Mapping ecosystem services in a rural landscape dominated by cacao crop: A case study for Los Rios province, Ecuador

Abstract Ecosystem services can be defined as the conditions, processes, and components of the natural environment that provide tangible and intangible benefits for the sustainability of human life. The objective of this study was to experiment with the ECOSER protocol for the mapping of ecosystem services in a rural landscape dominated by cocoa crop to estimate its potential as a mechanism for adaptation to Climate Change. The study was carried out in Los Rios province in Mocache, Baba, Palenque, and Vinces cantons within the framework of the “The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity in Ecuador” project. ECOSER protocol was applied for the evaluation and mapping of ecosystem functions. The analysis integrated several disciplines around ecosystem functions, interactions between them and their vulnerability in climate changing scenarios. Ecosystem function and service maps allowed identifying different areas in the four cantons that could be useful to inform decisions regarding climate change. For example, the resulting spatial distribution of the ecosystem function soil organic carbon showed that 83.64% of the study area, which is dedicated to the production of agricultural crops, had a storage capacity of 125.5 Mg C ha−1; followed by a storage capacity of 244 Mg C ha-1in the area where pastures predominate. The remaining 1.74% of the area is covered with forests and had 583 Mg C ha−1. Conservation and protection of ecosystems require a better understanding of their ability to provide ecosystem services for long-term planning for sustainable development. Therefore, a friendly and easily replicable methodology will be useful for planning in rural landscapes, especially, in contexts where methodologies and information are usually scarce.