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How to analyse ecosystem services in landscapes—A systematic review
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October 2016
... Geofunctionality relates geodiversity to human activities, which can range from conservation to exploitation or artificialization. Indeed, "land" planning might be defined as the systematic and voluntary assessment of alternatives for land use and a territorial repartition of resources reflecting socioeconomic conditions, policy visions (e.g., economic development, landscape protection, equal access to education and culture), and knowledge in order to adopt the best land use options (Metternicht 2017;Desjardins 2021). Since land uses and human inputs imply a socio-economic and functional dimension of space and time, they dissolve within a Fig. 9 Combination of the threat index (a) with geodiversity and geofunctionality indexes to obtain geodiversity hotspots (b) and geofunctionality hotspots (c, d) "territorial metabolism" (Desjardins 2021) that goes beyond preservation and conservation purposes alone, including also processes that might alter, exploit, artificialize, transform, or even destroy natural resources. ...
... Indeed, "land" planning might be defined as the systematic and voluntary assessment of alternatives for land use and a territorial repartition of resources reflecting socioeconomic conditions, policy visions (e.g., economic development, landscape protection, equal access to education and culture), and knowledge in order to adopt the best land use options (Metternicht 2017;Desjardins 2021). Since land uses and human inputs imply a socio-economic and functional dimension of space and time, they dissolve within a Fig. 9 Combination of the threat index (a) with geodiversity and geofunctionality indexes to obtain geodiversity hotspots (b) and geofunctionality hotspots (c, d) "territorial metabolism" (Desjardins 2021) that goes beyond preservation and conservation purposes alone, including also processes that might alter, exploit, artificialize, transform, or even destroy natural resources. ...
... Geodiversity and biodiversity should therefore be highlighted as equal and linked concepts (Ren et al. 2021). Because geodiversity finds its synthesis in the landscape (Alexandrowicz and Kozlowski 1999;Serrano and Ruiz-Flaño 2007), its operationalization should encompass the landscape seen as a multifunctional complex unit (Nin et al. 2016;Englund et al. 2017;Metternicht 2017;Miklós et al. 2020). Despite it raising many debates , the ES concept appears to be an interesting approach to analyze and assess geofunctionality. ...
Geodiversity assessment gained a prominent interest in the geoscientific community and beyond. However, it is not always
sufficient for land planning or geoconservation. It is then pivotal to account for the contribution of functional geodiversity
(i.e., geofunctionality), for instance declining the ecosystem services (ES) cascade model. However, by our knowledge,
geodiversity-based ES (GES) have been rarely quantified. This paper aims to adapt existing ES-related approaches to quantify
and map GES in French Guiana, a French Overseas territory located in the Amazon, where ongoing land use changes might
affect ES supply. Seven GES were spatially assessed through an indicator-based approach accounting for both offered and
used GES and merged into multiservice maps. Multiservice maps were then combined with a hemeroby index to highlight
geofunctionality hotspots. Difference maps were finally used to compare geodiversity and geofunctionality patterns. The
ES framework seems an effective way to quantitatively assess geofunctionality. Geodiversity and geofunctionality do not
follow the same spatial patterns: very geodiverse areas can be poorly functional and vice-versa. Therefore, geodiversity and
geofunctionality need to be both considered when it comes to landscape planning. This might be enhanced through hotspot
mapping to highlight priority areas for planners. This study also focuses on the role of human inputs in GES supply and
raises questions about the selection of proper indicators that should fit each step from the ES supply to management. High-
quality datasets must be available and their occasional absence is a central matter of land planning that must be addressed
before every decision-making process.
... Nevertheless, the use of crowdsourced data has not yet been fully explored and its integration in CES assessments faces a number of challenges. One potential issue is the demographic and geographic representativeness of the data as well as the quality of the geolocated data but validation exercises in the context of ecosystem service assessments are rare (Englund et al., 2017;Oteros-Rozas et al., 2018). As a novel source of data, the nature of the CES captured through platforms such as Flickr or iNaturalist has also not yet been fully explored (Ghermandi et al., 2020b). ...
... Still, user activity on social media may not reflect common aesthetic preferences and could fail to detect significant changes over time. This is because studies validating the use of social media for cultural ES indicators are lacking (Oteros-Rozas et al., 2018), a common problem in cultural ES studies (Englund et al., 2017). Examining the accuracy of social media and deep learning in modelling landscape aesthetics versus an indicator-based approach will thus generate much-needed evidence confirming the potential benefits of using these novel techniques. ...
... At the same time, the application of deep learning models to predict image scenes and attributes can reveal the different factors determining the sentiment associated with CES supply (Cao et al., 2022). Still, validating the use of social media for CES assessment using alternative sources such as surveys remains an important research priority (Englund et al., 2017;Oteros-Rozas et al., 2018). ...
... Understanding how various landscape characteristics including ecological, environmental, and social attributes influence an ecosystem service is essentially important for assessment, planning, and management for the sustainable enjoyment [1][2][3][4] . Especially, identification of the relationships between ecological structures (e.g. ...
... However, for cultural ecosystem services (CES), most of the assessments and forecasts have been performed without basis of knowledge of how ecological structures contribute to a service 10 . A common strategy for spatial assessments of CES is a proxy-based method that assigns a single value of a service to each land cover class based on an evidence collected often elsewhere outside of the study area 3,11 . Although the low reliability of the method that does not reflect ecological heterogeneity within a land cover class has been criticized, the method is still very popular possibly because, for CES, both collection of a primary data and development of a model that explicitly associates a service with ecological structures are difficult. ...
... Variable effects of vegetation characteristics on a recreation service depending on natural and social environment Masahiro Aiba 1* , Rei Shibata 2 , Michio Oguro 3 & Tohru Nakashizuka3 ...
In this study, we examined roles of three vegetation characteristics in provisioning of a recreation service by applying a machine-learning method to 4,708,229 spatially-explicit records of hiking activity in Japan. Then, expected impacts of land-use changes assessed and mapped based on the model. Associations between a recreation service and three vegetation characteristics were considerably variable depending on the social and natural environment such as accessibility and altitude. As a consequence, expected impacts of unit changes in vegetation characteristics on the service flow were considerably heterogeneous throughout the study area. The signs (positive or negative) of the impact can be reversed depending on the contexts even among nearby sites. Such notable but variable contributions of vegetation on a recreation service should be carefully reflected in landscape management. Even moderate changes in either the quantity or quality of vegetation can have a considerable impact on the frequency of hiking activity. Landscape management for promotion of the recreation service should be carefully designed for each locality on the grounds of the context-dependent effects of vegetation.
... ES assessment would benefit from the integration of multi-level, multi-disciplinary, and diversified input information. Pre-existing tools assessments could be usefully integrated by broader approaches [65], which might provide less precise but more accurate results, by better representing the ongoing ecological and cultural processes. This would support a coherent information of local requalification strategies [66][67][68]. ...
... The ES assessment is both informed by the following: field scale data (floristicvegetational traits of ecotopes; traits of the human community linked to the agroforestry productive patches); and local landscape scale data (spatial information coming from landscape ecology analyses; cultural landscape dynamics coming from community surveys). We considered the functional role of the landscape ecological infrastructure in supporting the delivering of ecosystem functions and services, making reference to the landscape services framework [65,[83][84][85]. ...
Peri-urban rural system rehabilitation is pivotal to the socio-ecological balanced functioning of urban systems. In this paper, we investigate the performance of agroforestry participative practices in rehabilitating peri-urban belts (in-field productive agroforestry; between-field landscape features). We test a new trans-disciplinary, multi-level analytical framework for the ecosystem services (ESs) assessment based on site-specific socio-ecological information. We parallelly analyse ecological and cultural traits: 1. agroecosystem components (flora–vegetation; human community); 2. their organization at the landscape level (landscape eco-mosaic; cultural landscape); and 3. their socio-ecological functions/processes. We compare the current state with a transformation scenario. The first application to the “Milano Porta Verde” agroecology hub, Italy, outlined: 1. the agro-eco-mosaic structuring and diversification improvement consequent to the agroforestry model spread (higher natural components percentage, agricultural patch shape complexity, landscape heterogeneity, landscape structural diversity, connectivity and circuitry); and 2. the cultural functions provided by participative practices (40 initiatives; 1860 people involved; 10 stakeholder types), enabling cultural landscape rehabilitation processes (higher accessibility, citizen empowerment, community and knowledge building, cultural values building). These results qualitatively inform the ES analysis. The potential ES supply matrices and maps showed an increase, through a transformation scenario, in the total ESs delivered by natural components (+44% support ESs; +36% regulating ESs) and agricultural components (+21% cultural ESs; +15% regulating ESs).
... Current tools range from basic approaches, which use land use data as proxies to complex models that consider physical processes in modeling ecosystems [153]. Methods used to map ecosystem services on a landscape scale can be categorized as: 1) direct mapping, which provides comprehensive spatial data on their distribution, 2) empirical models, which are based on point data estimated through such methods as regression analysis, 3) simulation and process models, which simulate ecosystem functions, generally using data for calibration and validation, 4) logical models, which map ecosystem services through a set of indicators, using decision rules, 5) extrapolation methods, which parameterize ecosystem properties, principally, land use, to determine service supply levels based on summarized spatial values, and 6) data integration methods, which synthesize pre-existing space products to map ecosystem services, customarily via a rules-based approach [154]. ...
... A primary challenge in assessing ecosystem services is to validate simulated results with data observed in the field, as nonvalidated data cannot be deemed representative [19]. Analysis of 347 studies by Englund, Berndes, and Cederberg [154] indicated that only 12% were validated with empirical data. The dearth of data, particularly in underdeveloped countries, makes it difficult to assess ecosystem services [151]. ...
Ecosystem services are goods and services provided by ecosystems for human well-being. This study canvasses the literature to identify knowledge areas and understand concepts relevant to addressing water ecosystem services. The potentialities and challenges of this approach applied to the planning and management of water resources were also discussed. The study addressed relevant topics such as ecosystem services, eco-hydrological processes, climate change, land use, ecosystem-based adaptation, biophysical modeling, economic valuation, and integrated water resources management. The ecosystem services-based approach has practical applications in water resource management; however, this study has identified knowledge gaps that should be addressed to ensure its effectiveness. Further research is in order to: 1) understand the synergic effects of multiple water resource drivers, 2) identify the ecohydrological processes of natural ecosystems and how restoration can enhance water ecosystem services and mitigate climate change, 3) expand knowledge of and validation in the use of biophysical models, 4) intensify the integration of biophysical assessment and economic valuation, and 5) include all dimensions of ecosystem service values to increase user and stakeholder participation in water resource management.
... Indeed, even though considerable progress remains to be achieved concerning the actual measurement of soil ESs in the field (Baveye et al., 2016Chalhoub et al., 2020) before the usefulness of ESs framework can be fully ascertained, one might argue that preliminary assessment and mapping based on estimated soil ESs may already be helpful at this stage for a wide range of applications such as spatial planning, climate adaptation and hazard mitigation, conservation or restoration planning (Wang et al., 2020), and corporate risk management (Hamel & Bryant, 2017). ESs mapping is more specifically intended to highlight the spatial variability and potential mismatches of ESs supply and demand, to identify and locate spatial trade-offs and synergies among multiple ESs or, to characterise ESs drivers (Burkhard & Maes, 2017;Crossman, 2013;Englund et al., 2017;Fossey et al., 2020;Schulp et al., 2014). Moreover, maps are frequently used by decision-makers in various planning activities, so that their usefulness to support governance and management of socio-ecological systems is widely recognised (Bagstad et al., 2018;Englund et al., 2017). ...
... ESs mapping is more specifically intended to highlight the spatial variability and potential mismatches of ESs supply and demand, to identify and locate spatial trade-offs and synergies among multiple ESs or, to characterise ESs drivers (Burkhard & Maes, 2017;Crossman, 2013;Englund et al., 2017;Fossey et al., 2020;Schulp et al., 2014). Moreover, maps are frequently used by decision-makers in various planning activities, so that their usefulness to support governance and management of socio-ecological systems is widely recognised (Bagstad et al., 2018;Englund et al., 2017). For all these reasons, ESs mapping has been the object of increasing interest in the past few years by both scientists and decision-makers (Andrew et al., 2015; Directorate General for the Environment, 2018;European Commission, JRC, 2020). ...
