Fernando Rodríguez López

Monetary ecosystem service (ES) valuations often differ across studies even when similar methods are applied because available data implicitly determine which biophysical, management, and demand-side drivers are represented. These implicit “valuation boundaries” are rarely reported, limiting comparability, evidence synthesis, and benefit transfer. We propose a logic-chain-based reporting framework that makes valuation boundaries explicit through determinant coverage disclosure. The framework combines an ecosystem-specific reference template, which organizes value determinants into service-specific logic chains spanning supply (nature and management) and demand (beneficiaries and socio-economic modifiers), with a reporting overlay that identifies represented determinants and key omissions for each monetary estimate. Rather than replacing existing valuation guidance, it complements current practice by improving transparency under realistic data constraints. We demonstrate the framework using vineyard agroecosystems in Castilla y León (Spain). Based on available regional data, we estimate standardized monetary values (€/ha/year, 2023) for selected provisioning, regulating, and cultural ecosystem services and report valuation-boundary profiles alongside each estimate. Additional vineyard-level observations illustrate how incorporating local information narrows valuation boundaries and changes the interpretation of results. The framework provides a reusable reporting structure that can improve transparency, support valuation databases, facilitate evidence synthesis, and enhance the reliability of benefit transfer applications.

Landslides pose a major threat to people and economic assets across pan-Europe, particularly in mountainous regions where settlements and transport networks are located in landslide-prone areas. Among the natural and structural factors influencing slope stability, vegetation plays a role in reducing landslide susceptibility and contributes to the ecosystem service of landslide mitigation. This study develops a transferable framework to assess this service by isolating the modelled contribution of vegetation to susceptibility reduction, and then to estimate its economic value by applying a replacement cost method. We combine GIS analysis with Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) modelling trained on recorded landslide events, with models stratified by slope, road proximity, and lithology to reduce masking effects. Current vegetation is compared with an artificial-cover counterfactual scenario to estimate relative mitigation capacity. The economic valuation is estimated using a replacement cost method. The model is then fed with European data, to find that forests show the strongest mitigation signal, followed by shrublands, while pastures and agricultural areas provide lower protection. Mitigation capacity declines with increasing slope steepness and is further affected by lithology. Combining different unit-cost estimates and discount rates to represent a wide valuation range we obtain a range of annual values between EUR 9.85 ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ and EUR 7,352.88 ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. By linking susceptibility modelling and replacement-cost methods, this framework provides a complementary perspective for ecosystem service valuation, useful for spatial planning and landslide risk-reduction strategies.

Monetary ecosystem service (ES) valuations often diverge across studies and locations even when similar valuation approaches are applied. A key reason is that applied valuations frequently rely on opportunistic datasets and proxies, which implicitly determine which biophysical, management, and demand-side drivers are represented in the valuation workflow. Because this “valuation boundary” is rarely disclosed in a structured way, readers and evidence users have limited ability to interpret differences across estimates, assess comparability, or support evidence synthesis and benefit transfer. We propose a logic-chain-based reporting framework that makes valuation boundaries explicit through determinant coverage disclosure. The framework combines an ecosystem-specific reference template that catalogues services and organizes value determinants in service-specific logic chains spanning supply (nature and management) and demand (beneficiaries and socio-economic modifiers), and a reporting overlay that links each monetary estimate to the template by highlighting represented determinants and listing key omissions. The approach is designed to be feasible under real-world data constraints and to complement, rather than replace, standard valuation guidance. We demonstrate the framework for vineyard agroecosystems in Castilla y León (Spain). Using a data-driven valuation set-up based on available regional information, we estimate monetary values (€/ha/year, standardized to 2023) for a subset of provisioning, regulating, and cultural services and report service-specific valuation-boundary profiles alongside each estimate. A small set of vineyard-level observations illustrates how additional local information can narrow reported boundaries and change interpretation of values. The outputs include a reusable vineyard template, monetary results, and boundary profiles that can support screening and stratification in valuation databases and synthesis exercises.

