ID: 1612
Presenting Author: Cesar Ruiz
Session: 552 - Accelerating with Integrity: Strengthening Social Impact Assessment in the face of urgency and misinformation
Status: pending
How the ecosystem services framework can be applied to identify and manage socio-environmental impacts and conflicts in project development.
Ecosystem services are the benefits that nature provides to people and societies. Since the publication of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment in 2005, this concept has served as a theoretical and methodological bridge for analyzing the interdependencies between human systems and ecosystems. It offers robust frameworks for the characterization and valuation of ecosystem services, which are increasingly applied to assess the socio-environmental impacts of infrastructure and development projects. This presentation provides a comprehensive review of best practices in the identification and valuation of ecosystem services, drawing on global case studies. It examines how these methodologies can be effectively used to identify and manage socio-environmental impacts and conflicts associated with project development. Furthermore, it highlights the role of ecosystem service frameworks in enhancing communication and stakeholder engagement during environmental impact assessments, particularly in alignment with international standards such as those of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
Biologist, master’s degree in economy, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences and Sustainability. He has 18 years of international experience in Ecosystem services management.
Coauthor 1: Jose de Jesus Villamizar
Coauthor 2: Jaime Eduardo Alarcon