Abstract
Mapping ecosystem services (ESs) is an important tool for providing the quantitative information necessary for the optimal use and protection of ecosystems and biodiversity. A common mapping approach is to apply established empirical relationships to ecosystem property maps. Often, ecosystem properties that provide services to humanity are strongly related to the land use and land cover, where the spatial allocation of the land cover in the landscape is especially important. Land use and land cover maps are, therefore, essential for ES mapping. However, insight into the uncertainties in land cover maps and how these propagate into ES maps is lacking. To analyze the effects of these uncertainties, we mapped pollination efficiency as an example of an ecosystem function, using two continental-scale land cover maps and two global-scale land cover maps. We compared the outputs with maps based on a detailed national-scale map. The ecosystem properties and functions could be mapped using the GLOBCOVER map with a reasonable to good accuracy. In homogeneous landscapes, an even coarser resolution map would suffice. For mapping ESs that depend on the spatial allocation of land cover in the landscape, a classification of satellite images using fractional land cover or mosaic classes is an asset.
Highlights
Global and continental-scale integrated assessments, like the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity increasingly emphasize the importance of the provision of ecosystem services (ESs) for humanity [1,2]
ESs have become increasingly important in policies and conservation, and sustainable use of ESs is part of the targets set by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the European Union [3]
GLOBCOVER was the best land cover database for mapping ESs that depends on the land cover structure
Summary
Global and continental-scale integrated assessments, like the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity increasingly emphasize the importance of the provision of ecosystem services (ESs) for humanity [1,2]. ESs have become increasingly important in policies and conservation, and sustainable use of ESs is part of the targets set by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the European Union [3]. Ecosystem services are commonly divided into provisioning services, regulating services, cultural services and supporting services [1]. The provision of several regulating, supporting and cultural services depends strongly on the spatial allocation of land cover. A network of hedgerows can regulate erosion and influences the spatial variability of soil fertility [4,5]. The landscape structure can influence the attractiveness of the landscape for tourists and holidaymakers [9,10]
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