Year-end Sale % OFF 
Abstract
We quantify main ecosystem services (i.e. the contribution of ecosystems to human well-being) provided by rivers, lakes, coastal waters and connected ecosystems (riparian areas and floodplains) in Europe, including water provisioning, water purification, erosion prevention, flood protection, coastal protection, and recreation. We show European maps of ecosystem service capacity, flow (actual use), sustainability and efficiency. Then we explore the relationship between the services and the ecosystem condition at the European scale, considering the ecological status of aquatic ecosystems, reported under the EU Water Framework Directive, as a measure of the ecosystem integrity and biodiversity.Our results indicate that a higher delivery of the regulating and cultural ecosystem services analysed is mostly correlated with better conditions of aquatic ecosystems. Conversely, the use of provisioning services can result in pressures on the ecosystem. This suggests the importance of maintaining good ecological condition of aquatic ecosystems to ensure the delivery of ecosystem services in the future. These results at the continental scale, although limited to the ecosystem services under analysis, might be relevant to consider when investing in the protection and restoration of aquatic ecosystems called for by the current EU water policy and Biodiversity Strategy and by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Highlights
IntroductionB. Grizzetti et al / Science of the Total Environment 671 (2019) 452–465 halt the loss of biodiversity in order to ensure that by 2020 ecosystems are resilient and continue to provide essential services, [...] securing the planet's variety of life, and contributing to human well-being, and poverty eradication”
Water demand is intense across the continent; it is related to high population density in some areas, energy production and economic activities, and irrigation of crops in water scarce regions that are intensive agricultural areas (Fig. 2b)
The analysis of the relationship between aquatic ecosystem conditions, as defined by class of Ecological Status of the EU legislation (Water Framework Directive), and the metrics of ecosystem services done in this study is relevant to understand how the protection and restoration of the aquatic ecosystems support human well-being and how the exploitation of ecosystems can affect the conditions of the aquatic environment
Summary
B. Grizzetti et al / Science of the Total Environment 671 (2019) 452–465 halt the loss of biodiversity in order to ensure that by 2020 ecosystems are resilient and continue to provide essential services, [...] securing the planet's variety of life, and contributing to human well-being, and poverty eradication”. In 2011, to put into effect the commitments taken under the CBD, the European Union adopted the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 (European Commission, 2011), setting out 6 targets to halt the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the EU by 2020. The targets aim to conserve and restore nature, enhance ecosystems and their services by establishing green infrastructure and restoring degraded ecosystems, integrate biodiversity into the development of agriculture, forest and fisheries policies, combat invasive alien species, and avert global biodiversity loss
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
