Assessment of the Selected Regulating Ecosystem Services Using Ecosystem Services Matrix in Two Model Areas: Special Nature Reserve Obedska Bara (Serbia) and Protected Landscape Area Dunajske Luhy (Slovakia)

Ivan Laco
Additional contact information
Ivan Laco: Institute of Landscape Ecology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Štefánikova 3, P.O. Box 254, 814 99 Bratislava, Slovakia

Land, 2021, vol. 10, issue 12, 1-20

Abstract: In this paper we are analyzing the potential of land cover features to provide three regulating ecosystem services (ESs), ES Local climate regulation, ES Water quality regulation and ES Biodiversity promotion, in two case study areas: Special nature reserve (SNR) Obedska bara (Serbia) and Protected landscape area (PLA) Dunajske luhy (Slovakia). Regulating ESs are not only important for proper functioning of ecosystems, but they are also crucial for the existence of human society. To assess the potential of land cover features to provide regulating ESs, we used biophysical methods. The maps of land cover potential to provide regulating ES are the result of the analyses. The results indicate that forests are the most important ecosystems that provide ES Local climate regulation and ES Water quality regulation. For ES Biodiversity promotion, the most important ecosystems were natural and seminatural meadows, wetlands, natural and seminatural rivers and water bodies as well as forests. Overall SNR Obedska bara has higher potential to provide all three regulating ESs than PLA Dunajske luhy. These findings point to the importance of natural areas in ensuring the provision of regulating ESs. Properly selected landscape management is the key for maintaining or improving the potential of land cover features to provide regulating ESs. The research can help local authorities in decision making and in creating conservation strategies for selected protected areas.

Keywords: local climate regulation; water quality regulation; biodiversity promotion; land cover; land use (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/12/1401/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/10/12/1401/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:10:y:2021:i:12:p:1401-:d:705631

Access Statistics for this article

Land is currently edited by Ms. Carol Ma

More articles in Land from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().