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Coastal and marine ecosystems supply multiple Ecosystem Services (ES). Nevertheless, these ecosystems are among the most impacted by human activities, harming the ES sustainable supply. Since ES are a spatial phenomenon, mapping can contribute to understand ES supply. For this, we use quantitative spatio-temporal frameworks to map and assess the supply of one provisioning (food from fisheries) and two regulating ES (nursery habitats and nutrient regulation), considering two periods: Baltic Sea Holistic Assessment (HOLAS) 2 (2011-2016) and 3 (2016-2021). The ES supply was assessed following a process-based modelling approach, using bio-physical indicators as proxies. The three ES models were applied and validated, showing moderate results. For fisheries and nursery ES the results showed a significantly higher supply in HOLAS 3 than in 2, and for nutrient ES the opposite. This indicates that the assessed ES changed due to environmental activities. The Anselin Local Moran's results showed that most ES index values aggregate in the High-High cluster; Moran's I and semi-variogram results showed a clustered pattern; and the Getis Ord* analysis showed that hot and cold spots corresponded to high and low supply areas. For fisheries, high ES supply areas were located in the central-southern part of the Baltic Sea, while low-supply regions were located in the northern part. For nursery ES, high supply areas were located in the southwestern Finnish and western Estonian coasts. For nutrient ES, high supply areas occurred in the central- and eastern-southern parts close to the coast. Correlations showed a statistically significant negative correlation between fisheries and nursery ES and a significant positive correlation between fisheries and nutrient ES. No statistically significant correlations were observed between nursery and nutrient ES supply. The results obtained are essential to support coastal and marine management and planning in the Baltic Sea as well as international environmental policies and directives.
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Although urban areas negatively impact the environment, they supply a wide range of ecosystem services (ES), mainly cultural ones. Recreation near urban green areas is widespread, including fishing. In northern latitudes, during the winter, lakes are frozen, and several urban dwellers practice ice fishing. Although this activity is well known, no attempts were made to assess and map winter recreational fishery ES supply in lakes. In this work, we developed a methodology to map this ES, taking an urban lake in Vilnius (Lithuania) as an example. A standardized protocol was developed using an unmanned aerial vehicle (proximal sensing), further georeferencing and correcting the gathered images, vectorizing the fishing ice holes, and mapping them using two different methods: Kernel and Point Density. The method developed in this work can be applied in northern areas to identify recreational fishing ES during the winter.â¢A novel method was developed to map winter recreational fishery ES supply in lakes;â¢High-resolution images were taken from an unmanned aerial vehicle to identify fishing ice holes in an urban lake.â¢The method maps a cultural ES, which is trendy in northern latitudes.
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Urban expansion is a global phenomenon that impacts biodiversity loss and climate change. Soil sealing increases land degradation and the ecosystem services supply. This degradation also negatively affects ecosystem health, essential to make cities more sustainable and liveable. This work aims to study the ecosystem health spatiotemporal evolution (1990, 2000, 2006, 2012 and 2018) in the Vilnius (Lithuania) functional zone, using the vigour, organisation and resilience (VOR) method. The results showed that ecosystem health model validation was acceptable (r = -0.761; p < 0.01). Between 1990 and 2018, an increase (18.37 %) in ecosystem vigour was observed. The values were significantly higher in 2006, 2012 and 2018 than in 1990 and 2000. We identified a decrease between 1990 and 2018 regarding ecosystem organisation (7.15 %) and resilience (9.92 %). However, no significant differences between the years were identified. Ecosystem health decreased (11.49 %) between 1990 and 2018, mainly between 2012 and 2018. Ecosystem health values in 2018 were significantly lower than those identified in the previous years. The lowest values of ecosystem vigour, organisation and resilience were identified in the Vilnius city centre, while the highest was observed in the Vilnius functional zone. From 1990 to 2018, ecosystem vigour increased in some elderships located on the fringe of the studied area due to land abandonment and forest plantations. Simultaneously, a decrease in ecosystem organisation and resilience in the elderships located in Vilnius city centre was observed due to urban sprawl and the consequent landscape fragmentation. This negatively impacted ecosystem health, overshadowing the positive trend observed in ecosystem vigour. Different processes (e.g., urban sprawl, land abandonment, forest plantations) occurred in the Vilnius functional zone. It is essential to halt urban expansion and its adverse impacts on ecosystem health, city sustainability and liveability.
