Abstract
Nature conservation is rooted in a tradition of protecting valuable ecosystems and threatened species, most obviously by the designation of protected areas where human activities are restricted or excluded. However, nature conservation needs to include more than biodiversity per se, and much recent attention has been given to ecosystem services (ES). Many ES are needed locally where people live and work, and the questions we ask are a) to what degree the current system of nature protected areas are or could be connected to their surroundings, and b) to what extent this connectedness affect the provision of ES benefits outside their boundaries. This project explores the potential of nature protected areas to support biodiversity and ES benefits at a landscape scale by i) developing an assessment system for ecological and social boundaries and bridging elements in landscape transition zones, ii) evaluating this system in an urban landscape and iii) formulating guidelines for how to better connect protected areas to their surrounding by interventions in the transition zones and wider landscape. This will be achieved by an integrative approach combining field data with close collaboration and dialogue with non-academic partners from local to national levels. Ultimately the project advances scientific knowledge on ES from a spatial point of view and provide practical tools for better integrating ES benefits into landscape governance across sectors and types of environments.
Sweden