Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Societal Dependence on Soil’s Ecosystem Services

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Ecosystem Services and Carbon Sequestration in the Biosphere

Abstract

Through its natural capital, soil generates numerous ecosystem services for ecological functions and human wellbeing. These include provisional (feed, food, fiber, fuel, raw material), life support (cleansing, recycling) and cultural (aesthetical, intellectual, spiritual) services. Ecosystem services such as carbon (C) sequestration are generated through a close interaction of the pedosphere with atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and lithosphere. Land misuse and soil mismanagement can degrade soil quality, and either reduces quantity and quality of ecosystem services or leads to disservices and creates large ecological footprints. By increasing the soil organic carbon (SOC) stock, soil biological, chemical and physical quality can be improved which in turn improves ecosystem services. There exist relationships among multiple ecosystem services, increase in one can decrease the other through trade-offs. Payments for ecosystem services, based on rational and objective criteria can minimize risks of overshoot of incentives for enhancing ecosystem services and promote sustainable use of finite and often fragile natural resources. Transdisciplinary collaborations including collaborations between scientists and extra-scientific actors and means of interdisciplinary collaboration are required to tackle the complexity of social-ecological issues associated with soil’s ecosystem services.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Abbreviations

EFs:

Ecosystem functions

ESs:

Ecosystem services

GHGs:

Greenhouse gases

SOC:

Soil organic carbon

SOM:

Soil organic matter

RMPs:

Recommended management practices

WUE:

Water use efficiency

NUE:

Nutrient use efficiency

ERD:

Effective rooting depth

SQI:

Soil quality index

PES:

Payments for ecosystem services

References

  • Alix-Garcia JM, Shapiro E, Sims KRE (2010) The environmental effectiveness of payments for environmental services in Mexico: results from pilot analysis. Working paper, University of Wisconsin, Madison

    Google Scholar 

  • Arriagada R, Ferraro PJ, Pattanayak SK, Sills E, Cordero S (2012) Do payments for environmental services affect forest cover? A farm-level evaluation from Costa Rica. Land Econ 88(2):382–399

    Google Scholar 

  • Bai ZG, Dent DL, Olsson L, Schaepman ME (2008) Proxy global assessment of land degradation. Soil Use Manage 24:223–234

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bennett EM, Peterson GD, Gordon LJ (2009) Understanding relationships among multiple ecosystem services. Ecol Lett 12:1394–1404

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Berkes F (2008) Sacred ecology: traditional ecological knowledge and resource management. Routledge, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Boyd J, Banzhaf S (2007) What are ecosystems services? The need for standardized environmental accounting units. Ecol Econ 63:616–626

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carpenter SR, Mooney HA, Agard J, Capistrano D, Defries RS, Diaz S et al (2009) Science for managing ecosystem services: beyond the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 106:1305–1312

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Costanza R, d’Arge R, de Groot R, Farber S, Grasso M, Hannon B, Limburg K, Naeem S, O’Neill RV, Paruelo J, Raskin RG, Sutton P, van den Belt M (1997) The value of the world’s ecosystem services and natural capital. Nature 387:253–260

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Daily GC (1997) Nature’s services: societal dependence on natural ecosystems. Island Press, Washington, D.C

    Google Scholar 

  • Daily GC, Matson PA, Vitousek PM (1997) Ecosystem services supplied by soils. In: Daily GC (ed) Nature’s services: societal dependence on natural ecosystems. Island Press, Washington, D.C., pp 113–132

    Google Scholar 

  • Dale VH, Beyeler SC (2001) Challenges in the development and use of ecological indicators. Ecol Indic 1:3–10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dale VH, Polasky S (2007) Measure of the effects of agricultural practices on ecosystem services. Ecol Econ 64:286–296

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dale VH, Joyce LA, McNulty S, Neilson RP (2000) The interplay between climate change, forests, and disturbances. Sci Total Environ 262:201–204

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dale VH, Mulholland P, Olsen LM, Feminella J, Maloney K, White DC, Peacock A, Foster T (2004) Selecting a suite of ecological indicators for resource management. In: Kapustka LA, Gilbraith H, Luxon M, Biddinger GR (eds) Landscape ecology and wildlife habitat evaluation: critical information for ecological risk assessment, land-use management activities and biodiversity enhancement practices, ASTM STP 11813. ASTM International, West Conshohoken

    Google Scholar 

  • de Groot RS (1987) Environmental functions as a unifying concept for ecology and economics. Environmentalist 7:105–109

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Groot RS (1992) Functions of nature: evaluation of nature in environmental planning, management, and decision making. Walters-Noorhoff, Groningen

    Google Scholar 

  • EDI (2008) The man: articles: the three careers of W. Edwards Deming. http://deming.org/?content=652. Accessed 15 Oct 2008

  • Engel S, Pagiola S, Wunder S (2008) Designing payments for environmental services in theory and practice: an overview of the issues. Ecol Econ 65:663–674

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferraro PJ (2011) The future of payments for environmental services. Conserv Biol 25(6):1134–1138

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Franzluebbers AJ (2010) Will we allow soil carbon to feed our needs? Carbon Manage 1:237–251

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • IPCC (2007) Climate change 2007: synthesis report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the fourth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Core writing team Pachauri RK, Reisinger A (eds), IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland

    Google Scholar 

  • Jahn T, Bergmann M, Keil F (2012) Transdisciplinarity: between mainstreaming and marginalization. Ecol Econ 79:1–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2012.04.017