Over the last decade, the ecosystem services (ESs) framework has been increasingly used to support mapping and assessment studies for sustainable land management purposes. Previous analysis of practical applications has revealed the significance of the spatial scale at which input data are obtained. This issue is particularly problematic with soil data that are often unavailable or available only at coarse scales or resolutions in various part of the world. In this context, four soil-based ecosystem services, namely biomass provision, water provision, global climate regulation, and water quality regulation, are assessed using three conventional soil maps at the 1:1,000,000, 1:250,000 and 1:50,000 scales. The resulting individual and joint ES maps are then compared to examine the effects of changing the spatial scale of soil data on the ES levels and spatial patterns. ES levels are finally aggregated to landforms, land use, or administrative levels in order to try to identify the determinants of the sensivity of ES levels to change in the scale of input soil data. Whereas the three soil maps turn out to be equally useful whenever ESs levels averaged over the whole 100 km2 territory are needed, the maps at the 1:1,000,000 and 1:250,000 induced biases in the assessment of ESs levels over spatial units smaller than 100 and 10 km2, respectively. The simplification of the diversity and spatial distribution of soils at the two coarsest scales indeed resulted in local differences in ES levels ranging from several ten to several hundred percent. Identification of the optimal representation of soil diversity and distribution to obtain a reliable representation of ESs spatial distribution is not straightforward. The ESs sensitivity to scale effect is indeed context-specific, variable among individual ESs, and not directly or simply linked with the soil typological diversity represented in soil maps. Forested and natural lands in the study area appear particularly sensitive to soil data scales as they occupy marginal soils showing very specific ESs signatures.
... The relatively large extent of energy crops and long period of experience in Sweden provides a basis for the study of the development of energy crops, particularly concerning their effects on the nearby agricultural landscape. Landscape can be defined as a spatial unit resulting from human practices and natural factors which has become more essential in spatial planning and management (Moss 2000;Vejre et al. 2007;Vallés-Planells et al. 2014;Englund et al. 2017). Visible and physical elements in the landscape, such as land uses, together with ecological function, economic contribution, social connection, and culturalhistorical value provision bring in different levels of landscape homogeneity (Englund et al. 2017). ...
... Landscape can be defined as a spatial unit resulting from human practices and natural factors which has become more essential in spatial planning and management (Moss 2000;Vejre et al. 2007;Vallés-Planells et al. 2014;Englund et al. 2017). Visible and physical elements in the landscape, such as land uses, together with ecological function, economic contribution, social connection, and culturalhistorical value provision bring in different levels of landscape homogeneity (Englund et al. 2017). Over the years, agricultural landscapes may be modified due to the introduction of energy crops. ...
Lignocellulosic energy crops can produce substantial amounts of biomass for energy purposes, but their introduction implies land-use changes as they are mainly cultivated in agriculturally dominated landscapes. This thesis presents a land-use analysis of lignocellulosic energy crops in the agricultural landscape in Sweden, specifically aiming to i) assess different energy crops’ regarding production, location and climatic profiles, ii) characterise and define the surrounding agricultural landscape, and iii) study the overall land-use changes derived from the establishment of energy crops in the country. The analysis is based on empirical data from commercial fast-growing tree plantations (willow, poplar, and hybrid aspen) and energy grasses (reed canary grass) at multiple spatial scales from field to landscape level, during the period 1986-2018. At field level, there is a trend for smaller and more regular fields dedicated to energy crops, with cultivation patterns moving towards more productive lands, reflecting an intensification in the land-use management. Willow was initially established mainly on fallow lands, but many plantations were subsequently replaced by cereals due to changes in global cereal prices. In the case of grasses, this pattern was similar, although changes appeared later and not so markedly. At landscape level, energy crops significantly diversify the agricultural landscape, as fast-growing tree plantations are largely introduced in cereal areas and grasses in forest-dominated landscapes. The methods and analysis of this thesis contribute to a better understanding of land-use changes associated to energy crops, and help define their contribution to diversifying the agricultural landscape.
... Second, even the inventory applications are highly focused; most recently, carbon-related ESs and biodiversity, while cultural services like recreation received less attention (Knoke et al., 2021; see also Grêt-Regamey et al., 2017, for similar notes on more general environmental decision making). Third, various uncertainties should be better addressed, particularly in spatially explicit analyses of ES maps aimed at decision making (Boerema et al., 2017;Englund et al., 2017;Barton et al., 2018;Kangas et al., 2018). ...
... As explained in Section 1, this division was reasoned from the perspective of segregating management and not aiming to strictly follow an ES classification system. Similar to Englund et al. (2017), citing Costanza (2008), we find motivated that "there are many useful ways to classify ecosystem goods and services, and that the goal should not be to have a single, consistent system, but rather a pluralism of typologies that can be useful for different purposes". It is acknowledged that a different set of forest ESs could have been considered in the analyses, especially if it was known that the area in question was under integrated management for the provisioning of ESs typical to rural or urban areas (cf., Tammi et al., 2017). ...
The mapping of ecosystem service (ES) provisioning often lacks decision-makers’ preferences on the ESs provided. Analyzing the related uncertainties can be computationally demanding for a landscape tessellated to a large number of spatial units such as pixels. We propose stochastic multicriteria acceptability analyses to incorporate (unknown or only partially known) decision-makers’ preferences into the spatial forest management prioritization in a Scandinavian boreal forest landscape. The potential of the landscape for the management alternatives was quantified by airborne laser scanning based proxies. A nearest-neighbor imputation method was applied to provide each pixel with stochastic acceptabilities on the alternatives based on decision-makers’ preferences sampled from a probability distribution. We showed that this workflow could be used to derive two types of maps for forest use prioritization: one showing the alternative that a decision-maker with given preferences should choose and another showing areas where the suitability of the forest structure suggested different alternative than the preferences. We discuss the potential of the latter approach for mapping management hotspots. The stochastic approach allows estimating the strength of the decision with respect to the uncertainty in both the proxy values and preferences. The nearest neighbor imputation of stochastic acceptabilities is a computationally feasible way to improve decisions based on ES proxy maps by accounting for uncertainties, although the need for such detailed information at the pixel level should be separately assessed.
... Attachment and a sense of belonging, as manifestations of a sense of place, allow people to connect more closely with their locales. Ecosystems offer extensive spaces for education and research, enabling individuals to engage in immaterial educational and research activities through field investigations, scientific studies [7], and the establishment of nature reserves [8]. Cultural ecosystem services can promote social interaction, and beautiful natural landscapes along with traditional cultural festivals are capable of attracting tourists to engage in recreation and tourism activities, thereby stimulating local economic development. ...
The land use system, which is endowed with the most crucial and fundamental natural resources for human survival and development, plays a pivotal role within the entire ecosystem. In recent years, cultural ecosystem services (CESs) have also gradually garnered widespread attention. The study of cultural ecosystem services in the land use system plays a significant role in the rational utilization of land resources and the resolution of contradictions between land resources and sustainable development. This review, framed in Land Use/Land Cover Change (LUCC), applies keyword clustering and keyword evolution analysis to comprehensively review and synthesize academic literature on cultural ecosystem services. The analysis is organized into two dimensions: the overall study of cultural ecosystem services in LUCC and the study of specific categories of cultural ecosystem services in LUCC. Relevant papers from CNKI and WOS academic databases are included. The results show that the number of papers retrieved from WOS was significantly higher than the number retrieved from CNKI, while both databases exhibited a clear upward trend in the number of papers. It is worth noting that in the literature retrieval results for different types of land research, the majority of the papers focused on water, accounting for 51% and 44% of the totals in WOS and CNKI, respectively. Among these papers, research centered on recreation and ecotourism was the richest. Through this review, it was further revealed that research on cultural ecosystem services was initiated and has gradually developed into a relatively complete knowledge system. However, research on cultural ecosystem services in LUCC still requires further exploration, particularly in terms of assessment methods. This review thus highlights the need for future research to focus more on cultural ecosystem services in the land use system and to delve deeper into evaluating their values. By employing more scientific and rational approaches, land resources can be effectively managed and utilized to address challenges related to land resources and sustainable development.
... Ecosystem service (ES) means "What people are receiving from their surrounding ecosystem directly and indirectly that provides benefits to them" (Mengist and Soromessa, 2019). These services provide both material and non-material wellbeing to the people (Englund et al., 2017;Vizzarri et al., 2015). It is defined as "the goods or the essential needs of human being which are produced by the surrounding environmental or ecosystem functions (photosynthesis, pollination, transpiration, etc.) through the natural resources are known as the ecosystem services (fruit, fuel, oxygen, etc.) (Rezwan et al., 2022). ...
Bangladesh, as a developing country, is widely focused on its immense development projects without considering the environment and ecosystem. The natural ecosystem provides services to living organisms and contributes to maintaining a balance in the environmental equilibrium. In Bangladesh, Rema Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary (RKWS) is the largest reserve forest after the Sundarbans, inhabiting a huge number of species, both floral and faunal. This study identifies the products and services (ecosystem services) that the RKWS generates to the population. A total of 212 provisioning services (fruit, fish, vegetables, medicine, flowers, crafts), a huge variety of ecosystem functions as regulating services, 84 cultural services (recreation and relaxation, spiritual and ritual practices, social relations, economic opportunities, academics and research, and different local beliefs), 150 plant species (46% tree, 22.66% shrub, 25.33% herb and 5.33% climber), 37 animal species (7 endangered and 3 vulnerable), 27 fish species (3 vulnerable) and 43 bird species (1 vulnerable and 1 critically endangered) has been identified at RKWS. The study provides an understanding of the huge importance of natural environment and ecosystem. Decision-makers and the government should look at it to consider the environment as an integral component of sustainable development. Also, further research and policy are required to manage not only the forests but also all the open green spaces in a way that is socially equitable and environmentally comprehensive.
... However, economic impact measurements are not economic values as defined by the consumer surplus. Lastly, (7) there is the benefit transfer method, which implies that under certain conditions, a valuation of a specific FES in a specific location and setting can be used to estimate the valuation of similar FESs in similar locations and settings [18]. The accuracy of this method depends on the quality of the original estimate and on the level of similarity between the original and transferred areas. ...
Forests provide a variety of resources and benefits, but only a few, such as timber, are traded on the markets. Ecosystem service valuation is a method for quantifying the non-market benefits of forests to understand the full costs of forest management. This review examines the forest ecosystem service valuations over the past 20 years, with a particular focus on their spatial modeling. The literature review method is designed to provide a systematic, explicit, and reproducible outcome concerning the valuations of forest ecosystem services and the contextual setting of these valuations. The findings suggest that there is a huge variation in the values reported for similar ecosystem services but that carbon sequestration, recreation in forests, and hydrological services, such as watershed protection and flood prevention, are the ecosystem services that are consistently valued highly in the reviewed studies. In the last ten years, studies have more frequently modeled ecosystem services in spatial terms.
... This in turn can lead to the provision of ES such as climate change mitigation that benefit humans (e.g. Englund et al., 2017). ...
Increasing demands for land to deliver multiple and sometimes conflicting services to people and nature have led to the development of an extensive body of research focussed on multifunctional landscapes. However, this has created both insight and confusion, as authors from a variety of disciplines have independently tackled the question of how to manage the trade‐offs and synergies inherent in landscapes that are required to produce multiple functions and services.
We employed an interdisciplinary perspective to formulate some key questions that researchers of multifunctional landscapes can use to identify blind spots.
Our process resulted in a question‐based analysis support scheme that supports reflection and recursive thinking about multifunctional landscapes, beginning with objective setting and visions for addressing it, grounded in baseline mapping, then assessing landscape functions and their single and multiple interactions; as well as the analysis of sensitivity to spatial and temporal dimensions.
