Changing ecosystem service values following technological change

Area of Science:

• Urban Ecology
• Ecosystem Services
• Environmental Technology

Background:

• Ecosystem services research traditionally focuses on natural areas, overlooking urban contexts and technological interactions.
• A prevailing view suggests technology can replace natural ecosystem services, particularly when engineered systems offer superior performance.
• Urban ecology and design increasingly explore integrating natural and built infrastructures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To challenge the notion of a trade-off between natural and technological capital in ecosystem services.
• To demonstrate the complementary relationship between technological advancements and ecosystem management.
• To investigate how technological change influences the value and co-evolution of urban ecosystem services.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis of existing literature on ecosystem services and technological substitution.
• Case study analysis of Barcelona, Spain, focusing on water treatment technology integration.
• Assessment of the impact of engineered systems on the value of co-located ecosystem services.

Main Results:

• The study refutes the idea of an inevitable trade-off, finding technology and ecosystem management to be complementary.
• Barcelona's water treatment technology installation led to increased value of local ecosystem services.
• Complementarity between natural and built infrastructures persists even when ecosystems are directly impacted by technology.

Conclusions:

• Technological innovation and ecosystem management are mutually reinforcing, not mutually exclusive.
• The value of ecosystem services can co-evolve with new technologies, creating new opportunities for value harnessing.
• Urban engineered structures can increase reliance on, rather than diminish the importance of, ecosystem processes.