About

The Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP) aims to enhance communication, coordination and cooperation, and to build a strong network of individuals and organizations. ESP enhances and encourages a diversity of approaches, while reducing unnecessary duplication of effort in the conceptualization and application of ecosystem services. By raising the profile of ecosystem services and promoting better practice, the ES-Partnership will also increase o pportunities for financial support and help focus the funding of individual organizations for more efficient utilization of existing funds.

ESP was launched in 2008 by the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics (University of Vermont, USA) and is now being coordinated by the Foundation for Sustainable Development (Wageningen, The Netherlands). ESP is a membership based organisation, both  institutional and individual members can subscribe. The Partnership has a specified governance structure and Executive committee.

In 2006 ESP started to organise yearly conferences about ecosystem services. Since 2016 ESP shifted to bi-annual World Conferences  with Regional Conferences in the intermediate years. The previous ESP8 World Conference was in Shenzhen, China in 2017.

In 2016, the ESP Asia Regional Office was established in Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea due to active support by the Gyeonggi provincial government and Asian ESP members after the inaugural ESP Asian Regional Conference. The Asia Office is located close to DMZ (demilitarized zone between South and North Korea), resonating the meaning of “Nature for Peace” in transboundary areas. The ESP Asia Regional Office is organising this ESP Asia Regional Conference 2018.

Aim

The ESP Regional Conferences offer an unique opportunity to share experiences with the ecosystem service community within the region. This way, regional networks can be strengthened and local participation is encouraged.

In 2018 ESP organises various other Regional Conferences.

Acknowledgements

We are very grateful to our local host, the Wildlife Institue of India for their willingness to host and co-organise this second regional conference in Asia.

Copyright

FSD 2018 ©

Background picture: Bruno Locatelli©, license CC BY-NC 4.0.