scholarly journals Towards implementing Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services in Cyprus: A first set of indicators for ecosystem management

One Ecosystem ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioannis Vogiatzakis ◽  
Savvas Zotos ◽  
Vassilis Litskas ◽  
Paraskevi Manolaki ◽  
Dimitrios Sarris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Ecosystem Management ◽  
Selection Criteria ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Traffic Light ◽  
Local Stakeholders ◽  
Geographical Context ◽  
The Eu

Ecosystems deliver a range of services that are important for human well-being. Although Ecosystem Services (ES) assessments have been carried out worldwide in different geographical areas, islands are still under-represented. This research presents the first set of indicators developed for Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES) provided by the ecosystems of Cyprus, as required by the EU Biodiversity Strategy, along with the rationale behind the selection criteria. In total, 269 potential indicators were assessed in terms of data availability at the national/subnational level and their suitability for MAES and were classified using a "traffic light" system on the basis of overall suitability (i.e. conceptually and in terms of datasets). The results showed that 89 indicators (Green indicators) can be directly used for assessing ES in Cyprus. Amongst these 89 Green indicators, 28 are considered to be new additions to the EU MAES list, since they were proposed solely for Cyprus ecosystems, as a result of consultation with local stakeholders. Provisioning and cultural services could be adequately mapped, but lack of data was observed for several regulating services (e.g. erosion, pollution, carbon sequestration). Not all Green indicators, identified herein, are relevant for assessing ES provided by ecosystems in Cyprus, whereas Green indicators which measure similar ES might be redundant. For a given geographical context, there might be relevant (and important) indicators which are not included in the MAES list and this is why consultation with stakeholders is advisable. Knowledge gaps and needs for further improving MAES on the island are also discussed.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Equity and Regional Management of Some Urban Green Space Ecosystem Services: A Case Study of Main Urban Area of Xi’an City

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 813
Author(s):  
Hui Dang ◽  
Jing Li ◽  
Yumeng Zhang ◽  
Zixiang Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Urban Green Space ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Deposition Flux ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Xi’An City

Urban green spaces can provide many types of ecosystem services for residents. An imbalance in the pattern of green spaces leads to an inequality of the benefits of such spaces. Given the current situation of environmental problems and the basic geographical conditions of Xi’an City, this study evaluated and mapped four kinds of ecosystem services from the perspective of equity: biodiversity, carbon sequestration, air purification, and climate regulation. Regionalization with dynamically constrained agglomerative clustering and partitioning (REDCAP) was used to obtain the partition groups of ecosystem services. The results indicate that first, the complexity of the urban green space community is low, and the level of biodiversity needs to be improved. The dry deposition flux of particulate matter (PM2.5) decreases from north to south, and green spaces enhance the adsorption of PM2.5. Carbon sequestration in the south and east is higher than that in the north and west, respectively. The average surface temperature in green spaces is lower than that in other urban areas. Second, urban green space resources in the study area are unevenly distributed. Therefore, ecosystem services in different areas are inequitable. Finally, based on the regionalization of integrated ecosystem services, an ecosystem services cluster was developed. This included 913 grid spaces, 12 partitions, and 5 clusters, which can provide a reference for distinct levels of ecosystem services management. This can assist urban managers who can use these indicators of ecosystem service levels for planning and guiding the overall development pattern of green spaces. The benefits would be a maximization of the ecological functions of green spaces, an improvement of the sustainable development of the city, and an improvement of people’s well-being.

scholarly journals Incorporating Ecosystem Services in the Assessment of Water Framework Directive Programmes of Measures

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioannis Souliotis ◽  
Nikolaos Voulvoulis
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Water Framework Directive ◽  
Water Status ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Ecological Condition ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
Ecological Objectives ◽  
The Eu

AbstractThe EU Water Framework Directive requires the development of management responses aimed towards improving water quality as a result of improving ecosystem health (system state). Ecosystems have potential to supply a range of services that are of fundamental importance to human well-being, health, livelihoods and survival, and their capacity to supply these services depends on the ecosystem condition (its structure and processes). According to the WFD, Programmes of Measures should be developed to improve overall water status by reducing anthropogenic catchment pressures to levels compatible with the achievement of the ecological objectives of the directive, and when designed and implemented properly should improve the ecological condition of aquatic ecosystems that the delivery of ecosystem services depends on. Monitoring and evaluation of implemented measures are crucial for assessing their effectiveness and creating the agenda for consecutive planning cycles. Considering the challenges of achieving water status improvements, and the difficulties of communicating these to the wider public, we develop a framework for the evaluation of measures cost-effectiveness that considers ecosystem services as the benefits from the reduction of pressures on water bodies. We demonstrate its application through a case study and discuss its potential to facilitate the economic analysis required by the directive, and that most European water authorities had problems with. Findings demonstrate the potential of the methodology to effectively incorporate ecosystem services in the assessment of costs and benefits of proposed actions, as well as its potential to engage stakeholders.

