Solution scanning as a key policy tool: identifying management interventions to help maintain and enhance regulating ecosystem services

This research paper proposes 'solution scanning' as a systematic method for identifying environmental interventions to maintain and enhance regulating ecosystem services, providing a comprehensive list of options to improve policy decision-making and cost-effectiveness.

• The authors conducted a systematic consultation exercise that resulted in a candidate list of 296 possible interventions targeting nine main regulating services: air quality regulation, climate regulation, water flow regulation, erosion regulation, water purification and waste treatment, disease regulation, pest regulation, pollination, and natural hazard regulation.
• The availability and type of interventions vary based on the specific habitat, the service being targeted, the ease of manipulation, and the intensity of existing research. Certain interventions, particularly those focused on maintaining forest cover and reducing soil loss, can provide benefits across multiple regulating services.
• The paper argues that solution scanning is a critical tool for challenging current knowledge and establishing the necessary foundation for guiding implementation strategies and assessing cost-effectiveness. The authors suggest that this process should be integrated as a routine element of decision-making across all environmental policy sectors.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2014). Solution scanning as a key policy tool: identifying management interventions to help maintain and enhance regulating ecosystem services. https://www.sei.org/publications/solution-scanning-as-a-key-policy-tool-identifying-management-interventions-to-help-maintain-and-enhance-regulating-ecosystem-services/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Solution scanning as a key policy tool: identifying management interventions to help maintain and enhance regulating ecosystem services. 2014. https://www.sei.org/publications/solution-scanning-as-a-key-policy-tool-identifying-management-interventions-to-help-maintain-and-enhance-regulating-ecosystem-services/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Solution scanning as a key policy tool: identifying management interventions to help maintain and enhance regulating ecosystem services |date=14 May 2014 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/solution-scanning-as-a-key-policy-tool-identifying-management-interventions-to-help-maintain-and-enhance-regulating-ecosystem-services/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2014solution, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Solution scanning as a key policy tool: identifying management interventions to help maintain and enhance regulating ecosystem services}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2014}, month = may, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/solution-scanning-as-a-key-policy-tool-identifying-management-interventions-to-help-maintain-and-enhance-regulating-ecosystem-services/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }