics / Agriculture - methods / Biofuels / Biofuels - economics / Biological Sciences / Carbon / Carbon - metabolism / Carbon sequestration / Climate change / Climate change mitigation / computer software / Conservation of Natural Resources / Conservation of Natural Resources - economics / Conservation of Natural Resources - methods / economics / Ecosystem / Ecosystem services / Ecosystems / Environmental Monitoring / Environmental Monitoring - economics / Environmental Monitoring - methods / feedstocks / Food crops / Food security / Food Supply / Food Supply - economics / Forestry / Forestry - economics / Forestry - methods / Geography / Hawaii / Humans / issues and policy / Land use / Land use planning / Landowners / Livestock / metabolism / methods / Nitrogen / Private land / Schools / Tradeoff analysis / Tradeoffs / vegetation / Water quality / Water Supply / Water Supply - economics