Taking into account the risks identified in the Millennium Eco-system Assessment: a methodological proposal for the protec-tion of land through the Spanish planning system

Abstract

This study proposes a novel methodology that integrates the “Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services” (MAES) project for evaluating ecosystems to protect vulnerable land. By applying it to the Spanish case and adaptable to European Statesit results in a new regional-scale methodology to better handle natural values, improve environmental data in spatial plans, enable more precise assessments of direct ecosystem pressures, and detect changing impacts. This approach, aligned with municipal spatial planning, provides benefits for the regional level: it matches scale, includes vital environmental data and GIS application to facilitate the integration of ecosystem considerations in planning tools.