Ecosystem services research in Chile: a systematic review

• Main Authors: Francisco De la Barrera, Pamela Bachmann-Vargas, Antonio Tironi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidad de Chile, Departamento de Geografía 2015-12-01
• Series: Investigaciones Geográficas
• Online Access: https://investigacionesgeograficas.uchile.cl/index.php/IG/article/view/41171

The relationship between ecosystems and human well-being, based on the ecosystem services approach, has been addressed with greater emphasis in recent years, both in science as well as in the context of public environmental management and decision-making. A major impetus for this interest was constituted by the publication in 2005 of the international report of the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment. However, in terms of policies and instruments for environmental management the link between research and application of knowledge is still a pending topic, especially in developing countries. This work makes a systematic review about ecosystem services research in Chile, in order to detect what and how ecosystem services are studied in the country. The goal is to help to support and guide future research needs to be enforced in the context of biodiversity conservation, environmental management and territorial planning. Our results show an important increasing in scientific research on the subject since 1994, especially after 2005, mirroring the international trend of increased ecosystem services research after the publication of the aforementioned report. The analyses show that studies in Chile have mostly used economic valuation tools, instead of modelling exercises or mapping of ecosystem services. Also, there is a clear need for studies in desert ecosystems (especially in costal and Andean zones), in mountain ecosystems and glaciers, in anthropogenic ecosystems of central-southern Chile (hotspots of demand of ecosystem services provided by natural ecosystems nearby) and in coastal and island ecosystems.