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ARS Home » Plains Area » Las Cruces, New Mexico » Range Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #314214
Title: Rangeland ecosystem services: shifting focus from supply to reconciling supply and demand

Author
item YAHDJIAN, LAURA - Universidad De Buenos Aires
item SALA, OSVALDO - Arizona State University
item Havstad, Kris

Submitted to: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/2/2014
Publication Date: 2/2/2015
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/60335
Citation: Yahdjian, L., Sala, O., Havstad, K.M. 2015. Rangeland ecosystem services: shifting focus from supply to reconciling supply and demand. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 13:44-51.

Interpretive Summary: Ecosystem services have been extensively studied in terms of their production, spatial extent, and valuation. Human reliance on ecosystem services is a function of the capacity of ecosystems to supply these services and the societal demand for these benefits. Considerably more attention has been placed on the supply of services compared with their demand. Sustainable land management depends on reconciling supply of and demand for ecosystem services among different stakeholders. The emphasis is now shifting from the supply to the attaining of a balance between supply and demand. Here we illustrate the demand for rangeland ecosystem services, describe current changes in societal demand, and present a specific provisioning service to exempify the dynamic nature of reconciling ecosystem service supply and demand.

Technical Abstract: Ecosystem services have been extensively studied in terms of their production, spatial extent, and valuation. Human reliance on ecosystem services is a function of the capacity of ecosystems to supply these services and the societal demand for these benefits. Considerably more attention has been placed on the supply of services compared with their demand. Sustainable land management depends on reconciling supply of and demand for ecosystem services among different stakeholders. The emphasis is now shifting from the supply to the attaining of a balance between supply and demand. Here we illustrate the demand for rangeland ecosystem services, describe current changes in societal demand, and present a specific provisioning service to exempify the dynamic nature of reconciling ecosystem service supply and demand.