New reference book in water ecosystem services

"By presenting new insights and perspectives on how to shape future strategies, the book is meant to be a reference for researchers, academics, students and policy makers.

The potential of ecosystem services-based approaches for sustainable water resource management has been highlighted in a new book co-edited by researchers from the James Hutton Institute and UNESCO. The book is published by Cambridge University Press and includes contributions from renowned scholars and practitioners from across the world.

The publication, titled “Water Ecosystem Services: A Global Perspective”, describes how ecosystem services-based approaches can assist in addressing major global and regional water challenges, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and water security in the developing world, by integrating scientific knowledge from different disciplines, such as hydrological modelling, environmental economics, psychology and international law.

In the book, empirical assessments at the national, catchment and regional levels are used to critically appraise ecosystems services-based approaches, and its merits and potential limitations are also presented. The practicalities of this approach with regard to water resources management, nature conservation, and sustainable business practices are discussed, and the role of society in underpinning the concept of ecosystem services is explored.

By presenting new insights and perspectives on how to shape future strategies, the book is meant to be a reference for researchers, academics, students and policy makers, in environmental studies, hydrology, water resource management, ecology, environmental law, policy and economics, and conservation biology.

Dr Julia Martin-Ortega, senior environmental economist at the James Hutton Institute and lead editor of the book, said:

“The idea of this book emerged from the recognition that, ten years after the popularisation of the concept of ecosystem services following the release of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, it was necessary to take a step back into what it has brought to academia and water management practice, and a look forward as to where it might take us into the future.”

The book was presented at a special session of the recent World Water Congress in Edinburgh, and is available from Cambridge University Press. See the book flyer for more information.