How do you balance the trade-offs and synergies among different ecosystem services and natural capital goals?

3 How to balance trade-offs and synergies?

Balancing trade-offs and synergies requires a normative and participatory approach that involves defining the desired outcomes and objectives, evaluating the trade-offs and synergies among them, and exploring the options and pathways to achieve them. This involves applying multi-criteria analysis, cost-benefit analysis, optimization models, or other decision-support methods to compare and rank the alternatives, and engaging with stakeholders to negotiate and agree on the trade-offs and synergies that are acceptable, fair, and feasible. Various platforms and tools are available to facilitate this process, such as the InVEST software, the Trade-off Analysis Model for Multi-Dimensional Impact Assessment, and the Ecosystem Services Partnership.

4 How to implement and monitor the balance?

Implementing and monitoring the balance requires a adaptive and collaborative approach that involves designing and executing the actions and interventions to achieve the desired outcomes and objectives, and tracking and evaluating the performance and impacts of these actions and interventions. This involves applying project management, governance, and policy instruments to coordinate and align the actions and interventions across sectors, scales, and actors, and using indicators, feedback loops, and adaptive management cycles to measure and adjust the actions and interventions based on the observed results and changing conditions. Various guidelines and tools are available to support this process, such as the Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation, the Ecosystem-based Management Tools Network, and the Natural Capital Project.