Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services

Abstract

Mapping and assessing ecosystems and their services is one of the key actions of the EU biodiversity strategy to 2020. In 2013 the MAES working group promoted six thematic pilots (focused on conservation status data, natural capital accounting and the main Europe’s ecosystems).\nIn 2015 the MAES working group launched a new pilot on urban ecosystems. The thematic pilot on urban ecosystems has been structured in two phases, the first focuses on information collection and the second on the provision of systematic protocol for a spatially explicit assessment of ecosystems and their services in urban environment.\nThis report presents the results the Pilot on Urban Ecosystems with an analysis of the outcomes of a survey and a literature review that were carried on between June and November of 2015.\nThe survey was set up with the purpose of understanding the type of information that cities are currently applying in order to better incorporate Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) and ecosystem services in decision making. The literature review was carried out to incorporate information on the research activity related to green infrastructure; conservation / biodiversity and ecosystem services in urban areas.