ECOPOTENTIAL: Improving Future Ecosystem Benefits through Earth Observations

Alpine chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) in Gran Paradiso National Park.

and assessments from EU legislative environmental frameworks such as the Birds and Habitats Directive, Water Frameworks Directive and Marine Strategy Framework Directive. For the terrestrial environment, the Natura 2000 network (based on the Birds and Habitats Directives) is the basis for natural environment protection and conservation. For the marine environment, the legislative frameworks that apply best are those in the Water Frameworks Directive and Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Many EU directives seem to make the linkwith ecosystem services through biodiversity, but apart from the Biodiversity Strategy, do not mention ecosystem services explicitly. There is a lack of pragmatic translation of these directives for use by Protected Area managers directly, since the directives are implemented on a national level, while many of the ecosystem services methodological frameworksmentioned above are developed at a regional or EU level. We are aware of various member states that have developed methods for assessing (mostly terrestrial) ecosystem services, but these methods are far from harmonized. Protected Area managers are thus dependent on a member state-based method (if present) on if and how to incorporate ecosystem services into operational management of an area.

report in 2010 (EEA 2010) on mountain ecosystems and the services they provide, however, there are no recommendations included on how these services should be conserved. There are two regional conventions, i.e., the Alpine Convention (1992) and Carpathian Convention (2003). However, these do not mention ecosystem services explicitly, even if ecosystem functioning and specific services are discussed, such as tourism and recreation. Semi-arid areas On a European level, there are no directives that deal specifically with ecosystem services in semi-arid areas. 3.1.3 Analysis The most relevant policy instrument for all Protected Areas is the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2020 and, more specifically, the Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES) in which ecosystem services are explicitly mentioned and an approach is provided on how to implement it on a national level. MAES is currently being developed further within EU research projects MARS and ESMERALDA, based on the finished project MESEU. There are other relevant methodologies for deriving ecosystem services values from Natura 2000 areas, and specifically for the marine environment, currently a methodology is being developed at the EEA. MAES thus can be based on classifications, descriptions

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