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Conservação dos Recursos Naturais , Ecossistema , Lituânia , Florestas , Cidades , ChinaRESUMO
Protected areas (PAs) supply ecosystem services (ES) essential for human wellbeing. Mapping is a critical exercise that allows an understanding of the spatial distribution of the different ES in PAs. This work aims to conduct a systematic literature review on mapping ES in PAs. In order to carry out this systematic review, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses method was applied. The results showed an increase in the number of works between 2012 and 2023, and they were especially conducted in Europe and Asia and less in North America, South America, and Oceania. Most studies were developed in terrestrial areas, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature classified them into types II and IV. Most of the works followed the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment classification and were mainly focused on the supply dimension. Regulating and maintenance and cultural ES were the most mapped dimensions in PAs. The most frequent provisioning ES mapped in PAs were Animals reared for nutritional purposes and Cultivated terrestrial plants grown for nutritional purposes. In regulating and maintenance, Maintaining nursery populations and habitats and Regulation of the chemical composition of the atmosphere and oceans were the most analysed. For cultural ES, Characteristics of living systems that enable activities promoting health, recuperation, or enjoyment through active or immersive interactions and Characteristics of living systems that enable aesthetic experiences were the most mapped ES in PAs. Most works followed a quantitative approach, although the number of qualitative studies is high. Finally, most of the works needed to be validated, which may hamper the credibility of mapping ES in PAs. Overall, this systematic review contributed to a global picture of studies distribution, the areas where they are needed, and the most popular dimensions and sections as the methodologies were applied.
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Conservação dos Recursos Naturais , Ecossistema , Animais , Humanos , Ásia , Conservação dos Recursos Naturais/métodos , Europa (Continente) , PlantasRESUMO
The Russian-Ukrainian war is having a dramatic impact on the environment. The effects are still unknown. However, it is expected that the effects will be substantial. Since the conflict is ongoing, it is challenging to have ground-accurate data that could show an idea of the extension of the impact. Remote sensing can support a preliminary analysis in areas without safety to conduct fieldwork. This work aims to assess the impacts of the Russian-Ukrainian war on the environment using field and remote sensing sources. This is the first work that published fieldwork data from this conflict. Different soil properties were studied (e.g., texture and heavy metals) in different places (Novy Korotych and Mala Rohan). Remote sensing (e.g., Normalised Difference Vegetation Index) at different spatial scales (Eastern Ukraine and case study in the Kharkiv region) were assessed between 2021 and 2022. The results showed that the finer sediments increased in bombed areas compared with not bombed ones. Also, there was an increase in the content of heavy metals (e.g., Manganese, Iron, Cobalt, Copper, Cadmium, Chromium, Lead and Nickel) in soils in the shelled areas, compared to the non-shelled. This was mainly observed in the Novy Korotych site. Remote sensing analysis revealed that between 2021 and 2022 at a large scale (Eastern and southeastern Ukraine), vegetation greenness decreased in the areas where the combats are more intense (Luhansk and Donetsk) and increased in the southern area (Zaporizhia and Kherson), likely due to agriculture abandonment. On a small scale (case study in Kharkiv region), the vegetation greenness was affected due to the bombing. Although our results are preliminary, it is important to highlight that shelling is increasing soil pollution and contributing to vegetation greenness reduction where the fighting is intense. The actual impacts of the war still need to be understood entirely.
