The major task of policy makers and practitioners when confronted with a
resource management problem is to decide on the potential solution(s) to
adopt from a range of available options. However, this process is
unlikely to be successful and cost effective without access to an
independently verified and comprehensive available list of options.
There is currently burgeoning interest in ecosystem services and
quantitative assessments of their importance and value. Recognition of
the value of ecosystem services to human well-being represents an
increasingly important argument for protecting and restoring the natural
environment, alongside the moral and ethical justifications for
conservation. As well as understanding the benefits of ecosystem
services, it is also important to synthesize the practical interventions
that are capable of maintaining and/or enhancing these services. Apart
from pest regulation, pollination, and global climate regulation, this
type of exercise has attracted relatively little attention. Through a
systematic consultation exercise, we identify a candidate list of 296
possible interventions across the main regulating services of air
quality regulation, climate regulation, water flow regulation, erosion
regulation, water purification and waste treatment, disease regulation,
pest regulation, pollination and natural hazard regulation. The range of
interventions differs greatly between habitats and services depending
upon the ease of manipulation and the level of research intensity. Some
interventions have the potential to deliver benefits across a range of
regulating services, especially those that reduce soil loss and maintain
forest cover. Synthesis and applications: Solution scanning is important
for questioning existing knowledge and identifying the range of options
available to researchers and practitioners, as well as serving as the
necessary basis for assessing cost effectiveness and guiding
implementation strategies. We recommend that it become a routine part of
decision making in all environmental policy areas.