Using the ecosystem serviceshed concept in conservation planning for more equitable outcomes

Considering ecosystem services (ESs) in conservation planning represents a growing interest in global standards. However, this task has been hindered by the complexity of the ecological and socio-economic attributes of ESs, and questions remain, such as how to incorporate the demand for ESs, and ensure equity among beneficiary groups. To successfully align conservation investments with local needs, we implemented the “serviceshed” concept (the geographical area where ecosystems deliver a service to a group of beneficiaries) in a novel planning approach, setting conservation targets based on ES demand. We expand on how neglecting peoples’ location and socio-economic vulnerability status while quantifying ES demand can lead to inequity issues. We tested our conceptual framework in an urban case study with the ESs of flood and heat island attenuation using a systematic conservation planning methodology that considers population vulnerability. We compared our novel approach to one that does not consider servicesheds while prioritizing sites and tested the impact of three metrics of ES demand on addressing equity issues: i) demand area, ii) number of beneficiaries, and iii) vulnerability-weighted number of beneficiaries. We showed that accounting for the spatial location of the different beneficiaries via servicesheds increased distributional equity by a factor of five. Considering vulnerability while quantifying ES demand also ensured that socio-economic equity was addressed, by factoring in peoples’ reliance on these services. The proposed approach holds significant potential in cultivating an ‘equitable space for conservation’ by aiding practitioners in linking ES supply with local beneficiaries while accounting for their vulnerability.