Ecosystem services are a fundamental component of the functioning of socio-ecological systems, encompassing the flows of benefits that people derive from the functioning of ecosystems.

These are all natural phenomena, processes and functions that support and regulate life on Earth and have a direct or indirect impact on human well-being. They include provisioning services (e.g. biomass production, access to water), regulating services (including carbon sequestration, water cycle regulation, soil erosion control), supporting services such as material cycles and soil formation processes, and cultural services (recreation, aesthetic and educational values). More information on ecosystem services on this page.

In the context of climate change and increasing anthropogenic pressure, the ability of ecosystems to provide services is undergoing significant changes. Habitat degradation and landscape fragmentation lead to a weakening of regulatory mechanisms, which increases the vulnerability of socio-ecological systems to extreme weather events resulting from ongoing climate change.

Ecosystem services in the Lubuskie

The research and development project ‘Enhanced Multi-Source Information for Natural Capital Assessment and Monitoring’ (EO-BALP-CCN1), carried out by the Space Technology R&D&I Park in Zielona Góra and the Institute of Geodesy and Cartography in Warsaw, in collaboration with Baltic Satellite Services Latvia and co-funded by the European Space Agency, will involve the analysis and attempted valuation of selected ecosystem services (ES) for the Lubuskie Province.

The analyses will be based on multi-source geospatial data, with a significant proportion derived from Earth Observation (EO) data collected via satellite, in particular from the ESA Copernicus programme and the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service (CLMS) geoinformation products. The integration of EO data with environmental models enables the creation of maps of functional ecosystem services and the identification of areas of key importance for climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Five thematic areas will be considered, drawn from the three main types of ecosystem services (in accordance with the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES), Version 5.2, adopted by the European Environment Agency):

1. Urban crop production as an example of provisioning ecosystem services
2. Mitigating the urban heat island effect as an example of regulatory ecosystem services
3. The reduction of air pollution as an example of regulatory ecosystem services
4. Water retention: reducing the risk of flooding and drought as an example of regulatory ecosystem services
5. The landscape’s appeal for recreation and tourism as an example of cultural ecosystem services

Project results

The resulting spatial data set will be integrated into the GeoHub platform, which is being developed as part of the EO-BALP project. The project’s results will be presented in cartographic form, as thematic digital maps made available via an online application.

Landscape

The landscape context is also a key consideration in the project. Landscape conservation is one of the key aspects of spatial planning policy, stemming from both national regulations and international obligations. The results of the ecosystem services analysis will be applied to the landscape units identified during the landscape audit carried out in the Lubuskie Province in 2024.