Policy making and spatial planning for reducing ecosystem services trade-offs in peri-urban landscapes

Abstract

Ecosystem services (ES) trade-offs occur in the situation, where one service increases and fosters the reduction of the other service. ES trade-offs are a significant issue, fostering the sustainability of transitional, peri-urban landscapes (PULs). It is due to dynamic processes of peri-urbanization, which endanger peri-urban natural ecosystems and their services. It is also related to rising demand for ES in PULs.Policy making, and planning related to ES trade-offs in PULs need to support the balancing of opposing services, thus to foster ES synergies between ES. Nevertheless, ES trade-offs in PULs are not on the top of policy and planning agendas. Knowledge related to policy making and planning for ES trade-offs in PULs remind hidden in country and regional case study specific niches.Aims of our study are twofold. Firstly, we are aiming to identify existing shortcomings, concerning to how ES trade-offs in PULs are addressed by policy instruments and planning documents. Secondly, we are aiming to describe good practices related to governance and planning of ES trade-offs in PULs. To fulfil our aims, we designed a semi-qualitative survey, which has been distributed to researchers and policy makers of different regions world-wide. The survey analyses drivers of ES trade-offs in PULs and gather practical knowledge on how policy and planning instruments at the regional level are tackling the issue of ES trade-offs in PULs. From the preliminary results obtained by the survey, we draft recommendations for policy and planning on the regional level to better tackle ES trade-offs in PULs.