Routledge The Justices and Injustices of Ecosystem Services (Routledge Studies in Ecosystem Services)

Humankind benefits from a multitude of resources and processes that are supplied by ecosystems, and collectively these benefits are known as ecosystem services. Interest in this topic has grown exponentially over the last decade, as biologists and economists have tried to quantify these benefits to justify management interventions. Yet, as this book demonstrates, the implications for justice and injustice have rarely been explored and works on environmental justice are only now addressing the importance of ecosystem services.  The authors establish important new middle ground in arguments between conservationists and critics of market-based interventions such as Payment for Ecosystem Services. Neither can environmental management be separated from justice concerns, as some conservationists like to believe, nor is it in fundamental opposition to justice, as critics like to put it. The book develops this novel interpretation of justice in environmental management through analyses of prominent governance interventions and the conceptual underpinnings of the ecosystem services framework. Key examples described are revenue-sharing around protected areas and REDD+ for forest ecosystems.  The analyses demonstrate that interventions create opportunities for enhancing social justice, yet also reveal critical design features that cause ostensibly technical interventions to generate injustices. Review "The book’s lasting influence will stem from the thorough analysis and evaluation of ecosystem services in light of three dimensions of environmental justice: distribution; participation; and recognition ... This book provides a sturdy platform for taking the right course of action." – Crosslands Bulletin "The authors of this book are social scientists describing and convincingly criticizing various types of ecosystem services-based government interventions... I would certainly recommend it to all sorts of readers" - Frederik H. Kistenkas, Wageningen University, in Ecosystem Services journal About the Author Thomas Sikor is Professor of Environment and Development at the University of East Anglia, UK.