How Land-Take Impacts the Provision of Ecosystem Services—The Case of the Province of Monza and Brianza (Italy)

Giulio Senes (), Giulia Lussana, Paolo Stefano Ferrario, Roberto Rovelli, Ambra Pedrazzoli, Denise Corsini and Natalia Fumagalli
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Giulio Senes: Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milano, Italy
Giulia Lussana: Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milano, Italy
Paolo Stefano Ferrario: Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milano, Italy
Roberto Rovelli: Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milano, Italy
Ambra Pedrazzoli: Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milano, Italy
Denise Corsini: Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milano, Italy
Natalia Fumagalli: Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milano, Italy

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-25

Abstract: Non-urbanized areas (NUAs), including residual urban green areas, urban parks, agricultural, natural and semi-natural areas, are a fundamental part of the green infrastructure. They are essential in sustaining life and future development, providing a series of ecosystem services (ESs) vital to human society. However, the rapid expansion of urban areas has led to a significant reduction in green spaces. Land-take, reducing available land resources, impacts ecosystem functionality, making it crucial to preserve high-quality territories and the relative ESs provided. In this context, the aim of this study was to evaluate the reduction in ESs due to the land-take having occurred in the last 20 years in the Province of Monza–Brianza, the Italian province with the highest land-take. To achieve this goal, authors used the official data of land use/cover of the Lombardy Region, with three time thresholds (T0: 1999–2003, T1: 2012–2013, T2: 2021) and applied a methodology for ESs assessment originally developed for the municipal level, adapting it to the provincial scale. The study analyzes trends in land-take and land-use changes and assesses how these changes have led to variations in ES provision. The approach involves calculating multiple indices reflecting different ESs provided by NUAs: provisioning ESs coming from agriculture, regulating ESs provided by natural resources, cultural ESs provided by landscape. Findings reveal that urban expansion has decreased provisioning ESs coming from agriculture, while ESs provided by landscape and natural resources have remained stable or improved, respectively. The natural quality index has improved due to conservation policies, despite the high land-take recorded. Anyway, although regional policies have mitigated some negative effects, the overall reduction in green spaces remains a critical issue.

Keywords: land-take; green infrastructure; ecosystem services (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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