A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
Relationships between ecosystem condition and ecosystem services at different spatial scales
Land degradation is one of the main drivers of decline in biodiversity, ecosystem condition and services. Agricultural expansion is the main form of land-use change and causes adverse effects on forests, wetlands, grasslands and their capacity to provide ecosystem services. Some of the most significant impacts of land degradation related to agricultural expansion occur in the soil. It causes the deterioration of soils' physical, chemical and biological characteristics and reduces the vegetation cover in the long term. Soil erosion is a direct consequence of land degradation, and it reduces nutrients and agricultural productivity and causes sedimentation and flooding in areas where the washed-out soil accumulates. Therefore, monitoring and measuring ecosystem condition are relevant to recognise early signs of land degradation. At the same time, the analysis of the relationship between ecosystem condition and the provision of ecosystem services helps identify priority areas where specific parameters need improvement to guarantee the sustainable provision of ecosystem services. Thus, the objective of this thesis is to improve the knowledge about ecosystem condition assessment and the relationship with ecosystem services. The aims are: (1) to identify the indicators used in Europe to assess ecosystem condition; (2) to test the indicators proposed by MAES to assess ecosystem condition; and (3) to analyse the relationships between ecosystem condition and services at a regional and continental scale using as an example the ecosystem service control of erosion rates. First, the thesis provides some background information about ecosystem condition and services, emphasising on agroecosystems and control of erosion rates. Afterwards, a description of the methods used for the assessment is presented, followed by the research questions that guided the subsequent chapters. Second, chapter 2 presents the literature review results on ecosystem condition mapping and assessment in Europe. The aim is to provide an overview of the ...
Relationships between ecosystem condition and ecosystem services at different spatial scales
Land degradation is one of the main drivers of decline in biodiversity, ecosystem condition and services. Agricultural expansion is the main form of land-use change and causes adverse effects on forests, wetlands, grasslands and their capacity to provide ecosystem services. Some of the most significant impacts of land degradation related to agricultural expansion occur in the soil. It causes the deterioration of soils' physical, chemical and biological characteristics and reduces the vegetation cover in the long term. Soil erosion is a direct consequence of land degradation, and it reduces nutrients and agricultural productivity and causes sedimentation and flooding in areas where the washed-out soil accumulates. Therefore, monitoring and measuring ecosystem condition are relevant to recognise early signs of land degradation. At the same time, the analysis of the relationship between ecosystem condition and the provision of ecosystem services helps identify priority areas where specific parameters need improvement to guarantee the sustainable provision of ecosystem services. Thus, the objective of this thesis is to improve the knowledge about ecosystem condition assessment and the relationship with ecosystem services. The aims are: (1) to identify the indicators used in Europe to assess ecosystem condition; (2) to test the indicators proposed by MAES to assess ecosystem condition; and (3) to analyse the relationships between ecosystem condition and services at a regional and continental scale using as an example the ecosystem service control of erosion rates. First, the thesis provides some background information about ecosystem condition and services, emphasising on agroecosystems and control of erosion rates. Afterwards, a description of the methods used for the assessment is presented, followed by the research questions that guided the subsequent chapters. Second, chapter 2 presents the literature review results on ecosystem condition mapping and assessment in Europe. The aim is to provide an overview of the ...
Relationships between ecosystem condition and ecosystem services at different spatial scales
2022-01-01
Theses
Electronic Resource
English
Understanding relationships among ecosystem services across spatial scales and over time
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