Published in Scientific Papers. Series E. Land Reclamation, Earth Observation & Surveying, Environmental Engineering, Vol. V
Written by Cristina BURGHILA, Sorin Mihai CIMPEANU, Alexandru BADEA
Pollution, over exploitations, urban development and climate changes cause huge losses on our natural capital. The human race depends on healthy ecosystems to deliver essential services such as food, water, clean air and recreation. The need of quantifying the levels and values of these ecosystems services and incorporate them into resource management is increasing each and every day. According to EU biodiversity strategy up to 2020 (EC 2011), target 2, by 2020 ecosystems and their services must be maintained and enhanced by restoring at least 15% of degraded ecosystems. In order to measure the progress towards this target, is essential to map ecosystems and their condition. At EU and national level is proposed a general and analytical framework based on the DPSIR framework (Drivers, Pressures, State, Impact and Response) in order to integrate economic values into accounting and reporting system, but also to provide cross references with ecosystem services categories that are being used in assessments. The big challenge that European Commission is facing consists in using the large amount of geospatial data and other information that are available for building a feasible methodology and suitable data sets. The framework to be used is developed by CICES and it was evaluated among 4 pilot studies of MAES working group, same working group that came along with the proposal of indicators for mapping and assessing urban ecosystems and their services applicable to EU and most of its Member States. MAES outcome of the working group showed that when using data that already exist and combine it in a coherent and integrated ecosystem assessment yields a starting database consistency.
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