Other key points identified are the need for clarity and examination of unstated assumptions, from aims to definitions; accounting for scale; incorporating stakeholder needs throughout the process and applying suitable methods of measurement and aggregation. The focus on asking guided questions derives from the insight that there is no universal correct approach to multifunctional landscapes; the aim should instead be to find the most appropriate methods for the given circumstances and goals.
Policy implications . Tackling current and future socio‐ecological challenges is an interdisciplinary undertaking, necessitating collaborative efforts between research fields that each bring valuable and distinct insights. To effectively combat these challenges, multifunctional landscapes require a clear process and focused objective in their implementation. Multifunctionality should be seen as a means to an end, rather than an end in itself.
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... Therefore, replacing insecticide use with natural pest control services requires spatially-explicit tools to, for example, identify areas with low natural pest control potential and target implementation of ecological intensification practices (Alexandridis et al., 2021;Bommarco et al., 2013;Perennes et al., 2023). Despite this need, natural pest control is one of the least spatially mapped ecosystem services (1 % of studies, among 17 major ecosystem services, Englund et al., 2017). Existing models primarily focus on landscape-scale land-use composition (Rega et al., 2018), seldom accounting for field-scale management practices, potentially misestimating natural pest control potential in agroecosystems. ...
... In conjunction with providing a clearer link between the CES and the physical structures that provide these services, authors (Englund, Berndes, and Cederberg, 2017;Schmidt et al., 2019) highlight the increasing importance of the integration of the ES (ecosystem services) concept into landscape planning and protection with an emphasis on the inclusion of the local's values. Establishing this link represents a possible integration into decision-making as an important contribution to the inclusion of public opinion within spatial planning (Golobič et al., 2015;Schmidt et al., 2019). ...
This paper shows a novel approach of assessing landscape elements and their contribution to CES using two methods of data collection. The paper attempts to bridge the identification gap between CES and structures providing them by introducing different methods of 1) field evaluation, allowing interaction in person and 2) through an online survey, which, although restrictive in terms of interaction, facilitates the processing of the collected data. A checklist of landscape elements important for CES is proposed and investigated-which elements are highly valued, where they are valued, and how they are valued across Slovenia as a case example. The sequence of methods includes literature review, field surveying in 18 test areas, and validation through an online questionnaire. The results indicate that identity is the common denominator of landscape elements' CES value, linked to both widespread and region-specific elements assessment. Vegetation and water elements are strongly associated with CES of aesthetic and health. The built elements and cultivated elements are associated with heritage and traditional knowledge.
Both field research and online surveying have their strengths and limitations. However, conclusions can be drawn about landscape elements important for identity and other CES. The study highlights the complexity of individual perceptions and the need for different evaluation methods, including in-person and online surveys. The methodology used can be applied, with some adaptations, to specific sites depending on the planning problem, as well as a research approach for fundamental or detailed CES and landscape evaluation studies.
... 是生态系统服务在景观尺度上的展现, 侧重描述景 观空间提供的服务及其向社会的流动 [5] 。作为城市 景观服务的重要供给者, 城市绿地具有保护生物多 样性、缓解城市热岛效应以及促进人类身心健康等 重要功能 [6][7][8][9] 。城市绿地对用户情绪的调节作用已 有初步研究, 证实城市绿地对居民身心健康具有积 极影响 [10] , 对人们的情绪具有重要的修复作用 [11] 。 同时, 城市绿地斑块的大小、密度以及形状格局等 对情绪修复有很大的影响 [12] [13] 的评定-兴奋说(appraisal-excitation theory)、Schachter 等 [14] 的情绪唤醒理论和 Lazarus [ [27][28] , 外部因素包括公园 设施、公园设计和管理情况等景观要素 [29] 以及自 然体验、精神价值、审美欣赏、娱乐游憩和空气质 量调节等景观服务 [30][31][32] , 但这些研究较少涉及"认 知-评价-情绪"的影响路径分析。此外, 现有研究 证实了景观要素与审美欣赏、文化遗产和娱乐休闲 等景观服务之间的关系 [33][34] ...
The authors take Guangzhou South China Botanical Garden and Yuexiu Park as examples to analyze the emotional perception characteristics of urban park users, and explore the influencing factors and driving mechanisms of urban park users' emotional perception based on the structural equation model. The results show that the positive emotions of park users are relatively high, but positive emotions and negative emotions exist independently. For coarse-grained emotions, landscape elements have direct and indirect influences on emotions. For fine-grained emotions, landscape elements mainly affect users' fine-grained emotions by forming landscape functions. In different types of parks, there are differences in the factors and mechanisms that affect users' different types of emotions and different granular emotions. This results can propose targeted improvements to the planning and design of parks, and provide a certain reference for the research on user emotional perception in other types of urban spaces.
... Ecosystem services (ES) are the benefits to human wellbeing provided by Nature (Costanza et al., 2017;Daily et al., 2009;de Groot et al., 2012). Depending on biophysical properties, ecological processes, climatic characteristics, and human interferences, a landscape supports various ES (i.e., provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting) at varying scales and intensities (Englund et al., 2017;Sharma et al., 2019). ES ranges from direct provisioning services such as food and fibre, and cultural and spiritual values, yet these are not standing alone but depend on interactions among each other. ...
... Mapping ESs is fundamental in understanding their spatial distribution and facilitating their management. Standardisation, clarity in terminology, and the employment of different frameworks and methods enhances the comparability and integration of ES assessment [29]. ...
This study combined landscape character assessment (LCA) and cultural ecosystem services (CES) frameworks to evaluate human well-being in the peri-urban area of Harku Municipality, Estonia. Using geospatial data combined with expert opinions, the study investigated the interplay between landscape character types and environmental/contact types through the LCA method. In total, 21 distinct landscape types comprising 47 separate areas were identified, with CES values determined for each. Restorative, social, and cognitive values were associated with each landscape character type. The findings demonstrated the higher restorative potential of blue and green elements (water bodies, forests) with low settlement density and minimal agriculture. High-density settlements with good road access demonstrated significant social values, while mixed forests and wetlands tended to be associated with higher cognitive values. Coastal zones with semi-dense settlements and mixed forests earned favourable ratings, whereas industrial/agricultural landscapes were rated lowest for all values. These findings offer valuable insights into the complex dynamics of urban-rural interactions, resilience, and the impact of urbanisation on CES. They may inform future landscape management strategies, urban planning decisions, and policy considerations. Additionally, this study highlights the need for further research to explore the long-term trends and potential changes in CES in evolving peri-urban environments.
... The search for suitable indicators was carried out threefold ( Fig. 1). First, a set of relevant scientific review manuscripts was identified, including Crossman et al. [27]; Queiros et al. [28]; Englund et al. [29]; Muller et al. [30]; Broszeit et al. [18]; Broszeit et al. [31]; Balzan et al. [32], Boyd et al. [33] Czúcz et al. [34]. Second, a scientific literature review was conducted, and databases were searched based on the PRISMA Statement guidelines [26]. ...
An assessment framework of marine ecosystem services (ES) indicators to quantify the socio-ecological effectiveness of nature-based solutions (NBS) and nature-inclusive harvesting (NIH) under climate-driven changes was developed. It creates a common understanding about the health status of ecosystems, their services (ES), and the impact of implementing NBS&NIH to inform policymakers and the public. The two NBS considered were restoration and conservation which need to be performed considering the sustainable harvesting of marine resources (NIH). The interaction between the biodiversity indicators with the socioeconomic, response and pressure indicators was established using the ES cascade. However, it was also linked to other environmental (e.g., DAPSI(W)R(M)) and economic frameworks such as the Standard National Account (SNA) and the System of Environment Economic Accounting (SEEA). A set of 155 multidisciplinary indicators were identified through a literature review and their effectiveness in measuring ES under changing climate. Biodiversity & environmental as well as Pressure indicators are the most numerous in the list representing 34 % and 23 % of the total respectively, while only 12 % of the used Indicators below to the economic dimension. Socioeconomic indicators considering CC are rarely contemplated, except for a short list redefining output and demand approach indicators to aggregate a carbon footprint valuation. For cultural services economic indicators dominate, whereas sparse for provisioning and regulating. The 70 % of the selected indicators were also empirically verified with 27 European storylines. Storylines have high coverage of biodiversity, environmental indicators, and CC indicators (91 %), lower coverage of economic (71 %) and poorer related to social (31 %) indicators. Harvest, pressure and/or habitats are clearly the groups of indicators majority used when evaluating the ES on marine and coastal ecosystems both in terms of the number of used indicators but also, the frequency of use. Despite the increase of ES research, this study identifies 14 substantial gaps or weaknesses limiting the guidance for NBS&NIH implementation derived from the employment of an unbalanced (between dimensions and key groups) number of quantitative indicators.
... We do not include technological innovations meant to replace ES provided by natural ecosystems (Fitter, 2013), nor technological management solutions such as precision farming or water treatment technologies to enhance ES supply (Hokkanen and Menzler-Hokkanen, 2018;Honey-Rosés et al., 2014). Further, we exclude methodological approaches not relying on (emerging) digital technologies, and which have already been discussed in other reviews (e.g., Cheng et al., 2019;Englund et al., 2017;Malinga et al., 2015;Martínez-Harms and Balvanera, 2012). ...
Rapid technological development opens up new opportunities for assessing ecosystem services (ES), which may help to overcome current knowledge gaps and limitations in data availability. At the same time, emerging technologies, such as mobile devices, social media platforms, and artificial intelligence, give rise to a series of challenges and limitations. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the broad range of technologies that are increasingly used for collecting, analyzing, and visualizing data on ES, including Earth observation, mobile technologies, data science, modeling/simulation, immersive technologies, visualization, and web-based tools. To identify current opportunities and challenges, we systematically reviewed the literature on ES of the last 10 years (2012-2022). We first describe the state-of-the-art of emerging technologies, synthesizing their applicability, opportunities, and limitations. Then, we discuss open issues, future research needs, and potential for further applications in ES research. Our findings indicate great opportunities to increase knowledge on ES thanks to low costs, high data availability, and high flexibility of the technologies. We also find a strong potential to support decision-making, learning and communication. However, limitations and challenges related to the accuracy of the variables and models, accessibility to data, technologies, and information as well as ethical concerns need to be addressed by the research community to assure an inclusive and meaningful use of the technologies. Our findings also suggest that further insights into ES may be achieved through a better integration of different technologies in the future, e.g., Earth observation, data science, and web-based platforms, a stronger trans-disciplinary collaboration to advance knowledge on ES, and by broadening the perspective to technological developments in other related fields of research.
... Scopus covers a broader selection of journals which is helpful when looking for keywords (Falagas et al., 2008). Alternatively, the World of Science (WoS) is a massive archive of journals, including topics in social and environmental sciences (Englund et al., 2017;Jurgilevich et al., 2017;). An academic work recently demonstrated that WoS alone can be used as a basis for a major systematic analysis (Runting et al., 2017). ...
... Mitchell et al. [34] confirmed that the fragmentation of urban forest landscapes causes a reduction in ES supply. Landscape units, as a combined result of nature and humans [35,36], are also important carriers of ESF. They also play significant roles in the regulation of ESF between regions, resource redistribution in urban agglomerations, and sustainable development. ...
The linking of ecosystem service flows (ESFs) with urban land management is still in its nascent stage. The spatial process modeling of ESFs plays a crucial role in establishing connections between urban land sustainability and human benefits. However, the spatial processes and driving mechanisms associated with urban cooling services (UCS) remain ambiguous. In this study, we selected the area within the 6th Ring Road of Beijing as the study area, where the population is highly concentrated and the urban greenery is relatively developed. We modeled the spatial processes of cooling service flow (UCSF) in this area and elucidated the contribution of landscape patterns to UCSF. Firstly, the cooling capacity, referred to as UCS, of the urban blue–green landscape, was estimated using the InVEST tool. Subsequently, the UCSF spatial process was simulated by employing a two-dimensional Gaussian function at the pixel level. In order to characterize the landscape features in the study area, eight landscape indices were selected, and Fragstats v4.2 was employed for their calculation. Finally, GeoDetector was utilized to explore the driving mechanisms of landscape patterns on UCSF. The predominant area for both UCS and UCSF lies between the 5th and 6th Ring Road in Beijing, exhibiting a declining trend from the 6th Ring Road toward the city center. The UCSF coverage area, which represents the beneficiary area, accounted for approximately 87.78% of the study area, with the largest increase occurring within the 2nd Ring Road. The Landscape Shape Index demonstrated the strongest individual contribution to UCSF, while its combined bivariate contribution was significant. Geometry exerted a greater influence on UCSF compared to landscape scale and spatial configuration. This study presents novel insights for assessing the omnidirectional flow of ESFs through the modeling of flow functions. The findings of this study can serve as a valuable reference for sustainable urban landscape management and planning.
