Presentation at the course on Ecosystem services at the XV International Summer School on Environment, Girona. October 2015

1. Enabling stakeholders to apply the Ecosystem Services concept in practice

2. WHOM?
First thoughts generally goes
to developing countries, where
issues about ES are usually
more evident, and engagement
easier

3. But what happens with people like you?

4. A general rule!

5. And your feelings (yes, it’s about your
spirituality) can prevail over the
technoscientific facts.

6. And so, some of you really hate ES concept
This is a MUST
READ book!

7. Nature has
an intrinsic
value, it’s
true!

8. And economic
valuation is not the
only way to
evaluate ES

9. And this happen here! ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
as an outlawed concept!

10. And they feel supported by
the scientific authorities!

11. There are ways of tackling the problem too
simple to be useful!

12. Conventional wisdom about political conflict will not work

13. Are there metrics for moral orders?

14. Much better try to uncover the narratives that shape moral orders
Which instruments for that? Surveys, GIS, text analytics for surveys,..

15. But when doing that, please avoid reinventing the
wheel!
Need a lot of work & science to conclude that well-educated and
politically liberal people are more concerned about environment?

16. Of course information and environmental education works!

17. Of course information and environmental education works!
But there is a need metrics and methods to understand their narratives

18. Different points of view can also construct a super-brain!

19. And citizen science can be a wonderful way to
engage people

20. Ok!
But the aim of this presentation was to explain
how a project about ES, (which is an exemplar -or
case study- of the OPERAs project, and that has
been “constructed” by the metropolitan
administration of Barcelona ) can enable
stakeholders to apply the ecosystem services
concept.

21. Ok!
But the aim of this presentation was to explain
how a project about ES, (which is an exemplar -or
case study of the OPERAs project, and that has
been “constructed” by the metropolitan
administration of Barcelona ) can enable
stakeholders to apply the ecosystem services
concept.
And we have seen that there can be also ES
concept haters!

22. What happens with the interface between those concepts?

23. What happens with the interface between those concepts?

24. And what about the “exemplar”?

25. 1908

26. Circa 1950

27. Last mobile dunes 1980

28. 1992 the first maritime promenade in Spain with dunes as central aspect of
the landscape treatment

29. Transformations due to urbanization & modification of coastal dynamics
1950
2014
Anthropocene!

30. Coastal regression due to the new harbour

31. Mechanical sieving impedes the natural sand aeolian transport
Anthropocene!

32. Impact of dog excreta over marram grass & cat colonies over fauna
A trade-off

33. Dune relief disappearance, afforestation and no more semi-mobile dunes!
Anthropocene!

34. Ecosystem services as opportunities for a new way of management

35. Altered ecosystem but biodiversity still remaining. Still on time to react!

36. Nicer landscapes lead to higher price of properties!!
The brandscape of the metropolitan area?
$
$
Brandscape?

37. A wider window to cope with a complex environment

38. With municipalities

39. The Barcelona Metropolitan Administration

40. And the central government, with a new shore act that enables other stakeholders to make actions on
coastal defence for first time

41. A wider window to cope with a complex environment

42. The promenades are intensively used throughout the year and new projects pose risks to protected areas.
The Kentish plover on the verge of extinction.

43. So Hybrid-dune project was launched with the construction of
dunes and blowouts

44. Construction of dunes and blowouts that can be seen on satellite
imaginery

45. And as happens in other places along European coast, marram grass is
displaced easily by other plants: so, there is a need to improve methods.

46. Wind no more construct dunes, but still able to erode the constructed
ones! So along with AMB we are making a manual about urban dune
construction and management

47. Anthropocene environment

48. So, there are some trade-offs

49. Trampling: people love to
walk over bare sand and
the top of the dunes.

50. The impact of dogs over marram grass and fauna. And stray cat
colonies with a much higher impact on fauna

51. A difficult task

52. Also professional dog-walkers

53. So, we are working to identify groups, narratives,
places, and how do evolve along the year cycle

54. As in other periurban open spaces, the demand of ES is huge

55. Working with different communication projects

56. Another outcome is that the beach nourishment (100.000m3 each year)
does not affect the emerged profile.
The vulnerability to flood has not varied.

57. Even on the areas with most accretion, the risk of flooding persists.

58. The modification of the profile of the emerged beach
could be an effective way to protect the coast and at a
cost much cheaper than the prevailing beach
nourishment.
And as the national shores act has been modified and opened the
window to other stakeholders and administrations to participate on
coastal defence, there is a huge opportunity of governance and of
ES operationalization.

59. So, an experience that can be applied to other urban dunes, with
an improved toolbox: the Ecosystem services perspective.
Enabling stakeholders to apply the Ecosystem Services concept in practice
info@sgm.es
Thank you
Any questions?