Research Centre for Natural Resources, Environment and Society (CERNAS), Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, Coimbra, Escola Superior Agrária de Coimbra, Bencanta, 3045-601 Coimbra, Portugal.
Sci Total Environ. 2019 Apr 10;660:993-1003. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.088. Epub 2019 Jan 9.
Society depends on goods and services provided by ecosystems, not only for survival but also for general wellbeing. Over the last decades, peri-urban areas have been subject to the pressure of urbanization and, thus, land-use changes. These changes modify the natural ecosystems and their ability to support human security and safety, but the extent of these impacts is not well-known. This study investigates the impact of five decades of land-use changes in potential ecosystem services (ESs) supply, in the peri-urban Ribeira dos Covões catchment, located in the periphery of Coimbra one of the largest cities in central Portugal. Based on eight land-use maps from 1958 to 2012, the ESs were estimated through a quantification matrix developed by local stakeholders. The expansion of urban and forest areas from 7% to 40% and from 43% to 55%, respectively, mostly through the occupation of agriculture fields (reduced from 48% to 4%), together with changes in the type of forest area (from mixed to commercial broad-leaved), led to a 73% reduction in the ESs potential supply. This reduction was driven by major losses in regulation but also provisioning services. Catchment management and urban planning should be supported by ESs assessment in order to mitigate the negative impacts on regulation, provisioning and cultural services provided by the ecosystems, and thus maximize the benefits for society.
社会依赖于生态系统提供的商品和服务，不仅是为了生存，也是为了整体福祉。在过去几十年中，城市周边地区一直受到城市化的压力，因此土地利用发生了变化。这些变化改变了自然生态系统及其支持人类安全和保障的能力，但这些影响的程度尚不清楚。本研究调查了在葡萄牙中部最大城市之一科英布拉市周边的里贝拉多斯科沃斯集水区，五十年土地利用变化对潜在生态系统服务（ESs）供应的影响。基于 1958 年至 2012 年的八张土地利用图，通过当地利益相关者制定的量化矩阵来估算 ESs。城市和森林面积分别从 7%扩大到 40%和从 43%扩大到 55%，主要是通过占用农业用地（从 48%减少到 4%），以及森林类型的变化（从混合到商业阔叶林），导致潜在 ESs 供应减少了 73%。这种减少主要是由于调节和供应服务的重大损失。集水区管理和城市规划应得到 ESs 评估的支持，以减轻生态系统对调节、供应和文化服务的负面影响，从而使社会获得最大利益。