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Urban green spaces (UGS), such as parks, gardens, forests, and green infrastructure, supply numerous regulating, provisioning and cultural ecosystem services to urban communities, which is key for their wellbeing. To effectively plan and design UGS, it is crucial to understand how people use them and the factors that influence their usage. The diverse range of factors includes cultural, socioeconomic, demographic, seasonal, and spatial aspects, which present a challenge for studying these areas. Data collection methods based on observation enable capturing of high-quality data that reflect the behaviours in UGS, providing valuable insights for urban planners and policymakers. Standardised protocols and frameworks facilitate knowledge gathering, allowing researchers and practitioners to build upon evidence for effective urban planning and policymaking. This work aims to develop a method based on a mobile app to collect observation-based data on UGS usage efficiently.â¢Mobile app to collect georeferenced information on observed activities, basic sociodemographic characteristics, time and seasonal factors, and park characteristics, including the spatial distribution of park recreational equipment.â¢App optimised for fast and accurate data collection.â¢Focused on cultural ecosystem services.
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Assessing preferences of recreational activities related to cultural ecosystem services (CES) in urban areas is essential for decision-making and urban green space (UGS) management. This work aims to assess the preferences and factors (based on socio-demographic and motivation variables) influencing CES-related activities in Vilnius, Lithuania, to provide scientific knowledge to support more efficient UGS design and management. Participatory mapping was reported as relevant for urban park planning and decision-making and was applied to identify spatially explicit CES. We assessed the perceived relevance of five CES-related activities groups (Social activities, Inspirational activities, Cultural activities, Spiritual activities, and Physical activities) via participatory mapping through an online survey (n = 1.114). The users selected one preferred geographic location for each CES-related activities group and attributed relevance (using a 5-point Likert scale) for a set of motivation items. The results showed that Physical and Social activities were the respondents' most important CES-related activity groups, while Spiritual activities were the less popular. Factor Analysis showed that the respondent's recreation experience preferences, or motivations, were the most relevant variables influencing all the groups except for the Social activities group. Regarding Cultural activities, preferences for understanding things & learn about history were the most relevant variables. For Inspirational activities, the variables developing knowledge & to learn were the most important. Enjoying nature's quietness & frequency was the most relevant for Physical activities. Regarding Spiritual activities, the most important variables were related to the development of spiritual activities and the reflection on personal religious values. Finally, socio-demographic variables mainly influenced social activities, namely education level, gender and age group. The spatial distribution was different between activity groups. Inspirational activities showed the highest dispersion, and Spiritual activities the highest concentration. The results of this work are relevant to municipal managers, as they allow for a better understanding of users' interactions with the territory, its multifunctionality, and potential areas of conflict between conservation and recreation.
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This work aims to map and assess the recreational culture ecosystem services (CES) supply and demand in Vilnius. A novel framework individually assessed natural recreational CES supply and cultural recreational CES supply dimensions. So far, the previous works did not consider both CES components individually. Also, the validation of CES models is scarce and challenging. This work aims to map and assess natural recreational supply CES, cultural recreational CES supply, natural + cultural recreational CES supply, and cultural recreational CES demand. The results showed that the natural recreational CES supply dimension was the highest in protected areas. In contrast, the cultural, recreational CES supply dimension had the highest scores in the city centre. Natural + cultural recreational CES supply was high in the areas where the previous models had the highest values (e.g., protected areas and the city centre). The natural + cultural recreational CES supply model was validated using an online survey. Recreational CES demand was the highest in the areas near the city centre. There was a mismatch between the natural recreational CES supply and recreational demand. Nevertheless, we identified a match between cultural recreational CES supply dimension, Natural + cultural recreational CES supply and recreation CES demand. All the studied parameters had a clustered pattern. The natural recreational CES supply dimension had a hot spot in the northern part of the city. In contrast, cultural recreational CES supply dimension, Natural + cultural recreational CES supply and recreational CES demand were clustered in the city centre. Overall, it is vital to preserve the areas with maximum natural recreation CES supply and limit the urban expansion in these areas. Also, it is essential to reduce the car traffic to the centre and improve public transport accessibility to increase air quality and the impact of pollutants on cultural heritage sites.
