PS 43-87 - Mismatches between human preferences for tree traits and ecosystem services demanded and supplied

Background/Question/Methods

Ecosystem services are recognized as pathways to address urban sustainability challenges. Most research in urban ecosystems has focused on the supply of ecosystem services. However, needs of ecosystem services from urban inhabitants are overlooked, especially under a variety of sociodemographic contexts of understudied regions. The development of socially inclusive provision of ecosystem services requires to understand the variety of socio-ecological contexts in which urban nature exists. We quantified the supply of ecosystem services provided by urban trees existing in 120 green spaces in the Metropolitan Region of Santiago de Chile including climate mitigation, air quality improvement, soil fertility and quality of the green space. We surveyed 2800 people living in the Metropolitan Region from a variety of sociodemographic background and municipalities to understand the preferences given to a set of ecosystem services including regulating, cultural and provisioning services. We could then assess the mismatches existing between the spatially explicit assessment of the supply and demand of ecosystem services. We finally assess the vulnerability of the supply of ecosystem services under climate change scenario and identify potential future mismatches. This study incorporates users of ecosystem service views to identify areas of improvement of urban forests and green spaces under global change.

Results/Conclusions

Most mismatches of ecosystem services occur in socially vulnerable municipalities, however most vulnerable supply of ecosystem services happens in rural municipalities. Not all studied services followed the same pattern and cultural services were the most valued in less affluent areas, while regulating services such as carbon were the most valued in middle class to affluent municipalities. Larger supply of regulating ecosystem services happen in older municipalities while more newly urbanized areas have less supply of services. Inequities in the supply were more profound in cultural services. In relation to the demand of ecosystem services we were able to identify that age and education were drivers of the preference for ecosystem services. The vulnerability of the supply to climate change occurs in areas with trees from rural communities and from newly developed areas. A socially inclusive provision of ecosystem services requires taking into account the communities needs which could be boost by co-creating a healthy and productive urban forest that enables a fulfills the broad range of services requirer in a socially unequal Latin American City.