Substantiating spatial decision-making with ecosystem services

Ecosystem services are services that ecosystems and their natural capital provide for humans. The concept describes the relationship between prosperity and the well-being of humans and their living environment. When changes take place in the ecosystem services provided, as a result of a spatial plan or project development, this has functional-ecological, socio-economic and cultural consequences for people and society. The analysis thereof provides valuable, additional substantiation for good decision-making about such spatial developments.

The purpose of this mission is to develop and describe a specific methodology for the use of the ecosystem services concept in various spatial development processes.

A roadmap will be developed, enabling users to select the relevant ecosystem services in function of the process characteristics and project. This is then linked to suitable assessment methods, tools, or data, which can be used to analyse and assess it as a whole. The study’s output provides input for a knowledge portal on this theme, which is to be developed, for which specific working methods and guidelines are delivered. During the study, the insights will also be tested against a number of practical examples (living lab).

The study is developed by Antea Group and VITO (Flemish Institute for Technological Research), in close collaboration with a supervisory group, in which Flemish and local stakeholders are represented. Our objective is to develop well-defined proposals for implementation, based on good consultation between and feedback from the administration and researchers.

In parallel with the study, Antea Group and its partners strive to implement ecosystem services concepts and green infrastructure in its spatial planning, layout and landscape design projects on a daily basis.