A Guide to Selecting Ecosystem Service Models for Decision-Making: Lessons from Sub-Saharan Africa

This guide was developed for technical advisors to government officials, business people, investors, and others who need to draw on ecosystem assessments to inform decision-making. It assesses several types of ecosystem service modeling tool, discusses issues involved in modeling ecosystem services, and provides guidance on how to choose the right model to address a specific policy question. It especially targets advisors and decision-makers in developing countries who are not experts in ecosystem service modeling and who have limited information and technical resources but must make decisions about natural resource management in relation to ecosystem services.