ECOSYSTEM SERVICES CRITERIA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN URBAN REGIONS.

The ecosystem services criteria for strategic decision-making combine conceptualisation and concrétisation of ecologically sustainable development. A concrete basis for the mea-surement, valuation, and assessment of ecological sustainability was created through the development of two-level criteria for ecosystem services, which were linked to indicators based on spatial and statistical data from the Monitoring System of Spatial Structure (MSSS) and the CORINE Land Cover database. The criteria were designed for middle-sized urban regions because urban areas face the greatest land changes, threats, and management and co-operation needs related to maintenance of ecosystem services. Two urban regions were piloting the criteria in an iterative process between researchers and project groups of urban planners. Data availability and poor capacity to deliver data for the regions affected the choice of final indicators. This highlights the need for development of planning tools for practical planning and impact assessment for ecological sustainability of all urban regions. INSETS: Box 1. The proportion of land areas suitable for recreation;Box 2: The percentage of inhabitants living no more than …;Box 3: The proportion of forests and mires in the urban region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]