Ecosystem Services, Strategic Planning and Resilience

Ecosystem Services, Strategic Planning and Resilience

Ecosystem services (ES) are all the benefits that ecosystems provide to humans. National and EU policies for land use, rural development and nature protection are the most influential current drivers of landscape change, and at the same time determine environmental management practices and affect the state of different ecosystems and the services they provide.

We work on improving the generation and transfer of knowledge related to climate change adaptation and mitigation and ecosystem services and their relationship with intangible or tangible heritage, in a holistic approach focused on four main areas of work: water, energy, land and biodiversity. But methodologies for the analysis and monitoring of ES, such as water or tourism, are also developed as a basis for the development of the integrated ecosystem management approach, as well as for formulating recommendations to the authorities (at different scales) for the improvement of rural development policies and the strengthening of legal systems for ecosystem management.

ES assessment is also the basis for any strategic and adaptive planning at local/regional level, based on enhancing community resilience. In fact, to promote systemic transition in cities based on co-evolution and social innovation, through fair and inclusive participatory processes, a participatory community development approach is adopted, favoring the innovation of social-ecological systems to reduce the vulnerability of local communities and improve people's well-being.