Ecosystem service supply and demand–the challenge to balance spatial mismatches

Abstract

Ecosystem services (ESs) are influenced by use intensity. Arising disparities between supply and demand are often depending on spatial relationships. We propose to classify the spatial relations into six cases with regard to the relocation of resources to the affected groups of people. Based on these six cases, the paper also identifies the human contributions to service supply and transfer. The classification distinguishes between ‘local’ (supply and demand in the same area), ‘proximity’ (close natural transfer), ‘process’ (distant transfer by natural processes), ‘access’ (users can get to the ecosystem), ‘commodity’ (supply contributed and transfer carried out by market players), and ‘global’. For the several cases, specific scientific methods and different policy approaches are applicable. A crucial issue is how to deal with the actors who enable, maintain, and restrict ESs. Thus, considerations about landscape maintenance, conservation support, and private solutions are necessary. The contribution suggests a framework to analyse and improve the relationships concerned by uncovering mismatches between supply and demand. We use selected indicators to compare supply and demand in these relations. Four examples show the capability of the approach to limit the overuse of ecosystems and to maintain the according ESs.