The use of EUNIS habitat classification to assess ecosystem services capacity: the case of Mamak district (Ankara, Türkiye)

Abstract

Objective: The ecosystem services (ES) term is defined as all of the products, services, and benefits provided by ecosystems on earth to human beings and other living entities. In order to determine the ES capacity and integrating such data into management plans is a key element for nature conservation and sustainable land-use planning. Hence, a study was conducted, and the objective of this study was to determine the ES capacity of Mamak district (Ankara, Turkey) with an evaluation approach based on expert opinions using EUNIS habitat data. Material and Methods: Besides raw scores obtained from experts with the evaluation approach based on expert opinions, the areal ES capacity (AESC) indices for each EUNIS habitat type were calculated, and maps were developed accordingly. Results: The results obtained from this study showed that; (1) with raw scores, ES capacities of habitat types are very diverse for each ES type, (2) with AESC indices, almost all ES capacity class are same for each habitat type. Conclusion: As a conclusion, it can be stated that the use of EUNIS habitat maps is applicable to assess ES capacities in such studies if and when the presence of such habitat data.