From vegetation science to ecosystem services assessment

PARUELO J.M.

Pirenópolis

Simposio; 59th Symposium of the IAVS; 2016

International Asociation of Vegetation Science

The assessment of the demand and supply of ecosystem services (ES) became a major issue both at the academic and decision making level. The connection between ES access and human welfare makes its estimation relevant from a social, economical and political perspective. How did vegetation science contributed to ecosystem services assessment? Moreover, how does it may contribute in the future? In this talk I will explore the connection between the structural and functional characterization of plant communities and ecosystems and ES provision. Vegetation science provides the building blocks of "production functions" that connect the structural and functional attributes with Final ES and, ultimately, with benefits. "Impact functions" allow to evaluate how these attributes varied along gradients of anthropogenic stress of disturbances.