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Conservação dos Recursos Naturais , Ecossistema , Conservação dos Recursos Naturais/métodos , Lituânia , CidadesRESUMO
Coastal recreation as a cultural ecosystem service (CES) is key to human wellbeing. However, anthropogenic impacts at the coast affect CES supply. Mapping and assessing CES can help achieve better coastal planning and management of the coast. Quantitative approaches for assessing and mapping CES are lacking, especially in coastal areas. We develop three quantitative models to assess and map coastal recreation CES supply, flow, and demand. We applied the developed models in the coastal region of Lithuania. The coastal recreation CES supply model comprises natural (e.g., naturalness) and cultural (e.g., points of interest) components. The input variables were (1) analysed for multicollinearity, (2) normalised and (3) overlayed using ArcGIS 10.8. An online survey was undertaken to assess and map CES flow and demand based on locations chosen by respondents where they perform recreation at the coast and the number of activities performed when visiting the coast. The coastal recreation CES supply model results showed that natural recreation is close to the coastline, forest areas, waterlines, and protected areas, while cultural recreation is highest in coastal urban areas. The supply model was validated (r2 = 0.11) based on the respondents' chosen coastal locations for recreation. The low validation allowed us to identify the mismatch between model results and respondents' preferences occurring in Klaipeda urban area. When removing respondents' points in Klaipeda urban area, the model validation increased (r2 = 0.36). CES flow results highlighted Palanga, Sventoji, and Nida as the prime coastal recreation locations. The results of CES demand show that respondents living in municipalities near the coastline (Baltic Sea and Curonian Lagoon) perform fewer activities when visiting the coast. For other municipalities, a demand pattern was not observed. Our results yielded important spatial information that can be useful for planners and decision-makers in the context of coastal management.
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Conservação dos Recursos Naturais , Ecossistema , Conservação dos Recursos Naturais/métodos , Florestas , Humanos , Lituânia , RecreaçãoRESUMO
Lake ecosystems are essential for human wellbeing and development for their capacity to provide multiple ecosystem services (ES). However, because of an anthropogenic-driven ecologic degradation, the sustainable supply of lake ES is at risk. It is, therefore, necessary to restore lake ecosystems and their ES for the sustainable support of future generations. There is a lack of knowledge about mapping lakes ES at the global level. This study conducts a systematic literature review focused on mapping lake ES. Initially, 617 studies were identified. However, only 30 studies were considered. The 30 studies identified were published between 2015 and 2021. Most of them were conducted in Asia, followed by Europe and America. The selected works covered all three Common International Classification of ES sections (regulating and maintenance, provisioning and cultural). We identified a similar number of works carried out in all the sections. Most of the studies were performed at a regional scale and focused on ES supply. Methodologically, an equal number of works followed qualitative and quantitative approaches. In total, 13 different methods were identified. The most used were the ES value (ESV) and biophysical modelling. Less than half of the works that applied the ESV method mapped all the ES analysed. Among the studies assessed, most were focused on environmental and socio-economic aspects. Only 1 study attempted to validate the results. Overall, 16 studies assessed the drivers of change impacts on ES supply. Nevertheless, only 1 considered climate change. The other 15 only considered land-use changes. This systematic review showed that a small number of works focused on lake ES mapping. Although challenging, there is an urgent global need for studies in this domain.
