Toward a conceptual approach for assessing risks from chemical mixtures and other stressors to coastal ecosystem services

Abstract

Growth of human populations and increased human activity, particularly in coastal areas, increase pressure on coastal ecosystems and the ecosystem services (ES) they provide. As a means toward being able to assess the impact of multiple stressors on ES, in the present study we propose an 8‐step conceptual approach for assessing effects of chemical mixtures and other stressors on ES in coastal areas: step A, identify the relevant problems and policy aims; step B, identify temporal and spatial boundaries; step C, identify relevant ES; step D, identify relevant stressors (e.g., chemicals); step E, translate impacts into ES units; step F, assess cumulative risk in ES units; step G, rank stressors based on their contribution to adverse effects on ES; and step H, implement regulation and management as appropriate and necessary. Two illustrative case studies (Swedish coastal waters and a coastal lagoon in Costa Rica) are provided; one focuses on chemicals that affect human food supply and the other addresses pesticide runoff and trade‐offs among ES. The 2 cases are used to highlight challenges of such risk assessments, including use of standardized versus ES‐relevant test species, data completeness, and trade‐offs among ES. Lessons learned from the 2 case studies are discussed in relation to environmental risk assessment and management of chemical mixtures. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2017;13:376–386. © 2016 SETAC

Towards Sustainable Environmental Quality: Priority Research Questions for the Australasian Region of Oceania

“…Aided by answering other priority research questions identified in the current paper, developing fundamental understanding of the specific Mode of Action (MOAs) of these chemicals will help determine their combined effects. However, the data generated need to be supported within ecological risk assessment models that are able to accurately predict cumulative effects, including ecosystems services (Syberg et al 2017). Herein, future research at the intersections of ecological stoichiometry and toxicology (i.e., how nutrition can affect the toxicity of contaminants, how contaminants can influence nutrient dynamics, or how nutrients can influence toxins production) promises to support an understanding of interactive effects of anthropogenic contaminants and algal toxins in nutrientenriched systems (Conine and Frost 2016).…”

Learned Discourse: Timely Scientific Opinions

“…However, I pointed out that this is also an ecosystem loss to humans in terms of food production because pesticides and fertilizers adversely affect spawning anadromous salmons in adjacent streams. Similarly in Costa Rica, the world's second largest producer of bananas, intensely farmed monocultures involving large applications of pesticides have resulted in significant transfers of pesticides and fertilizers into adjacent waterbodies, adversely affecting the resident biota (Syberg et al 2017).…”

Assessing and managing multiple risks in a changing world—The Roskilde recommendations

“…Clearly, conflicts of interest will occur; for example, an alternative solution may result in adverse effects to 1 ecosystem service, whereas another may benefit when the alternative is chosen. Syberg et al provide a case study of conflicting ecosystem services, specifically banana plantations benefiting from applying pesticides to their crops (e.g., increased terrestrial food production), while pesticide runoff from those plantations affects downstream ecosystems (e.g., reduced aquatic food production).…”

“…Some of them are new; others are well known but not generally adopted. Two additional articles resulting from the workshop, published in the journal Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management and cited herein, provide relevant case studies and additional supportive information [1][2].…”

“…Clearly, conflicts of interest will occur; for example, an alternative solution may result in adverse effects to 1 ecosystem service, whereas another may benefit when the alternative is chosen. Syberg et al [2] provide a case study of conflicting ecosystem services, specifically banana plantations benefiting from applying pesticides to their crops A hypothetical example of risk assessment and risk management of multiple stressors under changing environmental conditions relative to a defined protection goal. The process must be transparent ( Figure 2) with cross-sectoral information flow (i.e., horizontal integration) based on the common currency of ecosystem services ( Figure 1).…”