Finding the Green Grass in the Haystack? Integrated National Assessment of Ecosystem Services and Condition in Hungary, in Support of Conservation and Planning

Human well-being needs healthy ecosystems, providing multiple ecosystem services. Therefore, the assessment of ecosystems on large scales is a priority action. In Hungary, this work (MAES-HU) took place between 2016 and 2022. Twelve ecosystem services (ES) were mapped and assessed along with several...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability 2023-05, Vol.15 (11), p.8489
Main Authors: Tanács, Eszter, Vári, Ágnes, Bede-Fazekas, Ákos, Báldi, András, Csákvári, Edina, Endrédi, Anett, Fabók, Veronika, Kisné Fodor, Lívia, Kiss, Márton, Koncz, Péter, Kovács-Hostyánszki, Anikó, Mészáros, János, Pásztor, László, Rezneki, Rita, Standovár, Tibor, Zsembery, Zita, Török, Katalin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biodiversity
Comparative analysis
Conservation
Decision making
Ecosystem assessment
Ecosystem services
Ecosystems
Environmental protection
Forest ecosystems
Forest management
Forests
Land conservation
Land use planning
Protection and preservation
Spatial analysis
Species composition
Sustainability
Sustainable forestry
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Summary:Human well-being needs healthy ecosystems, providing multiple ecosystem services. Therefore, the assessment of ecosystems on large scales is a priority action. In Hungary, this work (MAES-HU) took place between 2016 and 2022. Twelve ecosystem services (ES) were mapped and assessed along with several ecosystem condition (EC) indicators. Their integrated spatial analysis aimed to identify patterns of ES multifunctionality, reveal relationships between EC and ES and delineate ES bundles. The results show outstanding multifunctionality of natural ecosystem types compared with the more artificial types, emphasizing the importance of natural areas in order to fulfil human needs. Native forests provide the most varied range of services, which underlines the importance of forest management to consider multiple services. There is a positive correlation between condition and multifunctionality in forests; areas in better condition (in terms of species composition and structure) provide more services at an outstanding level. ES bundles mainly reflect the major ecosystem types, topography and forest condition. Our analysis represents an example of synthesizing national MAES results with a combination of methods. Finding ES hotspots on a national scale and connecting them with an assessment of EC may help in finding optimal strategies to balance conservation targets and competing land uses.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su15118489