Portugal Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

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Portugal Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

• October, 2003

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The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment is

• An international scientific assessment to be
  completed in 2004
• Designed to meet a portion of the assessment
  needs of
• Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD),
• Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD),
• Ramsar Wetlands Convention,
• other partners including the private sector and
  civil society
• Focused on the consequences of changes in
  ecosystems for human well-being
• Undertaken at multiple scales (local to global)
• Designed to both provide information and build
  capacity to provide information
• Expected to be repeated at 5-10 year intervals if
  it successfully meets needs

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Science Assessment

• A social process to bring the findings of science
  to bear on the needs of decision-makers

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The MA focuses on

• Ecosystem services
• The consequences of changes in ecosystems for
  human well being
• The consequences of changes in ecosystems for
  other life on earth

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Ecosystem Services are the benefits people obtain
from ecosystems

• Regulating
• Benefits obtained from regulation of ecosystem
  processes
• climate regulation
• disease regulation
• flood regulation
• detoxification

Provisioning Goods produced or provided by
ecosystems food fresh water fuel wood
fiber biochemicals genetic resources
Cultural Non-material benefits obtained from
ecosystems spiritual recreational
aesthetic inspirational educational
communal symbolic
Supporting Services necessary for production of
other ecosystem services Soil formation
Nutrient cycling Primary production
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The MA is an Integrated Assessment IPCC looks at
impacts of one driver (climate) on different
systems MA will integrate the effects of
multiple drivers on all ecosystems
Driver
Ecosystems
Response
Human Impact
Millennium Assessment
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Conceptual framework
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Using the Conceptual Framework as a guide, MA
Working Groups will try to answer core questions

• Conditions and Trends Working Group
• What is the current condition and historical
  trends of ecosystems and their services?
• What have been the consequences of changes in
  ecosystems for human well-being?

• Scenarios Working Group
• Given plausible changes in primary drivers, what
  will be the consequences for ecosystems, their
  services, and human well-being?

• Responses Working Group
• What can we do about it?

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Portugal
Trinidade,Vietnam
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The Portuguese Assessment

• Multi-scale
• Created to answer to the information needs of
  local and global MA users
• Condition and trends of ecosystem services
• Scenarios for the next 50 years and possible
  answers

Sistelo
Mondego
Quinta da França
Herdade da Ribeira Abaixo
Mira
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The Portuguese Assessment users represent
different society sectors
Local Government
National Government
NGO

• National park of Peneda-Gerês

• League for the Protection of Nature

• Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and
  Fisheries
• Ministry of Public Works, Transportation and
  Housing
• Institute for the Conservation of Nature
• Water Institute

Private Sector
Others

• ExtEnSity Project

• CELPA, Paper Industry Association
• CONFAGRI, National Confederation of Portuguese
  Agricultural Cooperatives and Credit

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Organization
Advisory Board Isabel Guerra, MOPTH Helena
Freitas, UC Teresa Ribeiro, AEA Humberto Rosa, UL
Steering Committee Henrique Pereira Tiago
Domingos Luis Vicente
Research Team Inst. Politécnico Bragança Univ.
Católica Univ. Coimbra Univ. Évora Univ.
Lisboa Univ. Técnica Lisboa
Users CONFAGRI CELPA INAG ICN LPN MADRP MOPTH Ext
EnSity
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Program
IV Meeting
V Meeting
II Meeting
III Meeting
I Meeting
2003 2003 2004
2004 2005
State of the Assessment Report
Final Assessment Publication
Final Assessment Review
Users Needs Report
Pilot Assessment
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Users Needs of Information Report

• General Needs

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Users Needs of Information Report(2)

• Priority Ecosystems

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Users Needs of Information Report(3)

• Priority drivers

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Users Needs of Information Report(4)

• Priority Ecosystem services

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Condition and Trend Analysis

• Identification of the principal drivers
• Biodiversity atlas
• Water production atlas
• Qualitative analysis of the stock condition and
  flux of each service
• Economical analysis of the ecosystem services
  value
• Human well-being
• Responses

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Units of Analysis

• IFN / MA Classification
• Forest
• Agriculture
• Montado
• Unsuitable for agriculture
• Mountain
• Oceans and Coast
• Inland Waters

Agriculture
Inland Waters
Forest
Unsuit. Agricult.
Non-cultivated
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Scenarios for the next 50 years

• The scenarios
• To consider the possible futures for the
  unpredictable and ambiguous drivers (as well as
  for the predictable ones)
• Emphasize the surprises, not the central trends
• In accordance with the state of the art of
  ecological sciences
• Quantitative and Qualitative
• Until the year 2030

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Considered drivers
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Scenarios scratch
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The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA)
First MA Product, published September 2003
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Visit the MA Website

• www.millenniumassessment.org