07 Oct 2024,
We are thrilled to share the exciting news of our first scientific paper publication: Valuation of Soil-Mediated Contributions to People (SmCPs) – A Systematic Review of Values and Methods.
This new study published in the journal Ecosystems and People explores how soils contribute to human well-being, highlighting both monetary and non-monetary approaches to valuing these vital contributions. The study, conducted by researchers at the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) and the University of Potsdam, is the first to systematically review the literature on the valuation of soil-mediated ecosystem services.
The study reviewed over 200 publications on the valuation of soil-mediated ecosystem services. The researchers found that a wide range of ecosystem services has been valued, including food production, climate regulation, and water purification. The study also found that a variety of methods have been used to value these services, including both monetary and non-monetary approaches.
Special congratulations to Dr. Daniel Johnson, Katja Schmidt, Alexandra Dehnhardt, and Lena Chowdhury for their dedication to this meaningful work! Their study aims mainly at raising awareness of the importance of soil-mediated ecosystem services. Thus, we hope that the study will encourage more research on the valuation of these services.
ABSTRACT
Soils have the capacity to contribute to human wellbeing through a variety of pathways.Preserving these contributions in light of human and climate-induced changes requiresconsideration of the numerous benefits – both in research and policy-making. Previousresearch has demonstrated how the benefits can be recognized through valuation, buta comprehensive understanding of how different types of valuation of soil-mediated con-tributions to people (SmCPs) are incorporated across various contexts is missing. Under theframework of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and EcosystemServices (IPBES), the current study undertook a systematic review of the literature to identifyknowledge gaps and future research agendas in understanding the value of SmCPs to people.We analyse the frequency of methods, data and actors included in the studies as well as theconsideration of drivers and quality of life categories linked to the valuation of SmCPs.Although the majority of studies were solely concerned with either monetary or non-monetary valuation approaches, several studies acknowledged the limitations of pure eco-nomic valuation and attempted an integrated valuation of both non-monetary and monetaryapproaches. Despite these efforts, there is further potential for fully integrating both mone-tary and non-monetary valuation methods to encompass a more comprehensive valuationapproach through interdisciplinary approaches.
Read the full article to discover how these findings are shaping the future of soil science and ecosystem services : https://lnkd.in/ezydpcwQ.
Thank you to everyone involved in making this first publication a reality!