The impact of nuclear accidents on provisioning ecosystem services

• Need for open-access global monitoring data on radioactive provisioning services.
• Spatial impact mapping requires publication of peer-reviewed monitoring research.
• Communication of research would be improved by standardized research protocols.
• Critical discussions of threshold schemes and risks to human well-being are required.

Nuclear accidents lead to widespread radioactive contamination of ecosystems and related ecosystem services, with potentially serious consequences for human well-being. Based on an initial exploratory analysis of peer-reviewed articles related to Chernobyl and Fukushima, we identified papers which measured increased Cs-137 levels in provisioning ecosystem services. We used a standardized review-protocol to assess (1) whether peer-reviewed science provides sufficient data density and spatial coverage to provide a coherent and comprehensive map of the global impacts of nuclear accidents on provisioning of ecosystem services; (2) whether such impacts are reported in a standardized and reproducible way; and (3) how different safety thresholds affect the availability of food and fodder for human consumption. Based on an initial analysis of approximately 3000 articles, we identified 121 publications that measured Caesium-137 levels in food, fodder and wood. We found that the comprehensive mapping of the impacts of nuclear accidents on provisioning ecosystem services requires a considerable increase in peer-reviewed assessments, including assessment of existing grey literature. Assessments should follow a coherent protocol, providing consistent information on sampling location and the identification of provisioning ecosystem services. There should be a critical dialogue on maximum allowable radiation levels in provisioning ecosystem services and the impacts of such safe appropriation thresholds on human well-being.