Mapowanie i ocena usług ekosystemów miejskich w skali ogólnopolskiej = Mapping and assessment of urban ecosystem services on a nationwide scale

Abstract

The concept of ecosystem services can contribute to improving the quality of life in cities, but it has to be operationalized before being implemented in spatial planning. The study aim is to present methodological solutions to assess and map urban ecosystem services on a nationwide scale, including methods for constructing and characterizing indicators. The selected examples cover all three CICES sections: provisioning, regulating and cultural, as well as the three most frequently assessed aspects of services: potential, use and unmet demand. Sample indicators were calculated for all 20 functional urban areas with the metropolitan status in Poland: as a whole and broken down into city core and commuting zone. The results show, among others, that the metropolitan area of Lublin has the highest potential for food production. In turn, the use of trees for air purification is the lowest in Rzeszów. Furthermore, the unmet demand for nature-based recreation is seven times higher in Częstochowa than in Olsztyn. Significant differences in the values of indicators show that nationwide mapping and assessing urban ecosystem services can be of great value when comparing urban centers and the quality of life of their inhabitants, as well as when drawing up urban development strategies.