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Ecossistema , Lagos , Mudança Climática , Conservação dos Recursos Naturais/métodos , EcologiaRESUMO
Assessing and mapping ecosystem services (ES) became an integral part of coastal and marine management practices. Hence, quantitative and validated approaches are lacking, especially to address future conditions. The objective of this study is to apply further existing and develop new methodological frameworks to quantitatively assess and map the current and future supply of 3 ES in the coastal zone of Lithuania: coastal flood protection, nutrient regulation, and maintenance of nursery conditions. For coastal flood ES modelling, 2 time periods (1990 and 2018) and 4 scenarios (A0, A1 A2, A3 - based on future socio-economic changes in Lithuania) were analysed. The coastal flood protection ES model was validated (r2 = 0.30) using tree cover density. The results showed spatial differences among the analysed periods but no statistical differences. High supply areas are located in the southern coastal area, while the central part displays a low supply. For nutrient regulation and maintenance of nursery conditions, 7 time periods were analysed: a historical period and 6 scenarios based on Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5 and 8.5 and 3 Shared Socioeconomic Pathways. The nutrient regulation ES model was validated (r2 = 0.85) using in situ nutrient. Statistical differences were observed for this ES, but a similar spatial distribution of high and low supply areas. A decrease in the supply was observed comparing the historical period and future scenarios. Maintenance of nursery conditions was validated (r2 = 0.72) based on the protection status of the coastal zone. Results show no statistical differences and similar spatial patterns among the periods. Rocky and sandbank areas show a high supply for this ES. Limitations of our work are mainly related to the resolution of the utilised indicators. Nevertheless, the information obtained from our models can support spatial planning and decision-making processes.
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Conservação dos Recursos Naturais , Ecossistema , Inundações , LituâniaRESUMO
Anticipating future land use and land cover (LULC) changes can improve our knowledge of the complexity of human-environment interactions that lead to transformations in the landscape. Therefore, it is key to understand these LULC changes under different scenarios and how they affect habitat quality (HQ) a key indicator for ecosystem services (ES) supply quality. This work aims to study the impacts of LULC changes under different scenarios: business as usual (A0), urbanisation (A1), land abandonment and afforestation (A2) and agriculture intensification (A3) in 2050. To simulate future LULC changes we applied the Cellular Automata (CA) method, and to assess HQ, the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) model was used. Spatial autocorrelation was assessed with a Moran's I index and the Getis Ord* hotspot analysis. The result showed that the LULC model calibration and validation were accurate (80%). Between 1990 and 2018 there was an increase in urban areas and forest and woodlands, which was reflected in the A0 scenario in 2050. Under the A1 scenario there was an increase in the urban area (4628 ha) compared to 2018, and in the most important cities (e.g., Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipeda) in the scenario A2 there was an increase of 375,820 ha of woodland and forest. Finally, under the scenario A3, a large growth in cropland area (884,030 ha) was identified. HQ model had a better validation using three cover density data (r2 = 0.67), than with imperviousness (r2 = 0.26). A2 scenario showed the highest HQ and A3 scenario have the lowest HQ. The land uses of 1990, 2018, and A3 scenario had a clustered distribution while A0, A1 and A2 showed a random pattern. The results can support policy-makers by assessing the impact of future LULC changes in Lithuania.
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Conservação dos Recursos Naturais , Ecossistema , Cidades , Florestas , Humanos , LituâniaRESUMO
Terrestrial ecosystem services (ES) are vulnerable to land use and land cover changes (LULCC). These changes are triggered by different drivers of change (e.g., economic, social, political, environmental - climate change). Understanding the potential future LULCC is an effective way to anticipate the impacts on ES supply. In recent years, some researchers applied different spatial modelling methods to assess the potential LULCC future impacts on ES supply, but so far, no systematic review was carried out. This work aims to do a bibliographic review about future LULCC and their implications on ES supply (provisioning, regulating, and cultural services). After a rigorous bibliographic review, we identified 957 papers. However, only 79 papers meet the criteria to be used in the review. The results showed that (i) the studies have been mainly focused on Asia (55.70%) and Europe (17,72%); (ii) the most common and extensively used models to project future LULCC were cellular automata (30.86%), CLUE-S model (8.64%) and Land Change Modeler (8.64%); and (iii) the most used methods to assess future impacts on ES were the InVEST model (24.04%), and equations used in previous works (12.5%). These studies were mainly focused on measuring future impacts on provisioning (44.11%) and regulating services (43.59%). Also, most of the works lack external validation. The diversity of studies evaluated allowed to recognise gaps and outline insights into the current scientific research on this scientific domain, representing an essential contribution to the current state of knowledge by supporting both practitioners and scientists.
