Mapping and assessment of ecosystems and their services : – the Swedish Forest Pilot

The overall objectives of the MAES (Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystem Services) project was to synthesise what information is available at EU and Member State scales in terms of data and indicators in order to facilitate Member States’ work when i)identifying and prioritising which ecosystems and services to map and assess; ii) identifying what data are available or needed; and iii) linking biodiversity and ecosystem condition to ecosystem services and human well-being.The Swedish Forest pilot project contributed to these objectives for forests. However, it also went one step further to test an approach for mapping multiple ecosystem services in forests at a national level. The aim of this second part of the pilot study was to investigate the potential to map ecosystem services based on prediction with models that have been fitted to field data on the ecosystem services as a function of mapped environmental variables that that have been obtained by modelling or remote sensing. We also briefly discuss limitations to identify synergies and trade-offs from maps of ecosystem services. The work undertaken by all the MAES Pilots in 2013 (including forests) shows that there is a big potential for using data that already exists and combining these data into a coherent and integrated ecosystem assessment. The pilots have assembled an extensive list of indicators, which can be used, together with a typology and map of ecosystems to make a first assessment of ecosystem condition and ecosystem services. However, there are also several issues that remain to be resolved in the future. This includes more research on the links between biodiversity and ecosystem services, in particular for cultural services. It is also clear that whereas data may already exist, for instance as NFI data, additional modelling and analyses are needed before mapping can be done.As for the pilot mapping, this study highlights some of the possibilities, but also some of the difficulties in using NFI data for nation-wide mapping of ecosystem services. Models for the prediction of ecosystem services need to be built. These models are constrained by the availability and resolution of potential predictor variables that also have to be available on a national scale. However, ecosystem service maps for different habitats and for biodiversity provide opportunities to increase the potential for the management of ecosystems and their services across sectors, and thus to form a basis for a dialogue for actors that have an interest in forest and ecosystem services in general. This could be especially important in landscape management, for instance in building a green infrastructure