Ecosystems support human existence and well-being through supply of services. Alongside the benefits, ecosystems also produce disservices that are perceived as unwanted, unpleasant or economically harmful. In both cases, most services and disservices are commonly produced and consumed (or encountered) in areas geographically distant from each other, which is a challenge in the assessment and mapping of ecosystem (dis)services.
This thesis meet this challenge by testing the applicability of spatial accessibility analysis to assess the availability and access to ecosystem services, but also the suitability of the used methods for measuring the negative effects that nature can cause for people. The results showed that accessibility approach has a high potential to offer an efficient method to assess the transfer of ecosystem services and disservices through active transport of goods or traveling of people. This method also responded to the need to develop a practical tool for both ecosystem service and disservice research and decision-making.
Nordia Geographical Publications (NGP) is a non-profit peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Geographical Society of Northern Finland and the Geography Research Unit at the University of Oulu.
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