Ecosystem Services in Patagonia

This book aims to quantify and discuss how societies have directly and indirectly benefited from ecosystem services in Patagonia; not only in terms of provisioning and cultural services, but also regulating and supporting services. Patagonia, a region that stretches across two countries (ca. 10% in Chile and 90% in Argentina), is home to some of the most extensive wilderness areas on our planet. Natural grasslands comprise almost 30% of the Americas, including the Patagonian steppe, while Patagonian southern temperate forests are important for carbon sequestration and storage, play a pivotal role in water regulation, and have become widely recognized for their ecotourism value. However, profound changes are now underway that could affect key ecosystem functions and ultimately human well-being. In this context, one major challenge we face in Patagonia is that ecosystem services are often ignored in economic markets, government policies and land management practices. The book explores the synergies and trade-offs between conservation and economic development as natural landscapes and seascapes continue to degrade in Patagonia. Historically, economic markets have largely focused on the provisioning services (forest products, livestock) while neglecting the interdependent roles of regulating services (erosion and climate control), supporting services (nutrient cycling) and cultural services (recreation, local identity, tourism). Therefore, the present work focuses on ecosystem functions and ecosystem services, as well as on trends in biodiversity and the interactions between natural environments and land-use activities throughout Patagonia.

Patagonian marine and terrestrial ecosystems are home to one of the few remaining well-conserved wilderness areas on our planet

Chapter 1 - Ecosystem services as a tool for decision-making in Patagonia.- ¿Chapter 2- Assessment of provisioning ecosystem services in terrestrial ecosystems of Santa Cruz province, Argentina.- ¿Chapter 3 - Grazing management and provision of ecosystem services in Patagonian arid rangelands.- Chapter 4 - Synergies and trade-offs among ecosystem services and biodiversity in different forest types inside and off-reserve in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.- Chapter 5 - Shrubland management in northwestern Patagonia: an evaluation of its short-term effects on multiple ecosystem services.- Chapter 6 - Silvopastoral systems in northern Argentine-Chilean Andean Patagonia: Ecosystem services provision in a complex territory.- Chapter 7 - Ecosystem services values of the northwestern Patagonian natural grasslands.- Chapter 8 - The ecosystem services provided by peatlands in Patagonia.- Chapter 9 - Restoration for provision of ecosystem services in Patagonia-Aysén, Chile.- Chapter 10 - The North American beaver invasion and the impact over the ecosystem services in the Tierra del Fuego archipelago.- Chapter 11 - Social links for a nexus approach from an ecosystem services perspective in Central-East Patagonia.- Chapter 12 - Salmon farming: is it possible to relate its impact to the waste remediation ecosystem service?.- ¿Chapter 13 - Using the ecosystem services approach to understand the distributional effects of marine protected areas in the Chilean Patagonia.- Chapter 14 - Socio-cultural valuation of ecosystem services in Southern Patagonia, Argentina.- Chapter 15 - Looking beyond ecosystem services supply: co-production and access barriers in marine ecosystems of the Chilean Patagonia.- Chapter 16 - Ecosystem services and human well-being: a comparison of two Patagonian social-ecological systems.- Chapter 17 - Urban Planning In Arid Northern Patagonia Cities To Maximize Local Ecosystem Services Provision.- Chapter 18 - Land size, native forests and ecosystem services inequalities in the rural Chilean Patagonia.- Chapter 19 - Imaginaries, transformations and resistances in Patagonian territories from a socio-ecological perspective.- Chapter 20 - The challenges of implementing ecosystem services in the Argentinean and Chilean Patagonia.- Chapter 21 - Natural capital and local employment in Argentine Patagonia.- Chapter 22 - Ecosystem services in Patagonia: a synthesis and future directions.