Eco-scarcity

This website provides data and tools relevant to assessing the scarcity of ecosystem goods and services that are derived from biodiversity and high quality habitat. In general, the scarcer something is, the more people are willing to pay to increase or prevent a decrease in a good or service, all else equal. Therefore, data and tools presented here may inform assessment of the relative value of alternative investments in conservation and restoration.

Biodiversity - Rarity and Reliability

Biodiversity data include current status of species or ecosystems and conservation priorities. Most of the data in this category show the extent and/or condition of species habitat based on where species have been observed or where they are projected to occur. Some data sources estimate shifting ranges of species in response to climate change or development.

Food Crop Resilience

Food crop resilience data include information about the occurrence and richness of crop wild relatives, which are under threat from land conversion and climate change. Crop wild relatives serve as a source of species information and genetic diversity. Genetic diversity is often needed to develop cultivars that resist novel pathogens or climate stressors in order to promote long-term food reliability. 

Water reliability and scarcity data provide estimates of water supply and demand and the degree to which water demand may exceed supply in the future, based on past trends and climate change. Most of the data directly assess supply available for human uses but can also be applied to evaluate threats to water-dependent ecosystem services.

Climate hazards and mitigation include data and tools for estimating carbon sequestration in soils worldwide and for aggregating multiple climate hazards. Data in this category provide stand-alone climate risk evaluations that can be applied to many types of ecosystems services.