scholarly journals Exploring Connections among Ecosystem Services Supply, Demand and Human Well-Being in a Mountain-Basin System, China

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (15) ◽  
pp. 5309
Author(s):  
Bojie Wang ◽  
Haiping Tang ◽  
Qin Zhang ◽  
Fengqi Cui
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Spatial Data ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Demand And Supply ◽  
The Public ◽  
Forest Recreation ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Basin Area ◽  
Provisioning Services

Stakeholder perception and supply–demand relations are the main challenges and future directions for research on ecosystem services (ES). Based on spatial data and statistical data, we mapped eight key ES supply between 2005–2015 in the Huailai mountain-basin area. Using data from 507 survey questionnaires, we identified the ES demand and the public perceptions of the changes in ES. In addition, we also reveal the characteristics of the spatial distribution of ES demand, analyze the spatial supply–demand matching of ES, and explore the relationships between ES supply–demand and human well-being. From 2005 to 2015, a general upward trend was observed in the supply of four types of product provisioning services, which is different from the trend perceived by the stakeholders. An increasing trend was observed for carbon sequestration and forest recreation, which was in line with the perceptions of change. A spatial mismatch existed between the ES demand and supply, whereby the supply of carbon sequestration, soil conservation, habitat quality, and forest recreation services exceeded the demand in townships in the mountainous and hilly regions. On the other hand, townships located in the valley plains experienced a high imbalance between the demand and the supply. For the four types of product provisioning services, most towns and villages showed a balance in demand and supply. Linking ES supply–demand and human well-being showed that a threshold may exist in the supply–demand imbalance of regulating and supporting services before it begins to impact human well-being. Our study would enrich the theory and methodology research on relationships between ecosystem services and human well-being, and support knowledge to land allocation and management.

scholarly journals Towards integrated mapping and assessment of ecosystems and their services in Bulgaria: The Central Balkan case study

One Ecosystem ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. e25428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stoyan Nedkov ◽  
Bilyana Borisova ◽  
Boian Koulov ◽  
Miglena Zhiyanski ◽  
Svetla Bratanova-Doncheva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Contingent Valuation Method ◽  
Economic Valuation ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Assessment Methods ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Valuation Method ◽  
The Eu

The aim of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 isto maintain and enhance ecosystem services (ES) in Europe and requires all Member States to map and assess the state of ecosystems and their services in the respective national territories. The EU-funded project ESMERALDA analyses ES mapping and assessment methods and approaches in their biophysical, social and economical perspectives, as well as their application in different case studies. The project also aims at the development of an integrated and consistent assessment framework. In Bulgaria, methodological guides for evaluation and mapping of the services provided by the nine main types of ecosystems have been prepared together with the respective proposals for their implementation in the national assessment. The Bulgarian research team analyses and tests various aspects of ecosystem services mapping and assessment, such as alternative economic assessments, multi-criteria analyses and biophysical assessment approaches, mapping challenges and local population surveys. In this paper paper, we review the ES activities in Bulgaria and present selected mapping and assessment methods tested in the Central Balkan case study area. It provides relevant examples for the implementation of integrated mapping and assessment of ecosystem services at local and regional level, where different mapping approaches and techniques are embedded within diverse policy contexts. The main goal of the study is to investigate how the assessment results can support the integration of the ecological functions of the Central Balkan National Park with the economic opportunities that it creates for the local and regional communities. A tiered approach has been used to organise the mapping and assessment exercises in the study area, in order to meet the needs for integrated ecosystem assessment and overcome the limitations of data availability. At tier 1, the study performs identification and initial ES mapping of the whole area. At tier 2, it applies economic valuation for the Municipality of Karlovo by using statistical data and the contingent valuation method. At tier 3, the investigation applies modelling methods to assess carbon storage and flood regulation on a larger scale. The results are presented in the form of maps at all levels, which use a uniform 0 to 5 assessment scale. The integrated approach presented here ensures a clear communication of the end results to the respective decision-makers.

scholarly journals Integration of Ecosystem Services and Green and Blue Infrastructures Concepts in the Land Use Planning Process: The Coimbra Case Study

Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 90
Author(s):  
Luís Valença Pinto ◽  
Carla Sofia Santos Ferreira ◽  
Paulo Pereira ◽  
Sander Jacobs ◽  
Ieva Misiune ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Land Use Planning ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
National Level ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Eu

