Applications of ecosystem services assessment using modelling, gis and remote sensing at different scales

Abstract

Assessment and mapping of ecosystem services (ESs) is gaining greater attention among researchers and decision-makers because of their wide possibility of application. Recently, different methods were developed to link land use and land cover to ecosystem service provision. This work applied ES assessments to five case studies with the aim to answer to the following questions: i) are Protected Areas (PA) effective in maintaining the ES provision capacity? and ii) How ES assessments can be usefully implemented in environmental planning to support most efficient and sustainable solutions for human well-being? The case studies applied the different ES mapping methods and detected (or dealt with) the different processes through which land use/land cover changes affect ESs. The results showed that the considered PAs were not effective in maintaining ES supply because of their passive management. Even when they were effective to protect biodiversity, ES supply was not guaranteed. Moreover, the analysis highlighted some trade-offs among different ESs. ES mapping can be transferred to theory to practice by the development of instruments, which can support decision-making process. ES mapping can be applied to different problems in different contexts, such as sustainability of renewable energies in agro-environment and cost-effective investments on urban green infrastructures. Overall the finding of the study demonstrated that: i) Since the mere conservation of biodiversity does not guarantee ES supply, the governance of PAs need to switch from passive to active management, and ii) ES mapping can support decision-making process providing instruments for environmental planning.