"Assessment and Economic Valuation of Recreational Ecosystem Services of Landscapes in EU Member States", Workshop am 12. und 13. September 2016

The workshop was held on September 12-13, 2016 at Leibniz Universität Hannover, Institute of Environmental Planning as part of the project ‘Valuing Cultural Ecosystem Services in Germany’.

The workshop picked up the challenge of assessing and valuing ecosystem services as stipulated by target 2, action 5 of the EU Biodiversity strategy (i.e. Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services – a process commonly abbreviated as MAES).The workshop focussed on Recreational Ecosystem Services (RES) as one kind of cultural ecosystem services and, more specifically, on the potential, demand, actual use, and economic value of RES. We understand RES as the contributions of landscapes for non-specific and specific recreation opportunities. Non-specific recreation opportunities refer primarily to aesthetic quality as it determines a landscape’s general suitability for recreation purposes. Specific recreation opportunities, in contrast, refer to activities like hiking, climbing, boating, or in-situ bird watching that require specific elements in landscapes. Potential is understood as the current provision of RES in a given landscape, regardless of their actual use. Demand is the societal request for RES, which may or may not be fulfilled. Actual use is the current usage of RES, and economic value describes the value attributed to a marginal change of landscapes’ provision of RES.

The objectives of the workshop were:

1.     To bring together and discuss the best available knowledge concerning RES of landscapes in EU member states, that is spatial analysis and quantification of potentials, estimation of demand as well as actual use, and economic valuation,

2.     To synthesize commonalities and differences, current bottlenecks and new ideas for further research to advance the theory and practice of RES mapping, assessment and economic valuation in the context of MAES, including suggestions for harmonizing the diversity of approaches,

3.     To develop material and insights for a joint publication effort on the topic such as a special issue or joint paper, depending upon the interest of participants,

4.     To initiate and enhance across EU member states’ knowledge exchange and cooperation around RES assessment and valuation approaches.

We were delighted to welcome 28 participants from across the EU, such as Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Malta, and the Netherlands, as well as from the United States, sharing insights in their research and their perspectives on these issues in very interesting presentations and fruitful discussions.

We are excited to anounce that as one outcome of the workshop a Special Issue on the ''Assessment and Valuation of Recreational Ecosystem Services of Landscapes'' will be published in Ecosystem Services journal. The SI will pick up the issues discussed on the workshop and is open for contributions.

For more information and updates see here
The Call for Papers can be found here

Erfassung und Bewertung kultureller Ökosystemleistungen in den EU-Mitgliedstaaten

Fachleute aus ganz Europa und den USA trafen sich am 12. und 13. September 2016 in Hannover zu einem “Workshop on the Assessment and Economic Valuation of Recreational Ecosystem Services of Landscapes in EU Member States”.

Das IUP hatte zu dieser internationalen Arbeitstagung zur Erfassung und ökonomischen Bewertung von Ökosystemleistungen für die Erholung eingeladen. Der inhaltliche Schwerpunkt der Veranstaltung lag auf den Konzepten und Methoden zur Bestimmung des Dargebots, der Nachfrage und der volkswirtschaftlichen Bedeutung solcher Ökosystemleistungen. Der Workshop stand aber auch im Kontext einer Vorgabe aus der EU-Biodiversitäts-Strategie, in der die Mitgliedstaaten dazu aufgefordert werden, die Ökosysteme sowie deren Leistungen zu erfassen und zu bewerten.

Dank der 29 Teilnehmenden aus zehn Ländern wurde die Veranstaltung zu einem vollen Erfolg: Der aktuelle Stand des Wissens zu Ökosystemleistungen für die Erholung konnte zusammengetragen und vergleichend diskutiert werden. Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede der verschiedenen Konzepte und Methode wurden identifiziert, derzeitige Herausforderungen eruiert und neue Ideen für die Weiterentwicklung der wissenschaftlichen Ansätze konzipiert. Der internationale und interdisziplinäre Austausch wurden vertieft.

Die Ergebnisse des Workshops sollen nun in einer Sonderausgabe der Fachzeitschrift Ecosystem Services veröffentlicht werden – weitere Informationen hier.

Workshop-Programm