Applying integrated valuation of ecosystem services in Latin America: Insights from 21 case studies

Recent progress in the ecosystem services (ES) approach has been made through the application of integrated valuations of ecosystem services (IVES), which emphasizes social inclusion and incorporates a plurality of values in ES valuations. Given that most of the empirical experience with IVES practice has been in the Global North, we need to understand this practice in other contexts such as the Global South and Latin America. Based on 21 studies that applied IVES approaches, we evaluated how IVES is being implemented in socio-ecological contexts in Latin America and the challenges and ways forward for implementing it in this region. Leaders of the case studies completed a questionnaire that addressed these questions based on an analytical framework. Our case studies demonstrated advances in: integrating socio-cultural and monetary valuations, developing interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches, communicating results, and providing policy recommendations that go beyond economic incentives. However, more efforts are still needed to engage some of the social actors, integrate ecological values, and address value trade-offs and power relations. Challenges and ways forward for implementing IVES approaches can be grouped into five areas: (i) building a culture of transdisciplinary research; (ii) promoting holistic versus split disciplinary valuations; (iii) engaging with environmental and civil society organizations and local leaders; (iv) supporting less powerful social actors and bringing out their voices through the IVES process; and (v) generating new means of communicating multiple perspectives at multiple scales. Our study empirically shows how new paths in socio-ecological contexts in Latin America are opening up to include the complex, conflicting, and diverse views of the importance of nature. We believe that in Latin America, IVES could be framed as participatory action research that empowers less powerful social actors through transdisciplinary and participatory valuation approaches.