What this paper found
A theory paper exploring why different species support different ecosystem functions. Maximising one ecosystem function might asymptote with three species, where adding a fourth species delivers no more of that function. But maximising two different ecosystem functions, each driven by different species, requires more species to cover both. As an applied example: maximising carbon storage might need one set of three species; maximising carbon sequestration might need a different set of three; covering both might need all four together.
How this informs belian.earth’s work
Forest carbon projects often optimise for a single function, usually carbon storage. This paper, on which Chris was senior author, sets out the theory for why that approach leaves wider co-benefits on the table. When local communities value flood protection, clean water, and other services alongside carbon (see Boul Lefeuvre et al. 2022, also on this page), forest design needs more species, not fewer. Directly relevant to the biodiversity-credit frameworks belian.earth increasingly works alongside.
Frequently asked questions
Why does maximising ecosystem services require high species diversity?
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Research published in Trends in Plant Science found that no single species contributes to all ecosystem functions. Maximising multiple ecosystem services simultaneously requires greater species diversity than optimising any single function, because different species drive different processes. For forest carbon projects, this means that biodiverse restoration designs are more likely to deliver the full range of co-benefits that nature finance increasingly demands.
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Citation
Slade, E.M. et al. (2019). When Do More Species Maximize More Ecosystem Services?. Trends in Plant Science. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2019.06.014