How to plan for nature
- Lecture notes # 1: Understanding biodiversity
and ecosystem services
These lecture notes are one of the six modules training course “How to
plan for Nature”. Together with the accompanying power point
presentations they enable the trainer to prepare and give lectures. The
lectures are the introduction to the training which further consists of an
excursion and exercises in working groups. All materials can be
downloaded from the project website www.biodiversityskills.eu
Nr Slide
Lecturer instructions
1
How to plan for nature
Introduce yourself. Briefly describe the aim of the presentation and how
you want to present it (e.g. allowing questions during or after the
presentation; making people at ease about language if the presentation is
not in your/their native language; will they get the PowerPoint and
information or do they need to make notes).
2
Photo: parc du chemin de l’Ile, Paris
Provide a brief summary of the content of the presentation:
-
3
Photo: Minstrel Bug (Graphosoma
lineatum)
Background information
Handbook chapter 1
What is biodiversity
Why is it important
What is the status and trends
How does it relate to local planning
Ask audience who has heard of the term biodiversity before.
Ask audience whether they think they know what it means.
If appropriate, pick a person that responded yes to the previous question
and ask to define biodiversity.
4
Graph from Eurobarometer
Refer to the European survey Eurobarometer on awareness of Europeans
with biodiversity.
The survey is carried out every few years.
National figures for all countries can be
selected from
http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/flash/fl_2
90_en.pdf (data for 2010)
5
Photo: child blowing the seeds of a
dandelion
Give definitions of biodiversity, indicating that it is a container term that
means different things to different people.
What is biodiversity?

Life in all its forms; Basis of life on Earth

Mostly, people associate it with remote
How to plan for Nature - Lecture Notes - # 1: Understanding biodiversity and ecosystem services
large systems (tropical rainforest, coral
reefs, arctic) or rare and emblematic
species (panda, tiger, orchids)

However, biodiversity is everywhere: from
deepest ocean trench to top of Himalayas,
in hot water geyser, in our garden, in our
breakfast, in our belly and bed.

Is not simply species numbers, but refers
also to their interactions and the habitats
they form, as well as their functions.
6
CBD Definition: "Biological diversity"
means the variability among living
organisms from all sources
including, inter alia, terrestrial,
marine and other aquatic
ecosystems and the ecological
complexes of which they are part;
this includes diversity within
species, between species and of
ecosystems.
You may skip this slide if you like, as it only provides a formal,
internationally agreed definition. The key elements of this definition are
repeated later.
CBD = Convention on Biological Diversity, the
key global UN convention agreed in 1992.
7
Species
Habitats
Ecosystems
Genes
This scheme illustrates that biodiversity is composed of 4 major building
blocks, that interact with each other. This summarizes the previous slide
with the CBD definition and is repeated with individual slides below.
8
Species graph from Purvis, Andy &
Andy Hector (2000) Getting the
measure of biodiversity, Nature 405,
Before showing this slide you ask the audience how many species there are 1.2 – 1.94 million species have been described
on Earth according to them. And which species group they think is
by science today.
It is estimate that the total number on Earth is
How to plan for Nature - Lecture Notes - # 1: Understanding biodiversity and ecosystem services
212-219
relatively the largest.
Then you show the graph and provide some statistics (see right).
It would be good to also mention national/regional statistics (e.g. number
of birds or hoverflies in a given country; number of species of microorganisms in a cm3 of soil).
9
Photo of Harbour Seal (Phoca
vitulina) [can be replaced by
another charismatic species from
the country where the presentation
is held]
10 Photo of tick
around 8.7 million species.
Every year about 19,000 species are added to
the list of described species.
The largest group in terms of species numbers
is (apart from micro-organisms) insects.
National figures should be looked up on
national websites.
This is to demonstrate that people mostly know and care for charismatic
species. You can ask individual of the group to name their favourite
species, which will most likely be charismatic ones.
Charismatic species are also called flagship
species and are often used for communication
purposes. They do not necessarily represent a
key position in the ecosystem. Typically they
are chosen because they are cuddly (e.g. Giant
panda), fierce (e.g. Tiger), impressive (e.g.
whales), or colourful (e.g. butterflies).
The least visible and less charismatic species are often the most important
in the ecological cycle.
e.g. bacteria, fungi, snails, soil-biodiversity,
mosses
All species contribute to the fabric of life.
