Jacek Wolski

Abstract

Identifying the potential of ecosystems to provide ecosystem services (ES) is largely dependent on the detailand completeness of the base ecosystem map. The existing guidelines for the construction of this type of mapinclude only a few basic types of ecosystems that work only at a national or international scale and are insufficient to identify the full potential of ecosystem services at local or regional scales. The aim of the study was to develop a comprehensive map of ecosystem types for mapping ecosystem services at a local and regionalscale in three selected communes located within young glacial landscape (NE Poland). As a result, a detailedmap of ecosystems has been constructed containing 42 ecosystem types including age and habitat categories.This original map is the first detailed cartographic work that can be successfully used to determine thepotential for ecosystem services to be provided by areas analysed in large scales. The proposed approach hasa universal character and can be also applied to any area analysed at similar spatial scales.

Keywords: ecosystem services, ecosystem, mapping, GIS, Poland

Bogusława Kruczkowska [boguslawa_kruczkowska@sggw.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00‑818 Warszawa, Poland
Jerzy Solon [j.solon@twarda.pan.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00‑818 Warszawa, Poland
Jacek Wolski [j.wolski@twarda.pan.pl], Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania PAN