This questionnaire is for the survey to farmers that is to be carried out in the LIFT project, to at least 1,500 farms across the European Union (EU) in the LIFT case study areas. The LIFT large-scale farmer survey represents a key task that provides value added to the LIFT project and informs EU policy anal-ysis as a whole. The innovation is that it collects primary qualitative and quantitative data at the farm level, but also that data will be comparable across a large geographical area, across different produc-tion sectors, as well as across different farming practices/systems. The survey aims at collecting infor-mation that is not available in existing data sources, and that will be used in the analyses of the project.
In the EU, the mapping and assessment of ecosystems and their services, abbreviated to MAES, is seen as a key action for the advancement of biodiversity objectives, and also to inform the development and implementation of related policies on water, climate, agriculture, forest, marine and regional planning. In this study, we present the development of an analytical framework which ensures that consistent approaches are used throughout the EU. It is framed by a broad set of key policy questions and structured around a conceptual framework that links human societies and their well-being with the environment. Next, this framework is tested through four thematic pilot studies, including stakeholders and experts working at different scales and governance levels, which contributed indicators to assess the state of ecosystem services. Indicators were scored according to different criteria and assorted per ecosystem type and ecosystem services using the common international classification of ecosystem services (CICES) as typology. We concluded that there is potential to develop a first EU wide ecosystem assessment on the basis of existing data if they are combined in a creative way. However, substantial data gaps remain to be filled before a fully integrated and complete ecosystem assessment can be carried out.
In: Maes , J , Hauck , J , Paracchini, M L , Ratamäki, O , Termansen , M , Perez-Soba , M , Kopperoinen , L , Rankinen , K , Schägner , J P , Henrys , P , Cisowska , I , Zandersen , M , Jax , K , La Notte , A , Leikola, N , Pouta , E , Smart , S , Hasler , B , Lankia , T , Andersen , H E , Lavalle , C , Vermaas , T , Alemu , M H , Scholefield , P , Batista , F , Pywell , R , Hutchins , M , Blemmer , M , Fonnesbech-Wulff , A , Vanbergen , A , Münier , B , Baranzelli , C , Roy , D , Thieu , V , Zulian , G , Kuussaari , M , Thodsen , H , Alanen , E-L , Egoh , B , Sørensen , P B , Braat , L & Bidoglio , G 2012 , A spatial assessment of ecosystem services in Europe - Phase II : Methods, case studies and policy analysis & Synthesis Report . PEER Report , no. 4 , European Commission, Joint Research Centre . https://doi.org/10.2788/4198 , https://doi.org/10.2788/41831
Mainstreaming ecosystem services in EU decision making processes requires a solid conceptual and methodological framework for mapping and assessing ecosystem services that serve the multiple objectives addressed by policies. The PRESS-2 study (PEER Research on Ecosystem Service – Phase 2) provides such an analytical framework which enables the operationalization of the present scientific knowledge base of environmental data and models for application by the EU and Member States for mapping and assessment of ecosystem services. This study was structured along three strands of work: policy and scenario analysis, mapping and valuation. Linking the maps of ecosystem service supply to monetary valuation allowed an analysis of the expected impact of policy measures on benefits derived from ecosystem services. The recreation case, which Marianne participated in, presents evidence that millions of people visited forests several times per year and they expressed their willingness to pay to continue doing so. The visitor statistics that were used in this study confirmed the usefulness of the ROS approach (Recreation Opportunity Spectrum) to identify areas in terms of their accessibility and potential to provide recreation services. In addition, PRESS-2 presents a spatial analysis of city population density and green urban areas.