... Forest ecosystem services are classified into four main groups including provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting services (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005;Mengist and Soromessa, 2019). Supporting services are those related to pollination, biodiversity conservation, nutrient cycling and primary production (Power, 2010;Englund et al., 2017). Biodiversity is considered a fundamental driver for key ecosystem process and services. ...
... The definition of the term "landscape" depends on the circumstances of the respective study. 31 Our study defines landscapes as 20 (butterflies), respectively, 100 m (birds) buffers around the 500 m transects, covering a mean of 1.7 ha for butterflies and 12 ha for birds. This scale fits the moving radius of these species (e.g., for the blackcap 32 ) and the context of Swiss agriculture, which is scattered in a heterogeneous mixture of infrastructure, urban areas, forests, and rivers and has an average farm size of around 20 ha. ...
Life cycle assessment (LCA) aims at providing standardized evaluations of processes involving resource use, human health, and environmental consequences. Currently, spatial dependencies are most often neglected, though they are essential for impact categories like biodiversity. The "Swiss Agricultural Life Cycle Assessment for Biodiversity (SALCA-BD)" evaluates the impact of agricultural field management on 11 indicator species groups. We tested if its performance can be improved by accounting for the spatial context of the individual fields. We used high-resolution bird/butterfly point observations in two agricultural regions in Switzerland and built linear mixed models to compare SALCA-BD scores to the observed species richness at the field/landscape scale. We calculated a set of landscape metrics, tested their relationship with the landscape-model prediction errors, and then added all significant metrics as additional predictors to the landscape models. Our results show that field-scale SALCA-BD scores were significantly related to the observed field-scale richness for both indicator groups. However, the performance decreased when aggregated to the landscape scale, with high variability between regions. Adding specific landscape metrics improved the landscape model for birds but not for butterflies. Integrating the spatial context to LCA biodiversity assessments could provide moderate benefits, while its usefulness depends on the conditions of the respective assessment.
... Focusing on the scale of the landscape allows data and results to be linked across several scales (Termorshuizen and Opdam 2009;Vallés-Planells et al. 2014;Englund et al. 2017;Wu 2021) as well as with social and ecological issues (Vialatte et al. 2019). From a governance point of view, a landscape scale also allows power issues to be addressed (Roe 2013) and stakeholders from the same inter-knowledge network or professional or geographic proximity to be brought together (Lepart and Marty 2013). ...
Context
In line with inter- and transdisciplinary approaches promoted in Sustainability Science, Participatory Landscape Sustainability Assessments (PLSA) are developing at a rapid pace. PLSA approaches share with other assessments the aim of standardizing observations, while sharing with participatory processes place-based and context-specific viewpoints from diverse stakeholders.
Objective
This literature review presents different PLSA approaches identified in studies, and argues that the lack of a coherent framework and poor substantive theorization can limit the development of PLSA research.
Methods
The study involved a systematic literature review on a corpus of 425 publications, combining bibliographic mapping on the full corpus and a content analysis of a sub-corpus of 138 full texts.
Results
The review of the literature showed that (i) PLSA studies lie at the intersection of ecology, landscape planning and sociocultural approaches, (ii) PLSA indicators evaluate on average 4.7 categories of sustainability, but most are applied at a local level and provide a snapshot of a situation, (iii) stakeholders tend not to be involved in the choice of indicators (only 28.9% of studies) and even more rarely in assessment design (7.2%). When stakeholders are included, they are usually only asked to populate preidentified indicators (63.9%). (iv) Diverse viewpoints are taken into consideration mainly by using indicators (67.3%) rather than by promoting discussion (39.8%). Three types of PLSA study can be differentiated: the participation-oriented approach, the contributive approach (rooted in positivism) and the collaborative approach (rooted in constructivism).
Conclusion
We advocate that future PLSA studies pay more attention to consistency between their objectives, the methods they employ, and the theoretical grounding they enlist. This might help to avoid confusion about different participatory approaches and to understand their respective contributions to Landscape Sustainability Science.
... Publications about ecosystem services have dramatically increased in different 昀椀elds, such as economics, ecology, and management since the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment synthesis report was released in 2005 (Chaudhary et al., 2015). From this point, many literature review studies on ecosystem services have been performed (Seppelt et al., 2011;Vigerstol and Aukema, 2011;Martínez-Harms and Balvanera, 2012;Crossman et al., 2013;Logsdon and Chaubey, 2013;Schägner et al., 2013;Villa et al., 2014;Malinga et al., 2015;Wolff et al., 2015;Englund et al., 2017;Ochoa-Cardona and Urbina-Cardona, 2017). However, the exponential growth in the number of published studies on ecosystem services is not matched by a similar growth in studies related to the spatial modeling of these services (Andrew et al., 2015). ...
The process of mapping ecosystem services is experiencing a significant surge in usage, with exponential growth being observed. However, conservation knowledge shortfalls have yet to be characterized, which can lead to essential gaps in decision-making and public policy. We aim to describe thematic changes in mapped ecosystem services and their use in biodiversity conservation. We performed a scientific literature search on this topic and found 1670 documents published from 2005 to 2021. We defined two periods, among which we compared the type of ecosystem services mapped and the thematic conservation categories mentioned in the documents. Despite the continuing dominance of the United States and China in scientific productivity, Europe and the global South are emerging as major contributors to ecosystem services mapping. Very few ecosystem services have been mapped simultaneously in the scientific literature within a single case study. Climate change, ecological restoration, forestry, connectivity, species conservation, risk assessment, and biological invasions are mentioned in less than 8 % of the publications, presenting critical thematic shortfalls in applying ecosystem services mapping in biodiversity conservation. Ecosystem services are not commonly used as surrogates within systematic conservation planning, nor have they been considered in information resources such as Conservation Evidence. The classical approach to knowledge shortfalls in biodiversity does not directly consider the ecosystem services, thus demonstrating the need to define and quantify new categories of shortfalls in the spatial expression of those services. Finally, we discuss the challenges to applying ecosystem services mapping in decision-making, conservation planning, and environmental impact studies.
... In this sense, the maintenance of high levels of biological diversity allows for a better performance of other ES, such as soil formation [54]. According to Englund et al. [55], support services are essential to maintain life conditions on earth and include services such as soil formation and photosynthesis. Therefore, the flow of ES determines the level of human well-being, which is linked to the composition and function of the ecosystem [56]. ...
Ecosystem services (ES) refer to the benefits that people obtain from the ecosystem. In this sense, Prunus serotina is associated with the provision of ES; however, these services have been scarcely studied. The objective of this research was to determine the knowledge and perceptions of individuals in rural areas regarding the importance of ES, as well as the factors that influence them. Surveys were applied in three study areas (Chimborazo, Tungurahua, and Cotopaxi) of the central Andes of Ecuador that detailed the sociodemographic and perception characteristics of ES based on the predefined ES of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA). In the assessment, the interview data were analyzed to obtain the relationships between the variables using Spearman’s correlation in the R-studio software. The results showed that individuals’ level of education, age, and gender play an important role in variations in peoples’ knowledge of ES. A total of 21 ES were identified; the most representative services, according to their ecosystem category, were support (shelter for birds and insects and soil formation), provisioning (food, insecticide, wood, and firewood), regulation (improvement in the quality of air and climate regulation), and culture (scenic beauty and the maintenance of traditions). This analysis of the social perception of ES works as a strategy for the maintenance of Prunus serotina in the orchards and plots of families in the central Andes of Ecuador. The identification of ES through the social perception of their existence facilitates an understanding of the importance of ES in rural localities, which lays the foundation for strategies to be developed in the future for their conservation.
... The impacts of urbanization on ES provision are significantly negative (Zang et al., 2011;Wang et al., 2019a;Degefu et al., 2021). On the other hand, the changes in landscapes' capacities to provide ES are measured (Burkhard et al., 2009;Lamy et al., 2016;Englund et al., 2017). Because land use policies that aim at improving specific provisioning services operate at the cost of other services (Bennett et al., 2009;Raudsepp-Hearne et al., 2010), interactions among multiple ES are explored further. ...
Clarifying multiple relationships between ecosystem services (ES) supplies and socio-economical demands is the prerequisite of spatial sustainability. Ecotones are specific mixed landscapes where the characteristics of ES supply-demand mismatches are critical to explore ES effect mechanisms. This study structured the relationships that occurred during the ecosystem processes of ES into a framework and identified ecotones in Northeast China (NEC). Multi-step analysis was conducted to analyze the mismatches between 8 pairs of ES supplies and demands and the effects of landscapes on ES mismatches. The results show that the correlations between landscapes and ES mismatches could reflect the effectiveness of landscape management strategies more comprehensively. High demand for food security led to more serious regulating and cultural ES mismatches in NEC. While forest and forest-grassland ecotones were robust to alleviate ES mismatches and landscapes mixed with ecotones performed more balanced in ES supplies. Our study suggests that the comprehensive effects of landscapes on ES mismatches should be given priority in landscape management strategies. Afforestation should be strengthened in NEC, while wetland and ecotones should be protected from boundary shifts and shrinkage caused by agricultural production activities.
... Our definition of ES follows the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) where ES are understood as benefits to people provided by ecosystems. The Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES) V5.1 (Haines- Young and Potshin, 2018) defines Provisioning ES (renewable resources that provide food, clothing, fuel, construction, and sustenance), Regulating and Maintenance ES (which support social-ecological systems through filtration, storage, pollination and other environmental and geochemical processes) and Cultural ES (including recreation, forms of knowledge, heritage, and much more) (Englund et al., 2017). ...
Environmental governance is recognized as a key issue in many natural and social sciences. It is highly relevant for ecosystem services and common-pool resources as well. Both fields overlap yet have typically been studied separately. Therefore, this study aimed a) to examine the emerging body of literature that incorporates concepts from both fields of research and considers governance challenges, and b) to identify policy tools and recommendations presented for addressing those challenges. The analysis of thirty-nine selected peer-review papers revealed the multiplicity of interacting governance challenges with three major categories: environmental, socioeconomic , and problems of governance itself. Governance is impeded by institutional mismatches, exclusion of local actors, corruption, and perverse policies. The proposed policy recommendations most often suggest changes in institutional arrangements and increasing scientific understanding. Meeting human needs, and increasing social equity and justice were recognized broadly as integral for improving governance, yet correlations among governance problems and solutions appear elusive. These findings extend theoretical reasoning, while carrying practical implications for policy, governance and environmental stewardship. The analysis implies that policies to improve human conditions will be key for improved environmental governance, but more research is needed to learn which types of policy recommendations prove successful given diverse local contexts.
... At the fundamental level both the land sparing and land sharing approaches of SI of agriculture are 'landscape approaches' (Englund et al., 2017;Hodgson et al., 2010). Therefore, successful implementation at significant scale requires a landscape management approach which may be part of national, regional or catchment scale land use planning. ...
