Identifying Spatial Patterns and Ecosystem Service Delivery of Nature-Based Solutions

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Ecosystem Management
• Hydrology

Background:

• Nature-based solutions (NBS) offer alternatives to traditional infrastructure for societal challenges like flood risk management.
• Understanding the spatial distribution and ecosystem service (ES) provision of potential NBS areas is crucial for effective implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To spatially identify potential nature-based solution areas within the Lahn river landscape.
• To evaluate the capacity of these identified areas to deliver key ecosystem services: carbon storage, nutrient retention, and recreation.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a functional landscape approach based on hydromorphological landscape units (HLU) and biophysical criteria (e.g., slope).
• Conducted geospatial comparison analysis to map spatial relationships between NBS areas and ES delivery.
• Assessed current ecosystem service provision for carbon storage, nutrient retention, and recreation.

Main Results:

• The HLU method successfully delineated areas suitable for NBS implementation.
• Distinct spatial patterns emerged for potential NBS areas and their complementary ecosystem service delivery.
• The study highlights the viability of using ecosystem services to compare and understand NBS benefits.

Conclusions:

• The explorative spatial method supports NBS implementation and investigation of multiple benefits.
• A cautious, local, and scientific approach is necessary when using ecosystem services to assess NBS.
• Further research is needed to address limitations in current ES assessment methods and broaden the scope of NBS evaluated.