Bridging Human and Environmental Radiological Protection with the Ecosystem Services Approach: A Case Study with Clade Anthophila (Bees)

Abstract

Ecosystem services, the benefits people derive from nature, provides a conceptual structure by which to explicitly characterize and protect the coupled human–nature relationships that are central to human well-being, the integrity of ecosystems, and sustainable development. We suggest the ecosystem services concept may complement and broaden the International Commission on Radiological Protection’s currently established framework of radiological protection (RP) through intentional reflection on the interconnection between people and their environment. As operationalization of an ecosystem services approach is a notable challenge for implementation, we discuss Anthophila (bees) as a model clade for demonstrating how the ecosystem services approach may contribute to the integrated protection of people and the environment across geographies, cultures, and exposure scenarios. Assessing the impacts of radiological contamination and associated decision-making on ecosystem services has the potential to bridge human and environmental RP through adoption of a sustainable development mindset, enhanced stakeholder engagement, and improved decision-making. We provide a framework to describe how a conceptual model to combine the ecosystem services approach with RP could be helpful in supporting holistic and integrated decision-making in certain situations and demonstrate its application to a hypothetical existing exposure situation using bees as a model clade of species.