Search

Social-Ecological Systems (SESs) are systems with close linkage between nature and societies. Coastal lagoons are SESs crucial for the ecosystem services (ESs) provided, especially in the Mediterranean Basin, facing threats from anthropogenic activities and climate change. Management strategies focusing solely on ecological elements' improvement have not yielded the desired outcomes, as they often neglect the needs and perspectives of stakeholders. Participatory approaches promote engagement and awareness to develop sustainable and effective management strategies. Aiming to contribute to the preservation and sustainable management of the Nestos Delta coastal lagoons, a Natura 2000 site in Greece, this study explores the application of intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IFS) to capture the inherent uncertainty in stakeholder opinions against complex environmental challenges. Through this participatory approach, stakeholder perspectives were assessed and quantified to rank management alternatives. Ecological health and economic values were prioritized, endorsing the adoption of natural and soft interventions; conflicts and a knowledge gap regarding non-provisioning ESs were revealed, highlighting the necessity of inclusive consultation processes. This approach offers the potential to facilitate consensus-building and enhance the legitimacy of coastal lagoon management decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization and land claim trends for agriculture have led to land use/land cover (LULC) changes, acting as driving forces for several natural environment alterations. The ecosystem services (ES) concept links ecosystem degradation with direct adverse effects on human welfare, emphasizing the importance of balancing human activities and ecosystem health. LULC changes and their impacts on ES are crucial for nature conservation and decision-making. To support sustainable management, a historical (75-year) assessment of Nestos Delta lagoons was conducted, using aerial photos and satellite images, providing valuable insights into the drivers and trends of these changes. Until 1960, water-related Biomes were affected the most, in favor of agricultural (Nestos River incubation) and urban ones, but anthropogenic activities development rate reduced after land reclamation. Since their inclusion in the Natura 2000 network and designation as a National Park, they have been protected from rapid development. Over the past two decades, they have increased the economic value of their cultural ES, while deteriorating regulating and having a minimal impact on provisioning services, resulting in a cumulative loss exceeding USD 30 million during the study period. This study strongly indicates the vital importance of legislative protection and the integration of the ES approach in priority habitat management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept that ecosystem services (ES) are essential for human well-being is increasingly accepted and embedded in policies at a local, national and global scale. Sustainability's ultimate goal is to improve and maintain the society's welfare by preserving the services that derive from ecosystems. Therefore it is essential to manage ecosystems to improve the ES provided and at the same time achieve the targets set in the Sustainability Development Goals (SDG) of United Nations (UN). The Nestos Delta lagoons in North Greece were chosen as study area due to their high recorded biodiversity, the significant economic value and the lack of ecosystem services oriented research, despite being a protected area. Selection and quantification of the proper indicators of ES and SDG is required to develop policies related to water systems management, thus a list proposed by Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Core indicators framework were consulted. The selection of the indicators was based on: a) economic and social outputs, b) the Water Framework Directive (WFD) implementation, c) their relation to the eutrophication process and d) the availability of data. In the present study, a matrix combining indicators of ecosystem services with environmental sustainability indicators was created, demonstrating that monitoring ecosystem services and sustainability are achievable simultaneously. Since this is the first report of indicators' values on the study area, the present study is important for the progress of the ecosystem services research area in transitional water bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]