Methodological Strategy for the Conservation of Ecosystem Services

Abstract

Ecosystem Services (ES) are the benefits that human beings receive from nature and that contribute to improving the quality of life. However, at present, precisely the human activities through which ES are used are generating negative impacts on ecosystems that hinder their provision. It is a vicious circle that needs to be corrected. To do so, this article, the result of postdoctoral research, proposes an ES sustainability strategy that includes a methodology to assess its status and generates actions to follow in order to contribute to the recovery and conservation of natural resources. The methodology implies identifying the ES of the place of interest, measuring a series of indicators constructed to be applied at home or in the community by the inhabitants of the territory, making an evaluation of them and, according to the results, actions to be followed are generated. In addition, an application is presented to Tocotá, a village in the municipality of Dagua in Valle del Cauca (Colombia) that is characterized by the visit of tourists attracted by the biodiversity of the place, but whose natural resources are being compromised by the activity that it has become the main economic resource of the community.The application of the methodological strategy indicates that the state of the ecosystem services in Tocotá is acceptable, although it is not in bad conditions, actions are suggested for its improvement. This methodological strategy allows identifying the state of ecosystem services in Tocotá, but it is replicable to hydrographic basins with similar conditions.