Mitigation pathways that stabilise global warming to 1.5 • C describe rapidly increasing deployment of land-based solutions, including increased carbon sequestration in soils and biomass. This places additional demands on land, which is also required to provide food security and other ecosystem services. Sustainable Intensification (SI) of agriculture has the potential to facilitate meeting demands for food and fibre, while simultaneously meeting environmental and ecological goals. The scientific literature has most often addressed the challenge of SI separately to climate change mitigation objectives in agricultural systems. Using a systematic review approach, we explored the compatibility of SI and carbon sequestration research through two contrasting case studies: Case Study I on Grassland Agriculture in Europe, and Case Study II on Smallholder Agriculture in Africa. We find contrasting levels of research theme similarity for SI and carbon sequestration, with European grassland agriculture research having lower similarity compared with African smallholder agriculture research. There was a focus on minimising biodiversity loss and environmental impacts in Europe, in contrast to a food security emphasis in Africa, reflecting regional and development differences. While there are clear context and agricultural-system specific differences between both case studies, both suggest that sustainable land use policies can be used to achieve SI integrated with climate mitigation in agriculture.
... As the spatial projection of the socio-ecological coupling system on the two-dimensional plane, the landscape is the result of the integrative action of multiple factors such as human interference and ecological processes and has obvious spatial differentiation [57]. Ecosystem services are the natural utility formed and maintained by the ecosystem and ecological processes [58]. ...
Rapid urban expansion and economic development lead to the deterioration of ecosystems, which not only aggravates regional ecological risks but also leads to the degradation of ecosystem functions. It is of great significance to rationally divide regions and provide targeted management strategies for realizing the sustainability of regional economic development and ecological maintenance. Taking southwest China (Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou and Chongqing) as an example, land use data from 2000, 2010 and 2020 were used to evaluate the value of landscape ecological risk (LER) and ecosystem services, and comprehensive zoning was divided according to their spatial correlation. The socio-economic development characteristics of each zone were analyzed, and differentiated and targeted sustainable development paths were proposed. The results showed that the overall LER level of southwest China increased, and the gap of internal LER narrowed gradually. The ecosystem service value (ESV) per unit area showed an increasing trend, but the core metropolitan areas and northwest Sichuan had little change. According to the differences in population, industrial structure and land use, the low-ESV zone was densely populated, while the high-ESV zone was sparsely populated, and the population from the high-LER zone gradually migrated to the low-LER zone. The economic development of the low-ESV zone was better than that of the high-ESV zone, and secondary industry was an important driving force of regional economic development. Large-scale forestland can alleviate the LER, but the increase in cultivated land and grassland further aggravated the LER. According to the social and economic characteristics of each zone, this study put forward a differentiated development strategy for southwest China and also provided reference for the coordinated development of ecological protection and social economy in other key ecological regions.
... For example, due to population increase, LULC changes due to urbanization create more demand from natural resources and more production of foods and fiber leading to the transformations, deteriorations, and alteration of the ecosystems and affect provisioning ESs (Rimal et al. 2019;Tolessa et al. 2017a, b;Fu et al. 2017;Buytaert et al. 2014). LULC has revealed significant impact on the ESs from local to global scale (Rai et al. 2018;Crespin and Simonetti 2016;Englund et al. 2017;Ramirez-Gomez et al. 2015). Therefore, understanding the dynamics of LULC and ES supply is the key for the environmental researches and policy makers across the globe (Chen et al. 2019;Das et al. 2021b;Asah et al. 2014). ...
Mountains are one of the most ecological functional areas and provide wide range of ecosystem services (ESs) to the adjoining people. However, the mountainous ESs are highly vulnerable due to land use and land cover (LULC) change and climate change. Therefore, evaluations of the nexus between ESs and mountainous communities are essentially required for policy purpose. This study aims to assess ESs by analyzing LULC focusing in three ecosystems (forest, agriculture, and home garden) from urban and peri-urban areas for last 3 decades, applying participatory and geospatial approaches for a mountainous city in Eastern Himalayan Region (EHR), India. The findings showed that a substantial loss in ESs has occurred during the period. Moreover, there were substantial variations of ecosystem importance and dependency between urban and peri-urban areas with highest importance of provisioning ESs in peri-urban areas and cultural ESs in urban areas. Moreover, among the three ecosystems, forests were strongly supporting the peri-urban areas communities. The result demonstrated that the communities are highly dependent on various ESs for their livelihoods, but the changes of LULC had substantial impact on the loss of ESs. Therefore, implementation of effective land uses planning strategies and measures for ecological security and livelihood sustainability is to be managed with people participation in mountainous areas.
... Landscape functions have a definition close to ecosystem services but differ on the emphasis on the composite nature of landscapes and stresses the provision of multiple ecosystem services within a certain landscape [9][10][11]. Either ecosystem services or landscape functions mainly focus on goods and services provided by natural or semi-natural land uses, with little considerations on urban regions or artificial landscapes [12,13]. Comparatively, rooted in agricultural multifunctionality research, LUF stresses different dimensions of functions including both socioeconomic and environmental aspects that every kind of land use may generate, and usually concentrates on the functional changes with dynamic land uses [3,14]. ...
The concept of land use functions (LUFs) has been widely employed to study and manage sustainable development. However, its employment is barely based on actual land uses. Difficulties in the accessibility of data and comparability of results also hinder the wide application of contemporary LUF frameworks on sustainability analysis. To fill these gaps, this study improves the LUF framework in which the monetary value of economic, social, and environmental LUF is evaluated using land use data. This framework is then used to examine how different LUFs relate to each other in Shandong, China. Results show that, at the township level, monetary values of economic and social functions are positively correlated, but are both negatively correlated with environmental function. All three functions grew between 2009 and 2018 in Shandong. Results also suggest that a focus on quantitative trade-offs of these three LUFs is insufficient; rather, their spatial balance also requires attention.
... The landscape approach seems particularly pivotal to address these tensions between scales. In a landscape ecology perspective, the landscape level enables to articulate data and results across several scales (Englund et al., 2017;Termorshuizen and Opdam, 2009;Vallés-Planells et al., 2014;Wu, 2021) and to link social and ecological issues (Vialatte et al., 2019). From a governance point of view, the landscape scale enables to deal with power issues (Roe, 2013) and allows gathering stakeholders from the same inter-knowledge network, professional solidarity or by geographical proximity (Lepart and Marty, 2013). ...
Context
In line with interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary principles of Sustainability Science, Participatory Landscape Sustainability Assessment (PLSA) studies are developing. These studies make the paradoxical promises to standardize observations to obtain robust and comparable data, while including a diversity of case studies, stakeholders and viewpoints.
Objective
The purpose of this paper is to highlight the diversity of perspectives on PLSA, arguing that the lack of coherent framing and a poor substantive theorization can limit the development of PLSA studies.
Methods
We conducted a systematic literature review on a corpus of 425 publications by combining bibliographic mapping on the full corpus and a content analysis on a sub-corpus of 138 full-texts.
Results
Our results showed that (i) this field is at the crossroads between ecology, landscape planning and sociocultural approaches, (ii) indicators combine on average 4.7 categories of sustainability, but are most applied at a local level and in a snapshot perspective, (iii) stakeholders are rarely involved in the choice of indicators (28.9% of studies) or in the assessment design (7.2%), and are mostly only asked to populate pre-identified indicators (63.9%), and (iv) viewpoint diversity is taken into consideration mainly by using indicators (67.3%) rather than by promoting deliberation (39.8%). In sum, we distinguish the participation-oriented approach, the contributive approach (anchored in positivism) and the collaborative approach (anchored in constructivism).
Conclusion
We advocate that future studies should be more explicit on the perspective they adopt in order to improve consistence between PLSA objectives, methods, and theoretical anchorages. This clarification might ultimately avoid confusion about the different regimes of participation and their respective contributions to Landscape Sustainability Science.
... The ecological network provides close connectivity and exchange of species, energy, and information in specific spaces by identifying the patches as ecological sources and connecting them with corridors [34]. Recent research on ecological networks primarily concentrates on biodiversity conservation [35], landscape connectivity [36,37], and ecological service [38,39]. Ecological corridors are land connections that help species move between patches and improve mobility and connectivity between ecological elements. ...
Under the background of the energy transition, the ecosystems are threatened by the rapid expansion of renewable power plants, especially wind turbines with enormous sizes. While the potential ecological influence near wind farms has not been extensively studied. In the process of wind farm site selection, there is no uniform methodology to assess the ecological impact on the local ecosystem. This paper proposed a research framework to quantify the impacts on ecological corridors under the influence of wind farms. Taking five wind farms in Ningbo Peninsula as cases, the geographical data from Landsat 8, NDVI, DEM, and wind turbine data from Vortex were selected from 2010 to 2020. The ecological sources and resistance surfaces were analyzed with and without wind farms under least-cost distance and least-cost path models. The results revealed that wind farms could increase the migration resistance that prevents the species' ecological corridors, and change the number and routes of main ecological corridors. Additionally, the cumulative resistance value positively correlated with the distance between ecological sources. Through GIS spatial quantification assessment, this paper helps balance wind energy development and regional ecological security and provides scientific and orderly planning suggestions for the healthy development of the regional ecological network.
... The term "landscape" is here defined as an intermediate integration level between the field and the physiographic region (Englund et al., 2017). The use of the term is considered appropriate since the anthropogenic processes (agricultural land use) within a sub-watershed, combined with hydrological processes that are constrained by a sub-watershed, determine (changes in) nutrient, water, and mass flows (Englund et al., 2021). ...
The agriculture sector can contribute to climate change mitigation by reducing its own greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, sequestering carbon in vegetation and soils, and providing biomass to substitute for fossil fuels and other GHG intensive products. The sector also needs to address water, soil, and biodiversity impacts caused by historic and current practices. Emerging EU policies create incentives for cultivation of perennial plants that provide biomass along with environmental benefits. One such option, common in northern Europe, is to include grass in rotations with annual crops to provide biomass while remediating soil organic carbon (SOC) losses and other environmental impacts. Here, we apply a spatially explicit model on >81,000 sub‐watersheds in EU27+UK (Europe) to explore the effects of widespread deployment of such systems. Based on current accumulated SOC losses in individual sub‐watersheds, the model identifies and quantifies suitable areas for increased grass cultivation and corresponding biomass‐ and protein supply, SOC sequestration, and reductions in nitrogen emissions to water as well as wind and water erosion. The model also provides information about possible flood mitigation. The results indicate a substantial climate mitigation potential, with combined annual GHG savings from soil‐carbon sequestration and displacement of natural gas with biogas from grass‐based biorefineries, equivalent to 13‐48% of current GHG emissions from agriculture in Europe. The environmental co‐benefits are also notable, in some cases exceeding the estimated mitigation needs. Yield increases for annual crops in modified rotations mitigate the displacement effect of increasing grass cultivation. If the grass is used as feedstock in lieu of annual crops, the displacement effect can be negative, i.e., a reduced need for annual crop production elsewhere. Incentivizing widespread deployment will require supportive policy measures as well as new uses of grass biomass, e.g., as feedstock for green biorefineries producing protein concentrate, biofuels and other biobased products.
... In this regard, spatially explicit tools are needed to predict natural pest control potential, potential mismatches between pest control demand and supply and to inform on how it can be affected by planning and land management decisions (Daily et al., 2009;Groot et al., 2010;Maes et al., 2012;Kleijn et al., 2019). The current knowledge on the different ecological processes influencing the delivery of natural pest control ecosystem services (ES) in agroecosystems is however fragmented (Jonsson et al., 2014;Holland et al., 2017), (but see Haan et al., 2020 for a recent review on our current understanding on the effect of landscape on pest control), and there is currently no widely accepted and applicable tool to assess, map and predict this ecosystem service (Englund et al., 2017;Alexandridis et al., 2021). ...
Natural pest control has the potential to reduce pesticide use. Therefore, it has an essential role to play in the transition towards a more sustainable agriculture. For the prediction of natural pest control, it is essential to understand the distribution of the species providing this ecosystem service. The presence of pests and natural enemies depends on a combination of abiotic and biotic factors, each playing a determining role at different spatial scales. We developed a hierarchical model composed of environmental predictors including bioclimatic and land use variables at the European scale, as well as landscape complexity and biotic interactions at the landscape scale. This paper presents the predicted distribution of 111 species from seven different arthropod families (two pest aphid species and their natural enemy species) in an agricultural region in northern Germany. The hierarchical framework allows determining the capacity of landscapes to support pest control ecosystem services provided by arthropods at the local scale and informs on vulnerable areas or potential mismatches between natural pest control demand and supply. Thereby it can support the design of local scale measures for habitat improvement, biodiversity conservation and the increase of ecosystem services supply. The hierarchical approach can be adapted to other agroecosystems and leaves potential for further adaptations to improve the prediction of pests and their natural enemy distribution, dynamics and factors influencing their spatial distribution.
