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Assessing ecosystem services in Neotropical dry forests: a systematic review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 November 2016

SOFIA CALVO-RODRIGUEZ
Affiliation:
Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2E3, Alberta, Canada
ARTURO G. SANCHEZ-AZOFEIFA*
Affiliation:
Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2E3, Alberta, Canada
SANDRA M. DURAN
Affiliation:
Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2E3, Alberta, Canada
MARIO M. ESPÍRITO-SANTO
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros, Montes Claros CP 126 CEP 39401-089, Minas Gerais, Brazil
*
*Correspondence: Prof. Dr. Arturo G. Sanchez-Azofeifa e-mail: [email protected]

Summary

There is an increasing consensus on the importance of understanding ecosystem service (ES) provision in order to facilitate decision making and the sustainable management of Neotropical dry forests (NTDFs), yet research on the ESs provided by NTDFs is limited. We identified the main existing gaps and trends in the quantification of provisioning, regulating and supporting ESs in NTDFs. Systematic web-based searches showed that research has been increasing in recent decades in NTDFs, supporting greater ES knowledge and assessment. Carbon storage and biodiversity are the main subjects under study, while ESs relating to water and soil lack investigation. The most common approaches for assessing ES were fauna and plant inventories, carbon dynamics and ecological processes.

Type
Review Article
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 2016 

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