Ecosystem services articles from across Nature Portfolio

Wetland conservation is an undervalued strategy for managing flood risk exacerbated by climate change. This study quantifies the impact of wetland loss on flood insurance claims across the USA, revealing a US$10.1 billion increase in claims since 1985. The analysis also highlights regions where conservation benefits outweigh costs, informing land-use policy and insurance pricing.

Different approaches to achieving Target 3 affect distinct and socially diverse populations. These contrasting socioeconomic contexts imply varying challenges and opportunities, underscoring the importance of context-specific, equitable implementation.

Causal inference should quantify the sensitivity of results to hidden confounders (variables affecting both the location of projects and outcomes). The importance of this is illustrated using analysis of over-crediting in REDD+ projects.

Poisonous plants encroachment in grasslands shows stage-dependent ecological thresholds, with early losses in root productivity and biodiversity but partial recovery of multifunctionality beyond 50% coverage, based on analyses of 20 ecosystem variables across 465 standardized field plots.

Ecologists often leverage patterns observed across spatial climate gradients to predict the impacts of climate change (space-for-time substitution). We highlight evidence that this can be misleading not just in the magnitude but in the direction of effects, explain why, and make suggestions for improving the reliability of ecological forecasts.

Cities teem with life, yet urban isolation grows. Microbiologist and urban ecologist Bangxiao Zheng proposes that embracing invisible microbial companions through probiotic urban design and smart technology can help to restore our lost connections — with nature, and with each other.

Ecohydrology integrates hydrological and ecological knowledge to promote the use of water ecosystem properties as innovative management tools (nature-based solutions), aiding water management solutions and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.

A mathematical framework integrates the effect of disturbances on ecosystem services under climate change, and offers a vital tool to incorporate changing disturbance regimes into risk-sensitive decision making.

In 2023–2024, widespread marine heatwaves associated with record ocean temperatures impacted ocean processes, marine species, ecosystems and coastal communities, with economic consequences. Despite warnings, interventions were limited. Proactive strategies are needed for inevitable future events.

Developing new varieties of deep-rooted crops may enhance silicon uptake and agroecosystem services. This enhancement is involved in three vital ecosystem processes: (i) increasing crop silicon uptake in deep horizons where it is more readily available as Si(OH₄), (ii) contributing to storing more stable organic carbon at depth via root decomposition and deep pedogenic pathways, and (iii) accelerating CO₂ transformation into stored or leached alkalinity via deep silicate weathering.