The role of cultural services for sustainability in threatened deserts

STUDENT WEBINAR IN BIODIVERSITY AND EVOLUTION – CIBIO-InBIO 

Deserts face some of the highest biodiversity and ecosystem services loss rates due to natural resources overexploitation, conflict, and conservation underfunding. Yet, their potential to provide benefits to people remain understudied. Increased research for analysing the role of cultural ecosystem services (CES) supply and for understanding which countries need to strengthen efforts to satisfy people’s demand for such services is timely needed. I will show the performance of countries within the Earth’s largest warm region – the Sahara-Sahel – in supplying and managing CES. Using updated databases on biodiversity features and constrains to CES supply and on socio-economic indicators, we identified national priorities for CES management. We also identified countries that are missing opportunities for local development. Our results can improve the socio-economic conditions of local societies while enhancing the benefits ecosystems derive to people. The approach developed here serves as a framework for conserving the last wild ecosystems of the world.

Frederico is in the 4th year of the BIODIV Doctoral Programme. He has published many works in the fields of ecotourism and conservation biology. He is a reviewer in tourism journals and is a member of The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), of the IUCN Tourism and Protected Areas Specialist Group (TAPAS), and of the EcoClub.

[Host: José Carlos Brito, BIODESERTS]