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jansson C, Wullscheger SD, Kalluri UC, Tuskan GD (2010) Phytosequestration: carbon biosequestration by plants and the prospects of genetic engineering. Bioscience 60:685–696

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kremen C, Ostfeld RS (2005) A call to ecologists: measuring, analyzing, and managing ecosystem services. Front Ecol Environ 3:540–548

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lal R (2004) Soil carbon sequestration impacts on global climate change and food security. Science 304:1623–1627

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lal R (2008) Promise and limitations of soils to minimize climate change. J Soil Water Conserv 63:113A–118A

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lal R (2009) Soils and food sufficiency. A review. Agron Sustain Dev 29:113–133

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lal R (2010) Managing soils and ecosystems for mitigating anthropogenic carbon emissions and advancing global food security. Bioscience 60:708–721

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lawrence RJ, Després C (2004) Futures of transdisciplinarity. Futures 36:398

    Google Scholar 

  • Lovelock JE (1979) Gaia: a new look at life on Earth. Oxford University Press, Oxford, New York Greater Clarendon St., Oxford, 148 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • MEA (2003) Ecosystems and human well-being: a framework for assessment. Island Press, Washington, D.C

    Google Scholar 

  • MEA (2005) Ecosystems and human well-being: synthesis. Island Press, Washington, D.C

    Google Scholar 

  • Nkonya E, Gerber N, Baumgartner P, von Braun J, De Pinto A, Graw V, Kato E, Kloos J, Walter T (2011) Toward an integrated global assessment, Development economics and policy, No. 66. Peter Lang Publ., Frankfurt. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K., 280 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Ostrom E (1990) Governing the commons: the evolution of institutions for collective action. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, New York: Peter Lang Gmbh, Frankfurt am Main, 262 pp

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Pan Y, Birdsey R, Fang J et al (2011) A large and persistent carbon sink in the world’s forests. Science 333:988–993

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scholz RW (2001) The mutual learning sessions. In: Thompson-Klein J, Grossenbacher-Mansuy W, Häberli R et al (eds) Transdisciplinarity: joint problem solving among science, technology and society. An effective way for managing complexity. Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel, pp 117–129

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Schulze E-D, Ciais P, Luyssaert S, Schrumpf M, Janssens IA, Thiruchittampalam B, Theloke J, Saurat M, Bringezu S, Lelieveld J, Lohila A, Rebmann C, Jung M, Bastviken D, Abril G, Grassi G, Leip A, Freibauer A, Kutsch W, Don A, Nieschulze J, Börner A, Gash JH, Dolman AJ (2010) The European carbon balance. Part 4: integration of carbon and other trace-gas fluxes. Glob Change Biol 16:1451–1469

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson ED, Sedjo RA (1996) Paying for the conservation of endangered ecosystems: a comparison of direct and indirect approaches. Environ Dev Econ 1:241–257

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stallman HR (2011) Ecosystem services in agriculture: determining suitability for provision by collective management. Ecol Econ 71:131–139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suter G (1993) Ecological risk assessment. Lewis Publishers, Ann Arbor

    Google Scholar 

  • Tallis H, Kareiva P (2005) Ecosystem services. Curr Biol 15:R746–R748

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tilman D, Fargione J, Wolff B, d’Antonio C, Dobson A, Howarth R et al (2001) Forecasting agriculturally driven global environmental change. Science 292:281–284

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Turner RK (1988) Economics, growth and sustainable environments. Macmillan, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner RK (1991) Economics of wetland management. Ambio 20:59–63

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CFAES/OARDC, School of Environment and Natural Resources, Carbon Management and Sequestration Center, Ohio State University, 2021 Coffey Rd., Columbus, OH, 43210-1085, USA

    Rattan Lal

  2. Global Soil Forum, IASS Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, Berliner Strasse 130, 14467, Potsdam, Germany

    Klaus Lorenz

  3. Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum GFZ, Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam, Telegrafenberg, 14473, Potsdam, Germany

    Reinhard F. Hüttl & Bernd Uwe Schneider

  4. Zentrum für Entwicklungsforschung, University of Bonn, Walter-Flex-Strasse 3, 53113, Bonn, Germany

    Joachim von Braun

Authors
  1. Rattan Lal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Klaus Lorenz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Reinhard F. Hüttl
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Bernd Uwe Schneider
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Joachim von Braun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rattan Lal .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Ohio State University, Coffey Road Kottman Hall 422B 2021, Columbus, 43210, Ohio, USA

    Rattan Lal

  2. , Global Soil Forum, IASS Inst. for Adv. Sust. Studies, Berliner Str. 130, Potsdam, 14467, Brandenburg, Germany

    Klaus Lorenz

  3. , Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum GFZ, Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam, Telegrafenberg, Potsdam, 14473, Germany

    Reinhard F. Hüttl

  4. , Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum GFZ, Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam, Telegrafenberg 309G, Potsdam, 14473, Brandenburg, Germany

    Bernd Uwe Schneider

  5. Universität Bonn, Walter-Flex-Str. 3, Bonn, 53113, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    Joachim von Braun

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Lal, R., Lorenz, K., Hüttl, R.F., Schneider, B.U., von Braun, J. (2013). Societal Dependence on Soil’s Ecosystem Services. In: Lal, R., Lorenz, K., Hüttl, R., Schneider, B., von Braun, J. (eds) Ecosystem Services and Carbon Sequestration in the Biosphere. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6455-2_1

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation