Department Environmental Social Sciences

Ecosystem services are important as they describe the value of nature and thus help supporting its conservation. The most popular definition by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA 2005) is: “the benefits that people obtain from ecosystems”.

Human activities have led to the unprecedented impairment of ecosystems and their services. A number of outstanding problems concern services provided by aquatic ecosystems, including “the dire state of many of the world’s fish stocks; the vulnerability of the two billion people living in dry regions to the loss of (…) water supply; and the growing threat to ecosystems from climate change and nutrient pollution” (MEA 2005). More generally, aquatic ecosystems such as lakes, rivers or swamps provide supporting services (e.g. biodiversity or nutrient cycling), provisioning services (e.g. food such as fish or the provision of fresh water), regulating services (e.g. hydrological regimes, pollution control, or detoxification), and cultural services (e.g. spiritual or recreational; MEA 2005).

Whereas the understanding of the threats to ecosystems and the ecological benefits of conservation efforts are typically natural scientific questions, finding a balance between human activities and the protection of water resources and aquatic species is ultimately a societal problem. A social scientific approach to this issue is thus crucial.

Three core topics concerning the management and the provision of services from aquatic ecosystems, which are related to current hot topics on the political agenda, are dealt with at ESS:

Energy and hydropower production: The Swiss Energy Strategy 2050 foresees an increase in hydropower production due to the phase out of nuclear power. Related research questions include:

• What are the trade-offs between constructing new hydropower plants and their environmental impacts?
• What is the risk perception and willingness to pay of the Swiss population to mitigate negative ecological effects of hydropower expansion?
• What are regulations or coalitions around the prioritization of small hydropower plants?

River management: In Switzerland, around 4’000 km of rivers will be rehabilitated until 2090, resulting in conflicts about different ecosystem services between different stakeholders. Some of the associated research questions are:

• What governance arrangement suits best for the joint management of ecosystem services in a river basin?
• What is the population’s perception of and willingness to pay for rehabilitation?

• How can decisions, e.g. concerning the prioritization of river restoration projects or monitoring activities be supported?

Conservation and biodiversity: Recently, the Swiss government elaborated a Biodiversity Strategy and related Action Plan. Among other elements, fostering biodiversity implies the conservation of near-natural aquatic habitats. Research at ESS deals with the following questions:

• What are the economic values of ecosystem services provided by near-natural (versus impaired) rivers or lakes?
• Which policy measures can help preserve near-natural ecosystems?
• Invasive aquatic species are a serious threat to native species and their habitats.
• Which ecosystem services are provided by native aquatic species, how are they valued by stakeholders, and how can we effectively manage invasive species?