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Ecosystem Services Assessment from the Mountain to the Sea: In Search of a Method for Land- and Seascape Planning

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Urban Sustainability: Policy and Praxis

Part of the book series: Geotechnologies and the Environment ((GEOTECH,volume 14))

Abstract

Despite the growing use of ecosystem service (ES) assessment to value natural landscapes exposed to development pressures on the edge of urban landscapes, practical applications have been few. In a pilot research project, we integrate changes in different types of ES along a gradient of land- and seascape units (terrestrial, coastal and marine). This gradient includes developed urban and peri-urban areas, and undeveloped areas including submerged lands in the coastal (territorial) waters of Israel.

The emphasis in our research is on development of a practical methodology for sustainable (urban and rural) development. Goals of the pilot project presented here include: (1) evaluation of various ecosystem services based on categorical indicators for each of the four ES types: provisional, regulating, supporting and cultural; (2) development of a method that can be used on a wider scale across varying landscape units; and (3) refinement of scenario building relevant to local planning institutions and frameworks. The project’s final product consists of GIS-generated maps. These maps are the basis for weighing trade-offs in ES across relevant land- and seascape units in the Mt. Carmel region of Israel. Despite some limitations, this approach to ES assessment is helpful, and if improved upon in some of the ways described herein, it can provide the first steps for infusing ES values within planning frameworks in Israel and beyond.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    As opposed to black carbon (particulate matter) and brown carbon (organic aerosols), emitted respectively by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass.

  2. 2.

    Covering approximately 27,000 km2 of sea area. More information can be found at: http://msp-israel.net.technion.ac.il/

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank other members of the research team for this project: Semion Polinov, Dr. Daniel Orenstein and Dr. Tally Katz-Gerro. This research is partially funded by the Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection, grant no.121-5-1.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel

    Michelle E. Portman & Yarden Elhanan

Authors
  1. Michelle E. Portman
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  2. Yarden Elhanan
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Correspondence to Michelle E. Portman .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental Studies, Bellarmine University, Louisville, Kentucky, USA

    Jay D. Gatrell

  2. Department of Geography, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA

    Ryan R. Jensen

  3. Department of Geography and Anthropology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, USA

    Mark W. Patterson

  4. Dept. Geography & Anthropology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Georgia, USA

    Nancy Hoalst-Pullen

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Portman, M.E., Elhanan, Y. (2016). Ecosystem Services Assessment from the Mountain to the Sea: In Search of a Method for Land- and Seascape Planning. In: Gatrell, J., Jensen, R., Patterson, M., Hoalst-Pullen, N. (eds) Urban Sustainability: Policy and Praxis. Geotechnologies and the Environment, vol 14. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26218-5_3

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