Landscape Services versus Ecosystem Services in the Mediterranean: a case study example and an invitation to reflect

Abstract

Ecosystem Services, defined as the benefits people obtain from ecosystems, are triggering a paradigmatic shift in how we plan and implement decisions on land-use and land-cover change (Albert et al, 2014; Förster et al, 2015). However this concept is being challenged by critiques of scientific, operational and ideological nature (Norgaard, 2010; Hauck et al, 2013; Jax et al, 2013). Some of these critiques point out to the decoupling of the natural and human dimensions of land-use and land-cover that is inherent to Ecosystem Services (Schröter et al, 2014). We consider this to be especially relevant for mixed land-use mosaics in the Mediterranean region, as this is a geographical context where the cultural and perceived components of land-use and land-cover may be considered to equal, if not to prevail, in value and importance on respect to those of ecological nature (Blondel, 2006). In this paper, we argue that Landscape Services may be, in such contexts, a more adequate coneptual tool to disentangle the complex relationships between humans and nature. Landscape Services are defined as the contributions of landscapes and landscape elements to human wellbeing (Bastian et al, 2014). In contrast with ecosystems, landscapes are inarguably coupled social-ecological systems, which also embrace cultural, and perceptual aspects of landuse and land-cover (Pedroli, Pinto-Correia & Cornish, 2006). Furthermore, Landscapes are defined at scales at which coordinated decision-making for land-use change is most commonly apparent (Blaschke, 2006). Thus, we hereby will discuss if in Mediterranean rural contexts Landscape Services should directly substitute Ecosystem Services, and not just, as the aforementioned literature suggests,complement them.