Decision support for the supply of ecosystem services under global change: Brazilian effort (DecisionES - BR)

Abstract

Pressure on forest ecosystems tends to increase due to socioeconomic factors and demographic trends. A growing population demands that more products be extracted from forest ecosystems. Consumption and its interaction with the drivers of global change will affect the sustainability of the supply of a wider range of ecosystem services such as protection from forest fires, water, and biodiversity. Safeguards are needed to deal with complications due to natural disturbances and consequences of climate change trends such as wildfires and droughts. New decision support models need to address these challenges. European and American experiences, with the development and application of decision support systems for the provision of ecosystem services (ES), offer a solid basis for the continuous improvement of the efficiency and effectiveness of forest management in the context of global changes. This provides a rationale for this project, which will strengthen collaborative research through active networks of staff exchange between leading European and American organizations in these areas. The main results will come from three pillars of work: (A) future landscapes and ecosystem services under the management of different regimes and scenarios of global change; (B) models and methods for integrating ecosystem planning and management and policy processes through computer-connected tools; and (C) development of a communication platform to facilitate the use of new decision support tools. (AU)