Towards integrated mapping and assessment of ecosystems and their services in Bulgaria: The Central Balkan case study

Abstract

The aim of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 isto maintain and enhance ecosystem services (ES) in Europe and requires all Member States to map and assess the state of ecosystems and their services in the respective national territories. The EU-funded project ESMERALDA analyses ES mapping and assessment methods and approaches in their biophysical, social and economical perspectives, as well as their application in different case studies. The project also aims at the development of an integrated and consistent assessment framework. In Bulgaria, methodological guides for evaluation and mapping of the services provided by the nine main types of ecosystems have been prepared together with the respective proposals for their implementation in the national assessment. The Bulgarian research team analyses and tests various aspects of ecosystem services mapping and assessment, such as alternative economic assessments, multi-criteria analyses and biophysical assessment approaches, mapping challenges and local population surveys. In this paper paper, we review the ES activities in Bulgaria and present selected mapping and assessment methods tested in the Central Balkan case study area. It provides relevant examples for the implementation of integrated mapping and assessment of ecosystem services at local and regional level, where different mapping approaches and techniques are embedded within diverse policy contexts. The main goal of the study is to investigate how the assessment results can support the integration of the ecological functions of the Central Balkan National Park with the economic opportunities that it creates for the local and regional communities. A tiered approach has been used to organise the mapping and assessment exercises in the study area, in order to meet the needs for integrated ecosystem assessment and overcome the limitations of data availability. At tier 1, the study performs identification and initial ES mapping of the whole area. At tier 2, it applies economic valuation for the Municipality of Karlovo by using statistical data and the contingent valuation method. At tier 3, the investigation applies modelling methods to assess carbon storage and flood regulation on a larger scale. The results are presented in the form of maps at all levels, which use a uniform 0 to 5 assessment scale. The integrated approach presented here ensures a clear communication of the end results to the respective decision-makers.

National natural heritage at risk: The Seven Rila Lakes

“…This would make a significant difference to both their preservation and promotion and their capitalisation as tourist sites. Studies of Nedkov et al (2014), Nedkov et al (2018Nedkov et al ( , 2021Nedkov et al ( , 2021aNedkov et al ( 2021b, Zhiyanski et al (2021), Hristova and Stoycheva (2021), Neugarten et al (2018) provide a good methodological basis for the development of sustainable models for tourism development. The practical application of the ecosystem approach for assessing the capacity of ecosystems to provide ecosystem services for recreation and tourism is well developed both for the territory of the country (Ihtimanski et al 2020, Prodanova 2021) and for specific natural heritage sites in Bulgaria (Silvestriev et al 2021, Semerdzhieva and Borissova, 2021).…”

Cultural ecosystem services for development of nature-based tourism in Bulgaria

“…The role of natural heritage for the development of recreation and tourism has been studied in several publications (Popova 1993, Tengberg et al 2012, Gordon 2018, Osipova et al 2014, Georgiev 2006, Toncheva 2014, Vasileva 2018, Ihtimanski et al 2019, Nedkov et al (2014Nedkov et al ( , 2018Nedkov et al ( , 2021a, Havinga et al 2020. These studies illustrate well the link between NH and ecosystem services for recreation, health, education, sports, spiritual practices, etc.…”

Development and state of the art of landscape science in Bulgaria

“…This lead to a new interna tional scientific collaborations and a series of pub lications, most notable of which are connected with regional studies and ecosystem valuation (Nedkov 2011;Nedkov and Burkhard 2012) as well as novel methods for mapping ecosystem services (Burkhard et al 2012). The research and assessment of the eco system services are mainly concerned in the moun tain areas of the country, although several researches are accomplished in municipalities with more diverse landscapes (Nedkov et al 2018a), in urban land scapes (Nedkov et al 2018b), and for natural herit age on national level (Ihtimanski et al 2020). Some of these studies are included in comparative analysis of case studies in EU and allow involving Bulgaria in intensive international exchange of theory, methods and policy in the field of ecosystem services (Geneletti et al 2020).…”