Utrecht Academy of Ecosystem Services reinforces knowledge exchange and valorisation

Ecology and economy are often seen as interests that are opposed to one another. But that is not the case, argues Prof. René Boot, chairman of the Utrecht Academy of Ecosystem Services and Director of Tropenbos International. This unique collaborative effort by four societal organisations, three research groups and two special chairs at Utrecht University will combine research, education and valorisation into the functions and value of natural ecosystems. “Up to now, we have increased our prosperity by giving up parts of nature. But we have reached the limit. If we do not take into consideration the services that ecosystems provide, then we will start to lose that prosperity”, according to Boot.

The concept of Ecosystem Services has been used for approximately 30 years to describe the services that nature provides to our society. These are often more numerous than people realise. Boot offers the example of forests, which provide wood and other valuable materials, store CO2, play a role in controlling water levels in the area and offer a home to a rich biodiversity that makes adjacent agricultural lands more resilient to diseases and plagues . “Researchers in the field of Ecosystem Services try to gain insight in the value and importance of the ecosystems that provide these services, because it can help convince people of the importance of conserving these ecosystems. Politicians have already begun speaking of ecosystems as ‘natural capital’.”

Complex interplay

Ecosystems are formed by a complex interplay of living organisms - including people - and their living environment. “That is a complex system with a large number of mutual interdependencies. So it is important to work with researchers from a variety of disciplines and to share knowledge with organisations that work for the conservation and sustainable use of ecosystems. That is why we established the Academy of Ecosystem Services”, explains Dr. Marijke van Kuijk from the Faculty of Science’s Institute of Environmental Biology. She was one of the founders of the Academy, together with Dr. Pita Verweij from the Faculty of Geosciences’ Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development.

Knowledge more accessible

“We work science-based, so we have known the research groups for some time”, tells Dr. Natascha Zwaal of the WNF. “But this bundling and coordination makes academic knowledge much more accessible to us.” In addition to the WNF, the Academy of Ecosystem Services partners include Tropenbos International, the Foundation Prince Bernhard Chair and the Trésor Foundation. The research groups from Utrecht University include Ecology and Biodiversity from the Faculty of Science, and Environmental Sciences and Energy and Resources from Geosciences. The special chairs for Sustainable Forest Management and the Prince Bernhard Chair for International Nature Conservation are also part of the Academy.

Valorisation

The more intensive cooperation with the societal organisations also offers added value for the university researchers. Boot: “In our research proposals, we are increasingly asked to state what the possibilities for valorisation are. Thanks to our partnership, that relevance check is now built-in. Plus, all of the partners contribute to education, which is a big plus for the students and doctoral candidates. Many students would like to do an internship with an organisation that puts our knowledge into practice, and now that is much easier to arrange.”

Panda

The fact that certain ecosystems must be protected for reasons other than keeping pandas and tigers alive is beginning to gain acceptance outside the walls of the university and nature conservation organisations. “We are starting to notice that human living environments and food production are being threatened because a certain ecosystem is under pressure, and that makes it difficult to provide the necessary ecosystem services. The heat wave and drought in Sao Paolo, for example, is due to deforestation in the area between the ocean and the city. In general, forests are an important buffer against change, so we hope that the climate summit in Paris will take action to slow down large-scale deforestation”, concludes Boot.

Sustainability

The Academy of Ecosystem Services is an example of the cooperation within Water, Climate & Ecosystems, which is part of Utrecht University’s strategic research theme Sustainability.