Integrating ecosystem services into sustainable landscape management: A collaborative approach

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Ecology
• Conservation Biology

Background:

• The Paiva River basin, a valuable European watershed, faces land-use pressures like fires, agriculture, and urbanization, impacting its hydromorphology.
• Blue and Green Infrastructures (BGINs) offer a solution to enhance biodiversity, sustainability, and ecosystem services while addressing socioeconomic concerns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify priority areas within the Paiva River basin for the implementation of Blue and Green Infrastructures (BGINs).
• To integrate local stakeholder expertise into a spatial decision-making model for conservation planning.

Main Methods:

• A spatial multicriteria decision analysis (MDCA) was employed using data specific to the Paiva River Basin.
• Local stakeholders, including politicians and natural resource managers, were involved in assigning weights to criteria based on their expertise.

Main Results:

• A map of priority locations for BGIN implementation was generated.
• The top five priority areas identified favored nature-based solutions.
• Recommended BGINs included riparian vegetation recovery, native forest conservation/reforestation, and fuel management strips.

Conclusions:

• Integrating local communities and environmental management entities with scientific projects is crucial for effective conservation.
• A synergistic approach combining scientific knowledge with local field experience is vital.
• The flexible methodology used can serve as a model for other hydrographic basins globally.