REFLECTIONS ON ECOSYSTEM SERVICE RESEARCH

Abstract

Through literature review, this article introduces milestones, current situation and focuses, and trends of the ecosystem service research, which concentrates recently on classification, value evaluation, identification of bundles, balance, synergy, and flow simulation of ecosystem services, and their role in decision-making optimization. The research involves several disciplines related to social-ecological interactions, for which the collaboration between different disciplines may facilitate the research by comprehensive considerations on more natural and social factors. In addition, ecosystem service value evaluation provides not only basic information and data for preliminary planning and design, but also a direct evidence for decision-making in social, economic, and management affairs. As a result, more diverse estimation methods should be explored for converting physical amounts into value amounts in ecosystem service value evaluation. Finally, this article proposes that by strengthening research and application of the cascade framework of ecosystem services, landscape architects may play a more important role in ecological construction.