... The tendency to discuss or even assess more provisioning and regulation services has also been highlighted in other papers containing ecosystem service assessments like in Campagne et al. (2020) which show that in 108 papers using the matrix approach (Burkhard et al. 2014) to assess ecosystem services, 94 % assessed regulation services, 87 % assessed provisioning services and 83 % assessed cultural services. Similar tendency with more assessments of regulation services has been highlighted also in Egoh et al. (2012);Crossman et al. (2012); Haase et al. (2014); Malinga et al. (2015); Englund et al. (2017) and Hölting et al. (2019). ...
To better manage our environment, systematic information is needed on the state of ecosystems and their interactions with society. Efforts have been undertaken to design monitoring and recording systems, notably the United Nations System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA). However, the diverse conceptualizations and applications on ecosystem accounting found the scientific literature have never been assessed in a systematic way. Here, a systematic literature review on ecosystem accounting, i.e. natural capital accounting approaches that focus on ecosystems, is conducted to detail the evolving trends in concepts, methodologies, and applications, and to identify main gaps and challenges for future work. Results yielded 378 scientific articles published between
1990 and 2021. This literature is diverse in terms of frameworks developed, ecosystems studied, valuation methods used, and accounts produced. Among the eleven ecosystem accounting frameworks identified, the SEEA is the most widely used. This literature is moving from focusing on conceptual elements towards addressing implementation issues. It is primarily conducted in European countries, on forest ecosystems, using biophysical methods and monetary valuation methods consistent with exchange values to produce accounts. The gaps that should be the focus of future work include the issue of implementation: methodologies (artificial Intelligence technologies and economic valuation), data, for instance making better use of remote sensing images, collaborations,
and supporting the use of ecosystem accounts in decision-making.
... Ecosystem services refer to the direct and indirect natural environmental conditions and effects provided by ecosystem and ecological processes to maintain human existence [1][2][3], including provisioning, regulating, and supporting, as well as cultural services [4]. However, with the intensification of human activities, ecosystem services have been increasingly affected by land-use change, economic development, population growth, urbanization, and industrialization [5]. ...
Due to rapid urbanization and economic development, the natural environment and ecological processes have been significantly affected by human activities. Especially in ecologically fragile karst areas, the ecosystems are more sensitive to external disturbances and have a hard time recovering, thus studies on the ecosystem services in these areas are significant. In view of this, we took Guizhou (a typical karst province) as the research area, evaluated the ecosystem service value (ESV) according to reclassified land uses and revised equivalent factors, and investigated the determinants of ecosystem services based on geographic detection. It was found that the total ESV showed a prominent increase trend, increasing from 152.55 billion CNY in 2000 to 285.50 billion CNY in 2020. The rise of grain prices due to growing social demands was the main factor in driving the increase of ESV. Spatially, the ESVs of central and western Guizhou were lower with cold spots appearing around human gathering areas, while that of southern and southeastern Guizhou were higher with hot spots that formed in continually distributed woodland. Moreover, the ESV per unit area and its change rate in karst regions were always lower than that in non-karst areas. Precipitation and temperature were the dominant nature factors while cultivation and population density were the main anthropogenic effects driving the evolution of ecosystem services. Therefore, positive human activities as well as rational and efficient land-use should be guided to promote the coordinated and high-quality development of ecology and the economy.
... First, methods for assessing the value of wilderness areas could be optimized by optimizing the valuing methods. It is essential to obtain an intuitive understanding of the value of wilderness areas at the landscape scale (Englund et al., 2017). The actual provision should also be distinguished from the potential supply of wilderness areas, and the trade-offs in ecosystem services could also be considered (Aryal et al., 2022). ...
Preserving wilderness areas is one of the key goals in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. However, far too little attention has been paid to identifying wilderness conservation priorities on the national scale. In this study, we developed a methodological framework to evaluate the ecosystem service values, potential threats and conservation priorities of wilderness areas in China, providing guidance for wilderness conservation. First, we assessed the conservation value of wilderness areas and found that in most ecoregions, wilderness areas provide more ecosystem services than non-wilderness areas per unit area. Then we identified threatened wilderness areas under multiple scenarios due to land use and land cover change. We found that 5.82 % of the existing wilderness areas were projected to be lost by 2100. Finally, wilderness conservation priorities were identified considering both conservation values and potential threats, and 11.24 % of existing wilderness areas were highlighted as conservation priorities. This methodological framework could be applied to other countries to support post-2020 global biodiversity conservation.
Agricultural landscapes are multifunctional and closely connected to the much wider food system. In our review, we explore three specific aspects of modelling approaches for agricultural landscape assessments: (a) how multifunctionality is commonly analysed to support decision-making for sustainable agricultural land management; (b) how the modelling approaches relate to the wider food systems; and (c) how gaps in the existing modelling approaches might be addressed. For this, we identified key elements of agricultural landscape assessments, including ecosystem services (ESS) provided, driving factors, and linkages between crop and livestock production, and to the wider food system. We reviewed 238 publications with respect to these elements. While biodiversity and the ESS ‘water conditions’ and ‘atmospheric composition/conditions’ are widely covered, they are rarely used in combination. Other ESS, such as ‘pest and disease control’, are largely missing. Our results further indicate strong differences between individual approaches regarding model parameterisation and consideration of abiotic, biotic, and management driving factors. Our analysis also shows that the interconnectedness of crop and livestock production is rarely considered and that return flows from the food system are not considered. Furthermore, impacts from the production of external inputs and off-site effects are not considered. Consequently, existing models might overlook trade-offs and synergies between landscape functions. Failure to consider variations in relevant driving factors and food system linkages likely results in studying incorrect levers for change and failing to show decision-makers the full scope of available action. We thus suggest adopting more encompassing modelling approaches to ensure coverage of the full scope of potential actions, whilst hedging against overly costly data requirements by, e.g. employing well-designed sensitivity analyses. In this way, the most relevant components and thus the most important leverage points for interventions can be identified.
The Río de la Plata Grasslands region is one of the largest plains in the world, covering a significant portion of the southern Brazilian grasslands. This temperate sub-humid region is also one of the most diverse grassland areas globally. However, in the last decades, important land-use and land-cover changes occurred threatening the natural ecosystem and the provision of essential ecosystem services. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the primary land-use and land-cover changes that have occurred in this region over the last two decades. We also discuss some of the consequences derived from these changes on the ecosystem functioning, the supply of ecosystem services and the human appropriation of primary production. Finally, we evaluate the observed transition trends among land-use and land-covers and speculate on the most likely changes that may occur in the next few years.
Ecosystem services (ES), or the benefits that people receive from ecosystems, refer to the services and products which are provided by an ecosystem under appropriate ecological condition. The concept of ES introduces the idea that human societies are mostly dependent on natural ecosystems and the organisms that host them. Therefore, these services are essential for human livelihood, well-being, and health. According to the importance of ES in human life, the capacity to provide ecosystem services has changed significantly due to changes in human activities and natural environment, and as a result, the supply of ES cannot sate the demand. One of the mechanisms that can be used to a new relationship between community and ES is to determine economic valuation, in addition to facilitating the decision-making process, provides essential information for better management of ecosystems, and their suitable consumption. Economic valuation of ecosystem services includes a wide range of methods that can be implemented in a variety of ways and in combination with other techniques. The design of these methods has been based on understanding the complexity of the natural environment using economic analysis. In this regard, Environmental Services Valuation (ESV) studies can help decision-makers to develop better strategies for identifying essential ES for society, enhance general information on the importance of ES, and decrease the negative impact of parameters such as overgrazing and deforestation. Overall, due to the significant increase in pressure on natural ecosystems, ESV studies should be included in future projects. In this regard, in this chapter, first, the importance of ES in the well-being of the people has been mentioned. Then, the importance of economic valuation of ecosystem services have been discussed, and finally, after reviewing the literature, the most widely used methods of ESV have been introduced.KeywordsEcosystem servicesEconomic valuationWilling to payChoice experimentBenefit transfer
Bamboo, also known as "poor man's timber," is one of Nepal’s most significant forest species and is widely distributed through the country. Bamboo resources have tremendous social, cultural, and ecological implications, suggesting a need for further investigation and exploration. The majority of past studies have focused on the socio-economic and ethno-botanical aspects of bamboo in parts of Nepal but the ecological information and research statistics for bamboo, as well as its contribution to Nepalese communities, are still unexplored. This study reviewed the existing literature, and was supported by our research experience on the bamboo resource in Nepal. We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA) method for systematically reviewing the literature related to bamboo. The review process mainly focused on three aspects that included (1) research trends on bamboo forests, (2) a review of the status and distribution of bamboo species in Nepal, (3) an assessment of bamboo forest ecosystem services. We found that a total of 12 genera and more than 53 bamboo species have been recorded in Nepal, with highest species diversity in the Hill region. Bamboo in Nepal provides different ecosystem services ranging from social (spiritual significance for local communities), economic (lumber, medicine, water, biofuel, and crafts), to ecological (carbon stock/sequestration, landscape restoration). It forms the basis for local livelihoods as well as enhancing the climate resilience of local communities in Nepal. However, the majority of studies on bamboo have concentrated on its economic potential with a low focus on provisioning, habitat and cultural services. This represents a major gap. The lack of data on various aspects of the conservation status of bamboos and the ecosystem services that they provide indicates the need for more detailed and comprehensive research on these aspects.
Niewielkie półnaturalne siedliska, zwłaszcza zadrzewienia śródpolne, odgrywają w krajobrazie rolniczym bardzo ważną rolę. Jedną z nich jest zwiększenie oporu naturalnego środowiska na wystąpienie gradacji szkodnika. Funkcja ta wynika z faktu, że zadrzewienia są miejscem bytowania organizmów będących naturalnymi wrogami szkodników upraw, m.in. owadów drapieżnych oraz pasożytów i parazytoidów. W intensywnie zarządzanych krajobrazach rolniczych ochrona roślin uprawnych opiera się w dużej mierze na środkach chemicznych, co zwiększa koszty produkcji i zanieczyszczenie środowiska. Wzmocnienie naturalnej kontroli szkodników może przyczynić się do wzrostu bezpieczeństwa żywnościowego, przy jednoczesnym zmniejszeniu presji na bioróżnorodność i środowisko. Jednocześnie zadrzewienia śródpolne zwiększają efektywność innych usług, takich jak zapylanie czy regulacja klimatu. W ostatnim czasie dokonano znacznych postępów w mapowaniu usług ekosystemowych, ale naturalne zwalczanie szkodników jest jednym z najrzadziej podejmowanych tematów. Niniejsze opracowanie ma na celuprzedstawienie przestrzennej zmienności potencjału i zapotrzebowania na tę usługę, wskazując te części Polski, w których potrzeby ochrony zadrzewień są największe. Zastosowano podejście krajobrazowe, biorąc pod uwagę nie tylko udział zadrzewień, ale także wielkość płatów, ich kształt oraz wielkość strefy ekotonowej. Wyniki oraz wypracowana tu metodyka mogą służyć do formułowania polityk i strategii mających na celu zwiększenie bioróżnorodności i usług ekosystemowych. Badania te mogą być też podstawą działań wspierających zrównoważone rolnictwo, np. poprzez odpowiednią alokację funduszy z Programu Rozwoju Obszarów Wiejskich.
