How Do Our Activities Affect Ecosystem Services?
What Does Nature Provide Us – and How Do We Know?
Ecosystems are not just the "background" of our lives – they are living systems that provide us with many valuable functions every day, known as ecosystem services. These include:
- Provisioning services – such as drinking water, food, timber, and other raw materials,
- Regulating and maintenance services – for example, water purification, climate regulation, soil fertility, and pollination,
- Cultural services – non-material benefits that include recreation, inspiration, education, and connection with nature.
As part of the LIFE for Mauremys project, we aim to understand how our activities affect these services, because we know that conserving the Balkan Terrapin is not possible without preserving healthy and functional ecosystems. That’s why, within Work Package WP5, we are conducting a detailed analysis of habitat conditions and the related ecosystem services:
- We monitor water quality and biodiversity at project sites.
- We are developing an ecosystem services matrix – a tool that evaluates the contributions of nature to the community.
- We involve local stakeholders in the process, as their experience and knowledge are crucial for understanding the real value of natural resources.
This assessment is carried out in three phases: at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of the project – so that we can measure changes and quantify the effects of project activities.
Our focus includes diverse habitats: permanent and temporary rivers and wetlands, irrigation canals, natural aquatic and terrestrial vegetation, grasslands, shrublands, rocky pastures, and both active and abandoned agricultural land. Each of these habitats provides important functions – which we often overlook but are essential for human life and other species.
The results obtained will help us not only to assess the effectiveness of the project but also to propose guidelines for the sustainable management of natural resources in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County.
