A holistic framework for valuing ecosystem services in livestock farming

Abstract

Analysis of socio-ecological systems are anchored on the humans-in-nature concept. Natural systems produce ecosystem services for humans, while social systems interfere in natural systems with positive and negative externalities. Livestock production takes place in a natural ecosystem with various human interventions leading to the production of both ecosystem services and disservices, and hence environmental benefits and costs. Our objective is to identify the main ecosystem services and environmental benefits present in livestock farming and propose a valuation strategy that is potent to provide credible estimates. To this effect, we established an expert working group which: 1) conducted an extensive literature review and identified and prioritized seven ecosystem services and three environmental benefits to value namely, food and feed production, carbon storage and sequestration, microclimatic regulation, soil fertility, habitat for species, aesthetic appreciation, generation/prevention of methane emissions, reduction/aggravation of water footprint, and degradation/preservation of landscapes, and 2) implemented a selection of integral valuation methods (social, economic, and ecological) in several case studies, specifically, evaluation of the reduction of methane emissions in silvopastoral systems with improved forages in beef and dairy production systems in Colombia and Kenya. Further refinement of the integral valuation method will be fundamental for the economic and environmental assessment of different interventions in livestock farming and will close the gaps and improve on some of the limitations of traditional cost-benefit analyses. We observed positive outcomes, where the environmental value prevented from being lost or newly generated due to interventions outweighed the associated implementation costs – leading to high returns on investment. The integral value of ecosystem services and environmental benefits will provide invaluable support for informed decision-making on livestock production options, specific land and ecosystem restoration initiatives, and the potential return on investment for controlling ecosystem degradation or for enhancing ecosystem services.