11 Photo of habitat: riparian forest
Here you introduce the concept of habitats. For ease of understanding you
can make the comparison with people’s houses and gardens as being the
habitat (natural environment) for them.
Habitat: The natural environment (place) in
which an organism normally lives, e.g. the
habitat of the Buzzard. It can be described by
physical features (e.g. soil type and altitude) in
combination with associated dominant
vegetation (e.g. woodland). Can often be
delineated and recognized within a landscape.
Formed in response to local environmental
conditions: soil type, moisture, climate, other
How to plan for Nature - Lecture Notes - # 1: Understanding biodiversity and ecosystem services
species, etc.
Habitats are often managed or created by
humans: semi-natural habitats (e.g.
heathlands or hay meadows).
12 Photo of ecosystem: salt marsh at
Ile de Ré, France
13 Photo of genetic diversity in
Bumblebee Orchid (Ophrys
holosterica)
Here you introduce the concept of ecosystems. This may be confused with
habitats. The important difference is that it concerns a functional unit of
the most various kinds and sizes, in which process act within a given space
and time.
An ecosystem is a functional ecological unit in
which the biological, physical and chemical
components of the environment interact.
Introduce genes and genetic diversity as the last building block of
biodiversity, and the most complex to understand. Genetic diversity can
best be illustrated by referring to the variety in apple types that people eat
or the differences between people, although we are all the same species.
Genes are the basic building blocks of life:
they determine physical characteristics, such
as eye colour and body length.
The importance of genes for planning relates to connectivity: ensuring that
species can move from one place to another through ecological corridors
so that they can exchange gens and maintain viable populations.
Ecosystems can be of any size, from an anthill
to the entire globe, depending on the context.
Genes govern the ability of species, habitats
and ecosystems to adapt to environmental
change.
Even though a species may look the same,
local races may have adapted to thrive in a
particular environment.
Example: indigenous crop varieties that can
produce better yields and are more disease
resistant than the same variety that has been
cultivated elsewhere.
If isolation occurs over long periods of time
(e.g. islands) new species are formed,
including endemic species that are found
How to plan for Nature - Lecture Notes - # 1: Understanding biodiversity and ecosystem services
nowhere else. These are particularly
important as their loss from a locality would
lead to global extinction because they occur
nowhere else in the world.
Here you introduce the reasons for conserving or restoring biodiversity.
Again, you can involve the audience by asking them for some suggestions.
You can complete that list on the basis of the elements in the column to
the right.
14 Why does biodiversity matter?
It is important to care for biodiversity
because:
-
-
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15 Ecosystem services: natural habitats
regulate water flows and thus help
mitigating flood risk.
Building on the previous question about importance of biodiversity, here
you introduce the concept of ecosystem services (ES) and list a number of
them. Some of them will have been mentioned by participants with the
previous slide. The 4 main categories of ES are introduced in the next 4
slides.
Moral duty (humans are just one of
the species on the planet, with no
right to destroy others; there is only
one planet known to have life; leave
the natural richness for generations to
come).
Anthropocentric reason: without
biodiversity -> no life. Losing species
and habitats reduces the Earth’s
capacity to support human life. We do
not know the tipping point (how many
species can go extinct before the
biosphere collapses?).
Biodiversity (in particular habitats and
ecosystems) provide essential services
to humans and society.
The concept of ecosystem services is relatively
new and has proven to be useful in
communicating with policymakers, business
and citizens because it connects biodiversity
components with human well-being. Such
services can be provided by individual species
How to plan for Nature - Lecture Notes - # 1: Understanding biodiversity and ecosystem services
(groups) (e.g. pollination), by
habitats/ecosystems (e.g. erosion prevention
by forests), or by landscapes (e.g. recreational
benefits).
See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecosystem_servi
ces for details and lists.
16 Photo of provisioning service (to be
selected for specific region).
Here you give (an) example(s) of provisioning services that are of most
relevance to planners.
Timber production is an example of
an important provisioning services
17 Photo of regulating service (to be
selected for specific region)
The 4 categories have been introduced by the
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment in 2005.
Relevant examples for planners include:
production of food, production of clean water.
Here you give (an) example(s) of regulating services that are of most
relevance to planners.
e.g. trees and parks in urban environment to
mitigate climate change effects; open
vegetation along rivers to allow rain water to
infiltrate and to protect against floods
18 Photo of supporting service (to be
selected for specific region)
Here you give (an) example(s) of supporting services that are of most
relevance to planners.
e.g. flower strips along arable land to attract
pollinators and natural pest enemies
19 Photo of cultural service (to be
selected for specific region)
Here you give (an) example(s) of cultural services that are of most
relevance to planners.
e.g. protecting monumental trees because of
their role in local history; creating attractive
and diverse landscape scenery for recreation;
give room to local wilderness for children to
play or people to find inspiration and spiritual
peace of mind.
Pollination by bees and other
insects is an economically important
regulating service
How to plan for Nature - Lecture Notes - # 1: Understanding biodiversity and ecosystem services
20 Valuing biodiversity
Now you make the connection between ecosystem services and economy.
Efforts are made to put a price on individual ES, allowing policymakers,
businesses and economic sectors to make trade-offs on the basis of costbenefit analyses. It also allows for the implementation of payments for ES.
The TEEB study (The Economics of Ecosystems
and Biodiversity) has been instrumental in
valuing biodiversity. It has produced a number
of customized publications, including one for
local and regional policymakers (with chapter
6 covering spatial planning):
http://www.teebweb.org/ForLocalandRegiona
lPolicy/tabid/1020/Default.aspx.
21 What is the state of biodiversity?
Here you start a new element, illustrating trends in biodiversity globally
and in Europe. Where possible you zoom into national or regional trends.
You can present the next 4 slides or a selection as you see fit.
Despite the fact that biodiversity is complex
and still much is unknown, a number of
indicators has been developed that are used
at international level to inform target groups
of trends in biodiversity. Some of these
indicators are included in the next 4 slides.
22 Pie chart
This pie chart represents a global impression of the status of species
globally, following the red list categories indicating the threat status of
species.
See http://www.iucnredlist.org/ for
background and detail.
23 Graph of common bird index
This graph zooms in on the state of common birds in Europe, showing a
gradual decline of all common birds and forest birds and a steep decline of
farmland birds.
http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-andmaps/figures/common-birds-in-europe-2014population-index-1980-100
24 Grassland butterfly index
Similar as previous graph, but based on butterflies in grassland.
25 Living planet index
Similar information as above, based on selected groups of species
worldwide.
26 Photo
Identify the main causes for the downward trends. You can ask the
How to plan for Nature - Lecture Notes - # 1: Understanding biodiversity and ecosystem services
audience what they think are the main drivers of change or the main
pressures on biodiversity, where possible making the link to their own
behaviour. You then can frame the listed items in the scheme on the next
slide(s).
27 HIPPO
You can frame the main drivers of change of biodiversity by using the
HIPPO classification. Time allowing, you may want to add a slide per item
for illustration.
Main drivers - HIPPO:
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28 What can we do about it?
Here you turn the downward spiral into a more constructive spirit by
jointly listing actions that we can take, notably as planners.
Habitat destruction: converting
natural areas to farming,
infrastructure and urban
development.
Invasive alien species.
Polluting or over-exploiting resources
including water and soils. E.g.
nitrogen, CO2, fine dust, heavy metals,
radioactive waste, solid waste, …
Population: more people = more of all
the other effects = higher ecological
footprint. Population: currently 7
billion, projections for 9-13 billion by
2050. Together already consuming
production of 1.5 planets per year (i.e.
using up the planet’s reserves).
Overharvesting wild plants and
animals at unsustainable levels. E.g.
overfishing: prepare for eating
jellyfish.
Examples include: Change consumption
patterns; Raise awareness; Manage natural
areas in a biodiversity-friendly way; Research
How to plan for Nature - Lecture Notes - # 1: Understanding biodiversity and ecosystem services
and monitoring; Develop policies; Integrate
biodiversity into planning
29 Photo
Balance the previous negative messages with some success stories,
preferably using local examples. You may want to ask the audience for
examples.
e.g. return of large carnivores in Europe (wolf,
brown bear); successful reintroduction
programmes for European vultures; habitat
restoration; development of biodiversity
gardens in cities and around schools;
ecological management of road verges; return
of cormorant, grey heron, crested grebe,
buzzard etc; species adapting to human made
conditions (e.g. peregrine falcon, terns,
oystercatcher, bee hotels)
How to plan for Nature - Lecture Notes - # 1: Understanding biodiversity and ecosystem services