Ecosystem Services Framework explores the integration of nature's benefits into legal and policy mechanisms to promote conservation and sustainable development. It addresses how crucial services like clean water, pollination, and climate regulation are often overlooked in economic decisions, leading to environmental degradation. The book argues for a robust legal framework that assigns economic value and establishes clear rights and responsibilities for ecosystem protection, highlighting that assigning value can transform conservation efforts.
The book delves into compensation schemes like Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) and biodiversity offsets, scrutinizing their legal challenges, equity, and long-term effectiveness through global case studies. It also examines integrating ecosystem services into land-use planning, emphasizing ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change and sustainable resource management.
Finally, the framework explores the legal recognition of ecosystem services as property rights, addressing the complexities of defining and enforcing these rights in shared and transboundary ecosystems. The book progresses by first providing a historical and scientific context to the topic. It then moves into an analysis of compensation schemes and land-use planning policies, and concludes by exploring the legal recognition of ecosystem services as property rights. This academic approach provides a balanced analysis of the legal, economic, and ecological dimensions of ecosystem service frameworks, acknowledging debates surrounding ecosystem service valuation and potential unintended consequences.
