Cultural Ecosystem Services in the UW environment
ATLANTIS CONSULTING (ATL)
Reference Teacher: Lydia Stergiopoulou
Teacher(s): Lydia Stergiopoulou
This online course aims to address the domain of Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES) and the impact of climate change on the Underwater (UW) environment.
The first part gives a general overview on topics related to Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES), including topics such as: introduction to CES, intangible heritage and non-material benefits, the necessity of evaluating the ecosystem services.
The second part gives an overview of examples and techniques on evaluation and relative applications in the sector of blue tourism.
The main goal of the course, through its two modules, is to introduce the participants to the Cultural Ecosystem Services, the impacts from climate change on such services, with the spot-light on the UCH and the diverse techniques for CES evaluation.
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D2. Stimulation of cross-cutting approaches involved in Cultural Ecosystem Services with respect to several scientific disciplines (e.g. oceanography, water economics, UWCH management, biodiversity and marine biology).
D3. Introduction to practical examples of cultural ecosystem services in the UW environment.
D4. Basic understanding of the impact of climate change on the UWCH.
D5. How climate change affects the CES in the UW environment.
D6. Economics evaluation of CES and its applications in order to link UCH with blue tourism.
The course supports lifelong learning education. Prerequisites include basic knowledge on marine environment and biodiversity, as well as the basic concepts of UWCH (coastal, marine). Basic understanding of economic terms (e.g. Total Economic Value, economic evaluations) is a plus.
Online e-learning course
Small tests will be created for each of the two modules to assess the level of knowledge and skills developed.
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This course contributes to SDG 13 (Climate action), SDG 14 (Life below water) and SGD 17 (Partnerships for the goals).
If you are interested in following one, or more, of these modules, please reach out to Lydia Stergiopoulou (stergiopoulou@atlantisresearch.gr) or Vicky Drouga (drouga@atlantisresearch.gr).
Course Modules:
Mediterranean ecosystems function as complex socio-ecological and cultural systems that provide important and multiple services and goods to society. And they are subjected to a long history of human use and transformation; this is why their conservation (and promotion) must deal with multiple cultural, ecological and economic values, and complex dynamics of social change. Changes in the composition and functioning of these ecosystems linked to increasing global change threats (including land use change, climate change, and increasing overexploitation of resources, e.g. overfishing, due to variation in social demands/preferences), will inevitably lead to changes in its capacity to contribute to human well-being.
The concept of Ecosystem Services (ES) originating back to ’70s is defined by the UN Millennium Ecosystem Assessment as the “benefits that people obtain from ecosystems” (MEA, 2005). Their subcategory Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES) meaning the “non-material benefits that people obtain from the ecosystem” influence the quality of life, include well-being and aesthetic benefits from snorkeling, diving and experiences that contribute in terms of mental and physical health.
Revealing and if possibly valuating these services, their impacts from climate change or the potential conflicts, trade-offs and synergies accompanying management decisions affecting coastal/marine zones is crucial. It can become an extremely useful tool shedding light to the benefits/impacts derived from the cultural aspects of the UW environment, guiding policymakers and management authorities to identify and adopt policies/practices that involve both cultural and natural resources at the ecosystem and landscape/seascape levels.
- Cheng X., Van Damme S., Li L., Uyttenhove P. 2019. ‘Evaluation of cultural ecosystem services: A review of methods’, Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol 37.
- Convention on Biological Diversity, 1992, United Nations Environment Programme, 1760 UNTS 79; 31 ILM 818 (1992).
- Costanza R. et al 1997. ‘The value of the world’s ecosystem services and natural capital’, Nature 387 (15): 253-260.
- Daily, G. C. (Ed.) 1997. Nature’s services: societal dependence on natural ecosystems. Island Press, Washington, DC. 392 pp.
- Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services: An analytical framework for mapping and assessment of ecosystem condition in EU, 2018, Fifth Technical Report, European Commission.
- Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) 2008. Directive 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 establishing a framework for community action in the field of marine environmental policy. Official Journal of the European Union, L 164, 25.6.2008, pp. 19-40.
- Milcu A.I., Hanspach J., Abson D., Fischer J., 2013, ‘Cultural ecosystem services: A literature review and prospects for future research’, Ecology and Society 18(3): 44.
- Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) 2005. Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Synthesis. Island Press, Washington DC.
- Perez-Alvaro, E. (2016). Climate change and underwater cultural heritage: Impacts and challenges. Journal of Cultural Heritage, 21, 842-848.