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Mapping and assessing landscape aesthetic quality (LAQ) at the national level can provide valuable insights to scientists and policymakers about the general condition of targeted cultural ecosystem service (CES). A generalised view based on unified methodological standards allows comparing LAQ between countries, thus facilitating international environmental management policies. LAQ can be assessed by combining subjective and objective metrics. This approach makes it challenging to map and assess the LAQ at national scale since it requires consensus-based methodologies to be reliably applicable in a broader geographic region. The national-scale studies related to LAQ are not common since they require high computational resources and differ in data accessibility. However, it is crucial to conduct broader LAQ studies to reveal the more general picture of LAQ condition and support (adjust) policy implementation at the national scale. More studies are needed to assess LAQ at the national level. This study aims to map and assess LAQ in Lithuania on the national scale. To achieve this aim, we adapted a LAQ mapping and assessment approach previously applied in Germany at the national scale. Based on previous work, we tested the methodology's transferability by applying it in a different geographical region by using local datasets. In this study, we partially modified sub-indicators calculation methods and performed an additional in-depth analysis to gather more information on LAQ accessibility and condition in Lithuania. Geographic Information Systems modeling and spatial statistics analysis allowed for achieving this aim. The results revealed that agricultural and urban areas had the lowest landscape diversity, naturalness, uniqueness, and LAQ in general, while areas with high ruggedness, forests, protected areas, natural monuments, and heritage sites had the highest LAQ scores. Viewshed analysis showed that a significant part of Lithuanian territory with the highest LAQ values have limited visibility due to terrain energy and undulation. Curonian spit and Nemunas riverbanks are few of high LAQ areas with high visual accessibility potential. The patches with high LAQ were clustered in protected areas, while the lowest LAQ values were observed in agricultural lands and urbanised areas. LAQ CES assessment is critical for higher quality environmental management regulation practices. High LAQ areas may need a better protection and provide wellbeing for the population, while low LAQ areas may require additional restoration effort. It also provides a better understanding of the LAQ condition and contributes to achieve national, European, and global goals related to landscape planning, management, and sustainable development.
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Conservação dos Recursos Naturais , Ecossistema , Estética , Alemanha , LituâniaRESUMO
While member states have made a great effort into mapping ecosystem services (ES) in Europe, much work is still needed, especially in the marine domain. Difficulties in understanding the ecological functioning of marine ecosystem services (MES), together with the lack of administrative and technical resources, calls for the development of new assessment approaches. Even for the well-studied MES, the provision of wild seafood, few studies focus on mapping and mostly in a qualitative way by applying expert-based methods. This study aims to quantitatively map MES by developing new methodological frameworks for each of the components of the cascade model for wild seafood provision. The results showed a high potential of wild seafood provision in coastal areas, contrasting with offshore areas of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Wild seafood is mainly supplied in the central part of the EEZ and is influenced by biological (e.g. sediments) and anthropogenic (e.g. shipping) factors. The flow was mapped using the location of first buying companies, restaurants, hotels, and supermarkets showing that the highest values were located in the urban areas. The coastal zone has a high flow as a consequence of the high density of fish selling points. The demand was mapped using the population density, number of tourists, and the fish consumption per capita; showing a high demand for fish products in urban as coastal areas. A validation step for the developed potential and supply, the analysis of the limitations and methodological considerations for all components, highlights the future data needs; showing decision-makers where to direct efforts. Mapping all components of wild seafood provision is critical to understand dynamics, the trade-offs associated, and its role in the socio-economic dimensions of coastal communities. This information can then be integrated into decision-making by showing the advantages in achieving a sustainable provision of wild seafood.