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) initiated in 2001 aims to assess the impacts of human pressure on ecosystem services (ES) and human well-being. Since then, the ES have been a worldwide concern, namely regarding to biodiversity loss and land use management (MA, 2005). The EU 2010 Biodiversity Baseline Report stated that 65% of habitats of EU importance were in an unfavorable conservation status, mainly due to anthropic activities over time (EEA, 2010). As a consequence, in 2011, the EU adopted the Biodiversity Strategy to 2020, requiring all Member States to actively work towards stopping the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services by 2020, and to restore ecosystems. ES are particularly relevant in urban areas, where most population is concentrated and expected to reach almost 70% of the total population by 2050 (UN-DESA, 2018). Strategically planned urban Green and Blue Infrastructures (GBI) can be designed and implemented in cities to effectively provide a wide range of ES, relevant to address urban sustainability and resilience to climate change, and thus effectively contribute to stop and revert ES deterioration and loss. However, the integration of ES and GBI concepts into national, regional and local policies and plans, and their effectiveness to implement the EU Biodiversity Strategy, is still a major challenge. This paper aims to analyze the horizontal and vertical integration of the ES and GBI concepts in the Portuguese policies and land use planning, at national, regional and local levels, focusing on the municipality of Coimbra. Among the 19 documents analyzed, most of them are defined at national level (12) and 6 of them are defined at local level. At the regional level, only one single plan is available, although it is still not officially approved and published, despite started being prepared in 1991. This regional situation mirrors the current status of the Portuguese administrative levels, which was triggered by the negative result of the 1998 referendum on the regionalization process. This referendum prevented necessary changes in the administrative divisions, so that current regional divisions do not reflect the economic, demographic and cultural realities of the country, having been emptied of administrative powers. The analysis shows a strong integration of the ES and GBI concepts at the national level, but the vertical coordination shows that plenty of work needs to be done to fully embrace the ES and GBI concepts. This research was performed in the UrbanGaia project, funded through the ERA-net BiodivERsA 3 2015 call under grants BRAIN-be BR/175/A1/URBANGAIA-BE (Belgium); 01LC1616A (Germany); S-BIODIVERSA-17-17-1 (Lithuania), and BIODIVERSA/0008/2015 (Portugal).

scholarly journals Urban Ecosystem Services (UES) Assessment within a 3D-Virtual Environment: A Methodological Approach for the Larger Urban Zones (LUZ) of Naples (Italy)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Cerreta ◽  
Roberta Mele ◽  
Giuliano Poli
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Spatial Configuration ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Urban Ecosystem ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Urban Structure ◽  
Urban Ecosystem Services ◽  
3D Virtual Environment

The complexity of urban spatial configuration, which affects human-well being and landscape functioning, needs acquisition and 3d visualisation data to inform decision-making process better. One of the main challenges in sustainability research is to conceive spatial models which are capable of adapting to changes in scale and recalibrating the related indicators depending on the degree of detail and data availability. In this perspective, the inclusion of the third dimension into Urban Ecosystem Services (UES) assessment studies highlights the details of urban structure-function relationships, improves modelling and visualisation of data and impacts, aiding decision-makers to localise, assess and manage urban development strategies. The main goal of the proposed framework concerns mapping, evaluating and planning of the UES within a 3d-virtual environment to improve the visualisation of the spatial relationships among the services allocation and the urban fabric density.

scholarly journals Adequacy of ecosystem services assessment tools and approaches to current policy needs and gaps in the European Union Overseas entities

One Ecosystem ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewan Trégarot ◽  
Pierre Failler
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Decision Support ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Integrated Modelling ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Current Policy ◽  
Decision Supporting ◽  
The Eu

The paper presents the current policy needs and gaps identified in the European Union (EU) Outermost Regions and Overseas Countries and Territories to implement Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystem and their Services (MAES) methodology. Then, a selection of the most appropriate tools and methods for mapping and assessing ecosystem services (biophysical, economic, socio-cultural – and decision-support) is provided to address local needs. Using a performance matrix to assess the effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of these tools, key factors required to facilitate the implementation of an ecosystem services framework are identified by considering local needs and possibilities in terms of data availability, mapping support, ecosystem services assessment and decision-support. Our results show how effective and accurate various methods (e.g. process-based models, integrated modelling and most Decision-Supporting Tools) can be, or how efficient other methods are (e.g. value transfer, spatial proxy methods and replacement cost) in data-scarce regions. Participatory approaches score well in terms of sustainability as they allow the assessment of multiple ecosystem services (covering the biophysical, economic and social-cultural components of the assessment) with local stakeholders' contribution, therefore contributing to the awareness-raising dimension. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, there is a need for flexible, guidance-based ecosystem services mapping and assessment approaches in the EU Overseas entities to facilitate MAES implementation and to adapt and integrate those methods into scenario analysis and decision-supporting tools for better uptake of MAES outputs at the decision-making and policy levels in the EU Overseas entities.

