Concept and valuation of landscape functions at different scales

Natural, semi-natural and cultivated ecosystems and landscapes provide many goods and services to human society that are of great ecological, socio-cultural and economic value (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005). In environmental planning and decision-making, however, these benefits are often not fully taken into account and productive, multifunctional landscapes continue to be converted into more simple, often single-function land use types (e.g. croplands) or turned into wastelands (e.g. eroded land after clear-cut logging or polluted and over-fished shelf-seas). Yet, increasingly studies are showing that the total value of multifunctional use of natural and semi-natural landscapes is often economically more beneficial than the value of the converted systems (Balmford et al. 2002). The question therefore is how to identify and quantify the many benefits of multi-functional landscapes in order to take more balanced decisions regarding trade-offs involved in land use planning in view of the increasing demands for space and resources