Present work intended to explore how far the Provisioning Service Value (PSV) of the mature Ganges deltaic wetlands is determined by its typology and a few physical attributes like hydrology and aquatic vegetations. Firstly, a field investigation was carried out in the representative sample sites, and field-measured PSV was calibrated with wetland types, hydrological security, and aquatic plant biomass to perform spatial estimation and mapping of PSV. The estimation yielded average annual PSV of entire wetlands as 146.5 × 10⁵ Indian Rupee (INR)/km²/year, with the highest over bheries (embankments for fish and shrimp aquaculture) 176 × 10⁵ INR/km²/year and lowest over marshy wetlands 107 × 10⁵ INR/km²/year. Sensitivity analysis of this estimation showed in cases of 55% field visited sites, the field-measured PSV was outside the range of low standard regression residuals (−0.5 to 0.5). While searching for the reason behind such error in the estimation, the variability of the field-measured PSV was measured. Various inequality measures showed high inequality in inter and intra-hydrological conditions of the wetland. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) proved statistical significance of within-class variability. To explain the variability of PSV, Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) plotting was performed, incorporating a few other regional conditioning factors like wetland size, fish and shrimp aquaculture, perenniality, expenditure, and external feeding from the experience of the field. From this excesize, external feeding and expenditure were essential factors that should be incorporated along with the wetland characteristics and physical attributes for accurate estimation. Since producing spatial data layers of these factors with a finer resolution is difficult, the study suggests case-specific estimation of PSV instead of general spatial mapping.
The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the scientific literature on aquatic ecosystem services. We used the Web of Science database for our research. We found a total of 1,367 articles, with 837 papers that studied ecosystem services provided through the interaction between terrestrial and aquatic environments (terrestrial–aquatic papers) and 530 papers relating only to aquatic environments. Despite the growing number of articles, there is still less research on aquatic environments compared to terrestrial environments. We found a correlation between types of services and taxonomic groups, such that supporting ecosystem services were investigated using mainly macroinvertebrate, microorganisms and aquatic macrophytes communities, while provisioning and cultural ecosystem services were frequently studied with fishes. The analysis of keywords revealed that there was a temporal shift in the terms studied, and some words presented a higher frequency in aquatic research. Nonetheless, other words appeared in aquatic and terrestrial–aquatic studies with similar frequencies. The trends and biases detected in the present paper can help us to understand the role of aquatic biodiversity in ecosystem services more fully in the future as well as assist in the creation of strategies for future studies on the conservation of these services.
An increasing amount of information is being collected on the ecological and socio-economic value of goods and services provided by natural and semi-natural ecosystems. However, much of this information appears scattered throughout a disciplinary academic literature, unpublished government agency reports, and across the World Wide Web. In addition, data on ecosystem goods and services often appears at incompatible scales of analysis and is classified differently by different authors. In order to make comparative ecological economic analysis possible, a standardized framework for the comprehensive assessment of ecosystem functions, goods and services is needed. In response to this challenge, this paper presents a conceptual framework and typology for describing, classifying and valuing ecosystem functions, goods and services in a clear and consistent manner. In the following analysis, a classification is given for the fullest possible range of 23 ecosystem functions that provide a much larger number of goods and services. In the second part of the paper, a checklist and matrix is provided, linking these ecosystem functions to the main ecological, socio–cultural and economic valuation methods.
Quantifying and mapping the distribution patterns of ecosystem services can help to ascertain which services should be protected and where investments should be directed to improve synergies and reduce tradeoffs. Moreover, the indicators of urbanization that affect the provision of ecosystem services must be identified to determine which approach to adopt in formulating policies related to these services. This paper presents a case study that maps the distribution of multiple ecosystem services and analyzes the ways in which they interact. The relationship between the supply of ecosystem services and the socio-economic development in the Taihu Lake Basin of eastern China is also revealed. Results show a significant negative relationship between crop production and tourism income (p<0.005) and a positive relationship between crop production, nutrient retention, and carbon sequestration (p<0.005). The negative effects of the urbanization process on providing and regulating services are also identified through a comparison of the ecosystem services in large and small cities. Regression analysis was used to compare and elucidate the relative significance of the selected urbanization factors to ecosystem services. The results indicate that urbanization level is the most substantial factor inversely correlated with crop production (R
2 = 0.414) and nutrient retention services (R
2 = 0.572). Population density is the most important factor that negatively affects carbon sequestration (R
2 = 0.447). The findings of this study suggest the potential relevance of ecosystem service dynamics to urbanization management and decision making.
Operational use of the ecosystem service (ES) concept in conservation and planning requires quantitative assessments based on accurate mapping of ESs. Our goal is to review spatial assessments of ESs, with an emphasis on the socioecological drivers of ESs, the spatial datasets commonly used to represent those drivers, and the methodo-logical approaches used to spatially model ESs. We conclude that diverse strategies, integrating both spatial and aspatial data, have been used to map ES supply and human demand. Model parameters representing abiotic ecosystem properties can be supported by use of well-developed and widely available spatial datasets. Land-cover data, often manipulated or subject to modeling in a GIS, is the most common input for ES modeling; however, assessments are increasingly informed by a mechanistic understanding of the relationships between drivers and services. We suggest that ES assessments are potentially weakened by the simplifying assumptions often needed to translate between conceptual models and widely used spatial data. Adoption of quantitative spatial data that more directly represent ecosystem properties may improve parameterization of mechanistic ES models and increase confidence in ES assessments.
The ecosystem services approach has been proven successful to measure the contributions of nature and greenery to human well-being. Ecosystems have an effect on quality of life, but landscapes also, as a broader concept, may contribute to people’s well-being. The concept of landscape services, compared to ecosystem services, involves the social dimension of landscape and the spatial pattern resulting from both natural and human processes in the provision of benefits for human-well being. Our aim is to develop
a classification for landscape services. The proposed typology of services is built on the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES) and on a critical review of existing literature on human well-being dimensions, existing ecosystem service classifications, and landscape perception. Three themes of landscape services are defined, each divided into several groups: provisioning, regulation and maintenance, cultural and social life fulfillment, with the latter focusing on health, enjoyment, and personal and social fulfillment. A special emphasis is made on cultural services, which are especially important when applied to landscape and which have received less attention.
Biomass for bioenergy is debated for its potential synergies or tradeoffs with other provisioning and regulating ecosystem services (ESS). This biomass may originate from different production systems and may be purposefully grown or obtained from residues. Increased concerns globally about the sustainable production of biomass for bioenergy has resulted in numerous certification schemes focusing on best management practices, mostly operating at the plot/field scale. In this study, we compare the ESS of two watersheds in the southeastern US. We show the ESS tradeoffs and synergies of plantation forestry, i.e., pine poles, and agricultural production, i.e., wheat straw and corn stover, with the counterfactual natural or semi-natural forest in both watersheds. The plantation forestry showed less distinct tradeoffs than did corn and wheat production, i.e., for carbon storage, P and sediment retention, groundwater recharge, and biodiversity. Using indicators of landscape composition and configuration, we showed that landscape planning can affect the overall ESS supply and can partly determine if locally set environmental thresholds are being met. Indicators on landscape composition, configuration and naturalness explained more than 30% of the variation in ESS supply. Landscape elements such as largely connected forest patches or more complex agricultural patches, e.g., mosaics with shrub and grassland patches, may enhance ESS supply in both of the bioenergy production systems. If tradeoffs between biomass production and other ESS are not addressed by landscape planning, it may be reasonable to include rules in certification schemes that require, e.g., the connectivity of natural or semi-natural forest patches in plantation forestry or semi-natural landscape elements in agricultural production systems. Integrating indicators on landscape configuration and composition into certification schemes is particularly relevant considering that certification schemes are governance tools used to ensure comparable sustainability standards for biomass produced in countries with variable or absent legal frameworks for landscape planning.
Journal of Applied Ecology encourages contributions that can influence environmental management, policy or both, with evidence based on the most robust science possible. Natural resource management is often contentious, and any perceived weaknesses in the underpinning science are easily exploited by interest groups to undermine the wider endeavour (see for example, the experiences of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Ravindranath, 2010). Thus, the robustness of science designed to underpin management and policy is particularly important.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Riparian areas support a set of river functions and of ecosystem services (ESs). Their role is essential in reducing negative human impacts on river functionality. These aspects could be contained in the River Basin Management Plan, which is the tool for managing and planning freshwater ecosystems in a river basin. In this paper, a new index was developed, namely the River Ecosystem Quality Index (REQI). It is composed of five ecological indices, which assess the quality of riparian areas, and it was first applied to the Marecchia river (central Italy). The REQI was also compared with the Italian River Functionality Index (IFF) and the ESs measured as the capacity of land cover in providing human benefits. Data have shown a decrease in the quality of riparian areas, from the upper to lower part of river, with 53% of all subareas showing medium-quality values. This explains the vulnerability of these areas when exposed to any action taken in the management of natural resources. The REQI is closely related (R2 = 0.71) to ESs. A lower regression was shown in the case of riverine quality, measured by the IFF. The opportunity to add such an assessment to the traditional indices used to assess river quality in the management of aquatic–terrestrial transitional zones was finally discussed.
Recently, in addition to the popular concept of “ecosystem services” (ES), the term “landscape services” (LS) has come into use. We are examining the question of whether a stronger focus on LS would be useful, particularly with regard to case studies carried out in Germany. Important reasons for introducing the term LS include the prominent role of spatial aspects, the reference to landscape elements and the landscape character, and the relevance of LS for landscape planning. We found no strong arguments for replacing the concept of ES by LS; however, we do prefer a situation-related use of both concepts. We propose the following definition: Landscape services are the contributions of landscapes and landscape elements to human well-being.
Ecological and conservation research has provided a strong scientific underpinning to the modeling of ecosystem services (ESs) over space and time, by identifying the ecological processes and components of biodiversity (ecosystem service providers, functional traits) that drive ES supply. Despite this knowledge, efforts to map the distribution of ESs often rely on simple spatial surrogates that provide incomplete and non-mechanistic representations of the biophysical variables they are intended to proxy.However, alternative data sets are available that allow for more direct, spatially nuanced inputs to ES mapping efforts. Many spatially explicit, quantitative estimates of biophysical parameters are currently supported by remote sensing, with great relevance to ES mapping. Additional parameters that are not amenable to direct detection by remote sensing may be indirectly modeled with spatial environmental data layers.We review the capabilities of modern remote sensing for describing biodiversity, plant traits, vegetation condition, ecological processes, soil properties, and hydrological variables and highlight how these products may contribute to ES assessments. Because these products often provide more direct estimates of the ecological properties controlling ESs than the spatial proxies currently in use, they can support greater mechanistic realism in models of ESs. By drawing on the increasing range of remote sensing instruments and measurements, data sets appropriate to the estimation of a given ES can be selected or developed. In so doing, we anticipate rapid progress to the spatial characterization of ecosystem services, in turn supporting ecological conservation, management, and integrated land use planning.
Mapping key areas for ecosystem service (ES) supply is essential for the development of strategies that will ensure their future supply. Given the rapid development in this area of research, we performed a review of different approaches used to map ES, with a special focus on those that use social–ecological data. We used an analytical framework based on five criteria for analyzing and comparing the methodological approaches: the types of ES, availability of data sources, types of data sources, spatial scale, and methods used to model ES. We found that regulating services were the most commonly mapped, followed by provisioning, cultural, and supporting services. Secondary (readily available) data were used more frequently than primary data to map ES. Biophysical data (land-cover variables) and mixed sources (databases like global statistics) were the most commonly employed ones. Most studies were performed at the regional or at the national scale. The most commonly used method to model services was the development of models based on the well-known causal relationships between environmental variables, followed by the extrapolation of ES values from primary data to the total analyzed area frequently using land-cover maps. Our synthesis reveals that the majority of studies are based on secondary data, applied at broad scales, without validation techniques. There is an urgent need to develop methods for deepening our understanding of the social–ecological processes behind the supply of ES in order to improve our ability to map ES for decision making.