scholarly journals Identifying representative case studies for ecosystem services mapping and assessment across Europe

One Ecosystem ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. e25382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide Geneletti ◽  
Blal Adem Esmail ◽  
Chiara Cortinovis
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Stages Of Development ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
The Eu

A key task in the ESMERALDA project dealt with identifying appropriate case studies to test the 'flexible methodology' in its different stages of development. Case studies consist of working examples in which mapping and assessment of ecosystem services were applied to address specific decision-making problems. Testing is understood as an iterative process of co-learning that involves project partners and stakeholders, enabling the refinement of the 'flexible methodology' and the development of guidelines to support its application. Testing is conducted through a series of workshops in different European contexts, each addressing a different set of themes and regions. This paper illustrates the selection of case studies for testing the ESMERALDA 'flexible methodology' in its different stages of development. Particularly, case studies had to be selected in such a way that they are representative of: (i) the variety of existing conditions across the EU, in terms of data availability, spatial scale, levels of implementation of EU 2020 targets and expertise and experience in ES mapping and assessment; (ii) the geographical regions and biomes of the entire EU, including marine areas and the outermost regions; (iii) the variety of cross-EU themes relevant for ecosystem services, such as the Common Agricultural Policy, Green Infrastructure, Natura 2000 network, forestry strategy, water policy, energy, business and industry sectors and health; (iv) the variety of policy and planning processes that can be used to mainstream ecosystem services in real-life decisions, such as spatial and land use planning, water resource management, flooding under the EU climate adaptation action, energy policy, strategic environmental assessment, protected area planning.

scholarly journals Applying the ecosystem services concept to poverty alleviation: the need to disaggregate human well-being

2011 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 370-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
TIM DAW ◽  
KATRINA BROWN ◽  
SERGIO ROSENDO ◽  
ROBERT POMEROY
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Poverty Alleviation ◽  
Stakeholder Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Unequal Distribution ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Selection Of

SUMMARYThe concept of ecosystem services (ES), the benefits humans derive from ecosystems, is increasingly applied to environmental conservation, human well-being and poverty alleviation, and to inform the development of interventions. Payments for ecosystem services (PES) implicitly recognize the unequal distribution of the costs and benefits of maintaining ES, through monetary compensation from ‘winners’ to ‘losers’. Some research into PES has examined how such schemes affect poverty, while other literature addresses trade-offs between different ES. However, much evolving ES literature adopts an aggregated perspective of humans and their well-being, which can disregard critical issues for poverty alleviation. This paper identifies four issues with examples from coastal ES in developing countries. First, different groups derive well-being benefits from different ES, creating winners and losers as ES, change. Second, dynamic mechanisms of access determine who can benefit. Third, individuals' contexts and needs determine how ES contribute to well-being. Fourth, aggregated analyses may neglect crucial poverty alleviation mechanisms such as cash-based livelihoods. To inform the development of ES interventions that contribute to poverty alleviation, disaggregated analysis is needed that focuses on who derives which benefits from ecosystems, and how such benefits contribute to the well-being of the poor. These issues present challenges in data availability and selection of how and at which scales to disaggregate. Disaggregation can be applied spatially, but should also include social groupings, such as gender, age and ethnicity, and is most important where inequality is greatest. Existing tools, such as stakeholder analysis and equity weights, can improve the relevance of ES research to poverty alleviation.

Monetäre Bewertung von Ökosystemleistungen: eine kritische Sicht auf einige Kritiken (Essay)

2017 ◽  
Vol 168 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Elsasser
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Decision ◽  
Monetary Valuation ◽  
Intrinsic Values ◽  
Ethical Norms ◽  
Valuation Of Ecosystem Services ◽  
Environmental Valuations

Monetary valuation of ecosystem services: a critical view of some critiques (essay) Diverse objections against the monetary valuation of ecosystem services are being raised in transdisciplinary discussions as well as in the scientific literature. The monetary valuation is said to overlook nature's intrinsic values, to infringe ethical norms, to narrow down perspectives to economic welfare alone, or even to nothing but material well-being, to stimulate the commercialisation of nature – conversely, others criticize that it fails exactly in this respect –, to favour social inequality, and to rely upon undependable methods. This essay questions the cogency of these criticisms and highlights some prejudices and misconceptions, often rooted in an erroneous understanding of the function of environmental valuations in the political decision process.

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