Measuring the Value of Ecosystem Services

Although the literature on the valuation of ecosystem services is becoming substantial, with an increase in the number of scientific articles over the last thirty years, it still lacks a widely accepted methodology for mapping and measuring the value of ecosystem services that is suitable for defining a strategy for their spatial planning and management. Measuring the value of ecosystem services requires, in fact, the coordination of multiple, composite and, quite often, conflicting dimensions of value. It is an articulated process, as the valuation of each ecosystem service requires scientific expertise in different fields that must, however, interact with each other, as well as a wealth of data whose availability and accessibility varies in terms of accuracy, updating, size scale, etc. Moreover, while for the assessment of some ecosystem services, well-established methodologies are available, for others, assessment techniques are still being tested. This paper-which summarises part of the work carried out during the first year of the Pilot Project “Climate adaptation plans for the reduction of the ecological footprint and ecological debt aimed at improving the conservation” within the SPOKE 4 (execu-tor) “Resilience and accessibility in the valorisation of local cultural and natural heritage” (for a Budget of PP 2.2 million Euro) of the TECH4YOU Research Project “Technologies for climate change adaptation and quality of life improve-ment”. PNRR-funded project-explores the main theories and experiences in this field.