The potential of landscapes to supply multiple benefits to society beyond commodities production has received increasing research and policy attention. Linking the concept of multifunctionality with the ecosystem services (ES) approach offers a promising avenue for producing scientific evidence to inform landscape planning, e.g., about the relative utility of land-sharing and land-sparing. However, the value for decision-making of ES-based multifunctionality assessments has been constrained by a significant conceptual and methodological dispersion. To contribute towards a cohesive framework for landscape multifunctionality, we analyse case studies of joint ES supply regarding ten criteria designed to ultimately answer four aspects: (i) the multifunctionality of what (e.g., landscapes), (ii) the type of multifunctionality (e.g., based on ES synergies), (iii) the procedure of multifunctionality assessments, and (iv) the purpose of multifunctionality. We constructed a typology of methodological approaches based on scores for criteria describing the evaluation method and the level of stakeholder participation in assessments of joint ES supply. Surveyed studies and underlying types of methodological approaches (spatial, socio-spatial, functional, spatio-functional) differed in most criteria. We illustrate the influence of methodological divergence on planning recommendations by comparing two studies employing contrasting approaches (spatial and functional) to assess the joint supply of wildlife habitat and agricultural production in the Argentine Chaco. We distinguish between a pattern-based and process-based multifunctionality, where the latter can only be detected through approaches considering the ecological processes (e.g., ES complementarities) supporting the supply of multiple ES (functional and spatio-functional). Finally, we propose an integrated approach for assessing a socially-relevant process-based multifunctionality.
The increased cultivation of energy crops has a variety of economic, social and environmental effects, which can be assessed using the concept of ecosystem services (ES). Among the various instruments for regulating energy crop cultivation, reducing the impacts on ecosystems and landscapes, and moving sustainable land management forward, the ES concept is a useful tool since it includes economic, ecological and social aspects. The methodological approach is exemplified by a case study in the district of Görlitz, Germany. It started with an indicator-based analysis of the present state of landscape functions or services, focusing on the “supply” part of ES assessments.
The results were interpreted in light of an ecological risk assessment concerning intensified agriculture in general and the increased cultivation of energy crops in particular: on the one hand for the present situation, and on the other, for three different future scenarios. It was possible to project the results onto reference units (biophysical units), and to reveal spatial differences in carrying capacity or sensibility as a result of increased energy crop cultivation. The demand side of ESs was assessed on the basis of semi-structured interviews and standardized questionnaires.
Land management, the organisation of the use and development of land, is an important instrument for addressing problems of rising greenhouse gas emissions and loss of natural resources. Yet, natural-social systems in which land management policies are implemented are poorly understood, thus decreasing the effectiveness of these policies. Local studies provide valuable insights, though only for the local conditions prevalent during the investigated period. Synthesising local studies in order to generalise results is impaired by the variety of local conditions. Collaborative research programmes may prevent some of these problems. They support the share of insights across temporal, ecological and spatial-economic contexts. On the basis of existing literature, we identify the challenges which face synthesis and demonstrate how a German research programme attempts to address some of them.
In recent years, geographic information systems (GIS) have become a powerful tool for mapping and assessing the provision of ecosystem services within a landscape. GIS can help land managers and conservationists visualize spatial and temporal patterns and changes in ecosystem services and estimate the potential impact from projected changes in land use or management or climatic conditions on the provision of these services. The end-goal of ecosystem service assessment is usually to estimate marginal values of ecosystem services to inform decisions where trade-offs in ecosystem service provision will affect human well-being. Because our ability to estimate the provision of ecosystem services underlies our ability to estimate their societal values, the theoretical bases of GIS approaches and models for assessing ecosystem services need to be well understood before they are employed for decision-making purposes. This paper reviews GIS approaches and software developed for the assessment of ecosystem services and highlights their strengths and weaknesses in the context of different end uses.
“Landscape” refers both to a conceptual field that examines how humans affect geographic space and to real places, and the word has both analytical and experiential implications. Pairing the analytical and the experiential enables landscape to be a catalyst for synthesis in science and for insight in urban ecological design. Emphasizing that science is fundamental to ecological design, this essay broadly interprets urban ecological design to include intentional change of landscapes in cities, their megaregions, and resource hinterlands. The essay offers two laws and two related principles for employing landscape as a medium and a method for urban ecological design. The laws observe that landscapes integrate environmental processes and that landscapes are visible. Two related principles explain how these inherent characteristics can be used to effect sustain ability by using landscape as a medium for synthesis and in a method that invites creative invention.
Within the concept of ecosystem services (ES), space and time approaches, with their physical and socio-economic dimensions, play an important role. Among the space aspects, the configuration (e.g. size, shape) and composition (pattern) of ecosystems, but also the spatial positions of service providing areas, service connecting areas and service benefiting areas are of great relevance. Ecosystem changes, and also differences between supply and demand (or use) of ES, are typical time-related aspects. Scale issues concern both the space and time dimensions. A scheme in the form of a guideline or a checklist is proposed, which helps to consider, systemize and improve space and time aspects in methodological frameworks and in special investigations. Space and time aspects of ES and the application of the scheme are exemplified on the European Union Water Framework Directive. The introduction of this directive as a political instrument has led to significant improvements of the ecological state of surface waters and the groundwater, and the ES they supply, not least due to the appropriate, exemplary consideration of space and time aspects.
Mainstreaming ecosystem services into policy and decision making is dependent on the availability of
spatially explicit information on the state and trends of ecosystems and their services. In particular, the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 addresses the need to account for ecosystem services through
biophysical mapping and valuation. This paper reviews current mapping methods, identifies current knowledge gaps and provides the elements for a methodological framework for mapping and assessing
ecosystems and their services at European scale. Current mapping methodologies go beyond purely
land cover based assessments and include the use of primary data of ecosystem services, the use of
functional traits to map ecosystem services and the development of models and ecological production
functions. Additional research is needed to cover marine ecosystems and to include the resilience of
ecosystems to environmental change in spatially explicit assessments. The ecosystem services cascade
which connects ecosystems to human well-being is argued to provide a suitable, stepwise framework for
mapping ecosystem services in order to support EU policies in a more effective way. We demonstrate
the use of this framework for mapping using the water purification service as case.
Ecosystem services (ES) and ecosystem services assessment (ESA) have become common parlance in the environmental field. Scientists, policy-makers and activists have promoted the ES approach as a means of conveying the extent of threats to natural ecosystems with the goal of crafting socially acceptable and effective policy to address ecological threats and biodiversity conservation. Yet there are some significant challenges to wide acceptance of the ES approach which hinder its absorption into the mainstream geography literature. This paper reviews the historical development of the ES approach focusing on its relevance to applied geography at different stages of its development, describes the present state-of-the-art of ES, and synthesizes the results from several seminal papers and reports. I posit that there are two major stumbling blocks: 1) the difficulty of simplifying complexities between services so that statutory planning processes can incorporate the approach, and 2) the lack of cross-landscape assessment methods and examples. If we focus on the most immediately surmountable challenges to the ES approach much progress could be made in a short time. The subsequent and final substantive section of this review summaries these challenges and offers some suggestions for moving forward.
Maintaining and improving ecosystem services in urban areas and human well-being are essential for sustainable development and therefore constitute an important topic in urban ecology. Here we reviewed studies on ecosystem services in urban areas. Based on the concept and classification of urban ecosystem services, we summarized characteristics of urban ecosystem services, including the human domination, high demand of ecosystem services in urban areas, spatial heterogeneity and temporal dynamics of ecosystem services supply and demand in urban areas, multi-services of urban green infrastructures, the socio-economic dimension of ecosystem services supply and ecosystem disservices in urban areas. Among different urban ecosystem services, the regulating service and cultural service are particularly indispensable to benefit human health. We pointed out that tradeoffs among different types of ecosystem services mostly occur between supportive service and cultural service, as well as regulating service and cultural service. In particular, we emphasized the relationship between landscape design (i.e. green infrastructure) and ecosystem services supply. Finally, we discussed current gaps to link urban ecosystem services studies to landscape design and management and pointed out several directions for future research in urban ecosystem services.
Plurality in ecosystem service definitions and applications has resulted in a wide variety of methods to assess and map ecosystem services (ES). Although this helped the field to progress and evolve in several directions and contexts, this diversity challenges the mainstreaming of ES information into policy making, natural resource management and green accounting. The Mapping 2 and Modelling 3 working groups of the Ecosystem Service Partnership (ESP) have taken up the challenge to provide structure and guidance in ES mapping practices. The ESP working groups have developed a checklist of information and decisions needed for ES mapping and documentation (Crossman et al., 2013), an online data sharing platform for ES maps (http://esp-mapping.net), and a series of Special Issues (SI) on ES mapping in scientific journals (Crossman et al., 2012, Burkhard et al., 2013, Alkemade et al., 2014). In our search for best ES mapping practices to support decision making we, as leads of the related ESP working groups, invited papers for this SI with recommendations on the ES mapping methods and a description of their applicability under specific geographic characteristics and user objectives. Decision-making in which ES maps can play a role is not restricted to national governments, but involves, for example, private companies , watershed managers and non-government organizations. Based on the collection of papers in this SI, we found that the best ES mapping practices to support decision making should be robust, transparent and stakeholder-relevant. These mapping practices include robust modeling, measurement, and stakeholder-based methods for quantification of ES supply, demand and/or flow, as well as measures of uncertainty and heterogeneity across spatial and temporal scales and resolution. Best ES mapping practices are also transparent to contribute to clear information-sharing and the creation of linkages with decision support processes. Lastly, best ES mapping practices are people-central, in which stakeholders are engaged at different stages of the mapping process and match the expectations and needs of end-users. Based on the 16 papers included in this SI, this editorial provides an overview of the best practices and remaining challenges , that lead to robust, transparent and stakeholder-relevant ES mapping for supporting diverse decision-making in diverse contexts.
One of the main objectives of community ecology is to understand the conditions allowing species to coexist. However, few studies have investigated the role of fine-scale habitat use segregation in the functioning of guild communities in relatively homogeneous landscapes where opportunities for coexistence are likely to be the most restrictive. We investigate how the process of habitat use differentiation at the home range level according to the degree of specialism/generalism of species can lead to coexistence between guild species. We examine differences in fine-scale habitat use and niche separation as potential mechanisms explaining the coexistence of five sympatric carnivore species that differ in life history traits (Iberian lynx, Eurasian badger, Egyptian mongoose, common genet and red fox) by collecting data from systematic track censuses in a relatively homogeneous Mediterranean landscape. We found that a higher degree of specialism determines the segregation of species among the fine-scale ecological niche dimensions defined using quantitative elements associated with vegetation, landscape, prey availability and human disturbance. The species with the lowest total performance over the set of variables did not exhibit segregation in the use of habitat at this level. Our study indicates that in relatively homogeneous landscapes, there exist subtle patterns of habitat partitioning over small-scale gradients of habitat determinants as a function of the degree of specialism of carnivore species within a guild. Our results also suggest that coexistence between generalist species may be permitted by fine-scale spatial-temporal segregation of activity patterns or trophic resource consumption, but not fine-scale habitat use differentiation.
There is a growing call for ecosystem services models that are both simple and scientifically credible, in order to serve public and private sector decision-making processes. Sediment retention receives particular interest given the impact of this service on water quality. We developed a new version of the sediment retention model for the InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Environmental Services and Tradeoffs) tool to address previous limitations and facilitate model uncertainty assessment. We tested the model in the Cape Fear basin, North Carolina (NC), performing sensitivity analyses and assessing its ability to detect the spatial variability in sediment retention service for eight subcatchments. The main advantages of the revised model include the use of spatially-explicit, globally available input data, and the explicit consideration of hydrological connectivity in the landscape. The sensitivity analyses in the study catchment identified the erosivity and erodibility factors, together with the cover factor for agricultural land as the most influential parameter for sediment export. Relative predictions, representing the spatial variability in sediment exports, were correctly represented by the model. Absolute sediment exports were also highly correlated with observations, although their interpretation for socio-economic assessments is more uncertain without local knowledge of the dominant erosion processes. This work confirms that the sediment connectivity approach used in the revised InVEST model has great potential to quantify the sediment retention service. Although resources to conduct model calibration and testing are typically scarce, these practices should be encouraged to improve model interpretation and for confident application in different decision-making contexts. Without calibration, the InVEST sediment model still provides relevant information for ecosystem services assessments, especially in decision contexts that involve ranking of sediment export areas, such as spatial prioritization of conservation, development or restoration activities, taking into account non-linear sediment responses to changes in land use.
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