The study of systems composed of the interactions between people and nature, with the human component seen as part of nature.
Published in Chapter:
Assessing Urban Ecosystem Services: Different Methodological Approaches Applied in Brazil, Germany, and Portugal
Marise Barreiros Horta (Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil), Maria Inês Cabral (Martin Luther University, Germany & iDiv, Germany), Iva Pires (Nova University of Lisbon, Portugal), Laura Salles Bachi (Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil), Ana Luz (Nova University of Lisbon, Portugal), Geraldo Wilson Fernandes (Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil), Maria Auxiliadora Drumond (Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil), and Sónia Carvalho-Ribeiro (Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil)
Copyright: © 2020
|Pages: 48
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-0441-3.ch012
Abstract
By integrating social, ecological, and economic perspectives, the assessment of ecosystem services (ES) provides valuable information for better targeting landscape planning and governance. This chapter summarizes different participatory approaches for assessing ES in urban areas of three countries. In Belo Horizonte (Brazil), a conceptual framework for the vacant lots ES assessment is presented as an attempt to integrate landscape, social, and political dimensions. In Leipzig (Germany), a combination of site surveys, interviews, and remote sensing provides a valuable data set that fostered a comparative study between two forms of urban gardening. In Lisbon (Portugal), the study is based on interviews that offer a social insight into the horticultural parks situation, which in turn demands a better dialogue with the municipality. In general, the studies demonstrate the potential benefits of utilizing the ES assessment approaches on urban landscapes, especially for better understanding the interactions between people and nature in urban sites.