IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i21p15506-d1272011.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Integrating Ecosystem Services into Impact Assessments: A Process-Based Approach Applied to the Belgian Coastal Zone

Author

Listed:
  • Katrien Van der Biest

    (ECOSPHERE, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1C, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium)

  • Jan Staes

    (ECOSPHERE, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1C, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium)

  • Laura Prigge

    (ECOSPHERE, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1C, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium)

  • Tim Schellekens

    (eCOAST Marine Research BVBA, 4382 NG Vlissingen, The Netherlands)

  • Dries Bonte

    (Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Ghent University, 9000 Gent, Belgium)

  • Bram D’hondt

    (Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Ghent University, 9000 Gent, Belgium
    Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), 1000 Brussels, Belgium)

  • Tom Ysebaert

    (ECOSPHERE, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1C, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
    Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen University & Research, 6700 HB Wageningen, The Netherlands
    Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) and Utrecht University, 4400 AC Yerseke, The Netherlands
    Deceased.)

  • Thomas Vanagt

    (eCOAST Marine Research BVBA, 8400 Ostend, Belgium)

  • Patrick Meire

    (ECOSPHERE, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1C, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium)

Abstract

Policy makers increasingly acknowledge the importance of considering ecosystem services (ESs) and biodiversity in impact assessment (IA) to reduce ecosystem degradation and halt ongoing losses of biodiversity. Recent research demonstrates how ESs can add value to IA, i.e., by shifting the focus from avoiding negative impacts to creating opportunities, by linking effects on ecological functioning to benefits for society, and by providing a multi-disciplinary framework that allows to consider cross-sectoral effects. However, challenges exist to its implementation in practice. The most commonly used ES models do not consider interactions among ESs. This restricts their capacity to account for cross-sectoral effects. Integrating ESs into IA also increases time investments as they cover a wide variety of disciplines and need detailed information. This paper presents a pragmatic approach that tackles these challenges and may facilitate the inclusion of ESs into IA. The approach focuses on ecosystem processes as the driver of ESs and biodiversity and the basis to evaluate effects of a project. Using the Belgian coastal ecosystem, we illustrate how the approach restricts data needs by identifying the priority ESs, how it improves the coverage of cross-sectoral effects in IA, and how it contributes to a more objective selection of impacts.

Suggested Citation

  • Katrien Van der Biest & Jan Staes & Laura Prigge & Tim Schellekens & Dries Bonte & Bram D’hondt & Tom Ysebaert & Thomas Vanagt & Patrick Meire, 2023. "Integrating Ecosystem Services into Impact Assessments: A Process-Based Approach Applied to the Belgian Coastal Zone," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-28, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:21:p:15506-:d:1272011
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/21/15506/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/21/15506/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:21:p:15506-:d:1272011. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.