Protected areas in Latin America are typically surrounded by ranching landscapes, where large carnivores such as the jaguar (Panthera onca), co‐habit with ranchers, which potentially causes negative interactions. It is crucial, however, recognize that effective coexistence hinges on developing conservation policies that not only address these negative interactions but also embrace the diversity of the landowners' perspectives, aligning with the preferences of communities to prevent conservation conflicts. In this study, we conducted discrete choice experiments (DCE) with 196 ranchers in five localities in the Calakmul region to assess their preferences about four key attributes related to jaguar conservation: percentage of forests, livestock management practices, the number of desired jaguars and the willingness to invest in measures that promote coexistence between livestock and jaguars. Our research reveals that ranchers' preferences are diverse. Some favour increased forest cover and silvopastoral ranching, while others prefer reduced forest areas and the absence of jaguars. To address these diverse viewpoints and promote positive preferences, we must develop a comprehensive strategy considering the full spectrum of needs and preferences. Therefore, conservation incentives must be designed to address local communities' fundamental needs, such as education, healthcare, women's empowerment and cultural preservation. Participatory diagnostics involving local communities are imperative to accurately identify these needs. The observed heterogeneity of preferences in our study emphasizes the importance of integrating these diverse perspectives into conservation policies for a more balanced and equitable distribution of resources. Our findings demonstrate the value of DCEs in providing valuable information for developing more effective and socially acceptable jaguar conservation policies that consider diverse perspectives and the people's characteristics in our sample population. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

The domestication of vines started in Asia 11,000 years ago, although it was not until the 19th century that oenology was established as a scientific discipline thanks to the research of Louis Pasteur on the role of microorganisms in wine fermentation. At the present time, the progression in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies is helping to facilitate the identification of microbial dynamics during winemaking. These advancements have aided winemakers in gaining a more comprehensive understanding of the role of microbiota in the fermentation process, which, in turn, is ultimately responsible for the delivery of provisioning (wine features and its production), regulating (such as carbon storage by vineyards, regulation of soil quality, and biocontrol of pests and diseases) or cultural (such as aesthetic values of vineyard landscapes, scholarly enjoyment of wine, and a sense of belonging in wine-growing regions) ecosystem services. To our knowledge, this is the first review of the state of knowledge on the role of microbiota in the delivery of ecosystem services in the wine sector, as well as the possibility of valuing them in monetary terms by operating logic chains, such as those suggested by the SEEA-EA framework. This paper concludes with a review of management practices that may enhance the value of microbiota ecosystem services and the role of smart farming in this task.

En esta comunicación se revisan los programas e intervenciones que se han puesto en marcha en las diferentes Comunidades Autónomas españolas desde 2015, tanto a nivel regional como en la esfera local, con el fin de analizar la forma en la que se han incorporado los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible en la planificación y la operativa de las entidades políticas de alcance local y regional. El objetivo es poder identificar las principales iniciativas y lecciones aprendidas, con el fin de elaborar una base de buenas prácticas que permita contribuir, desde una perspectiva analítica y universitaria, al logro de los propósitos de la Agenda 2030 de Naciones Unidas por medio de las acciones locales y descentralizadas.

Microfinance institutions (MFIs) are usually driven by a twofold orientation defined by a set of financial and social aims. To date there is no consensus on how these two orientations are connected, nor on what is the best method to evaluate performance. The introduction of social elements to measure the degree of success in recent years led to several evaluation approaches with different combinations of social and financial standards. MFIs are constrained by limited budgets to carry out performance evaluations, and they might have to choose among different assessment methodologies. This study aims to identify the preferred standard-based methods to undertake microfinance performance evaluations in Bolivia. Our findings show that microfinance institutions focus mainly on assessment and rating; the SPI4 is the most widely used method to undertake performance evaluations, followed by credit rating. Most microfinance institutions conduct social performance evaluations in collaboration with external consultants.

Microfinance regulation is a complex and constantly evolving topic, comprising many and very diverse issues which, moreover, are treated differently by legal systems. This paper suggests a novel comprehensive analysis structure that may serve as a benchmark to analyse different regulation frameworks for microfinance, based on the international guidelines provided by the Association of Supervisors of Banks of the Americas, the Basel Committee for Banking Supervision, and the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor. This structure is then used to compare and relate the regulations of 17 Latin American and Caribbean countries.