Indicators for ecosystem services in urban green space management

Sammanfattning: Urban green spaces are put under high pressure due to increasing population density in cities. This problem will potentially accelerate where the densification in the cities continues. Consequently, this sets high requirements on the management, if the green spaces are to generate the benefits and values that are associated with greens spaces as urban parks. One way to increase these benefits and values could be to incorporate ecosystem services and indicators for ecosystem services in a multi-stakeholder management system. Is it possible that ecosystem service indicators could facilitate collaboration between stakeholders and thus improve the value of urban green space? This master thesis aimed to identify ecosystem service indicators for a green space and incorporate them in a multi-stakeholder management system. The study was made to clarify if indicators can facilitate collaboration between stakeholders and thus improve the management of an urban green space. In order to achieve that, the first step was to let the stakeholders express what they desired the green space to generate in terms of benefits and values. These expressed benefits and values were formulated into target variables which were linked with the ecosystem services that the green space was assessed to generate if the target variables are achieved. A literature study was conducted to identify applicable indicators for the chosen ecosystem services. These indicators were quantified and incorporated into an already existing management system. This management system performed as a framework and a fundament which was further developed to incorporate more functions as indicators and ecosystem services. The thesis resulted in two identified indicators for ten ecosystem services and the development of a multi-stakeholder management system. Identified indicators were birds and compliant seating. Birds were identified as an indicator because they indicated many of the same ecosystem services as the ones that are generated in the green space. These ecosystem services are linked with the benefits and values that are associated with the target variables. In addition, the birds were chosen because they were possible to quantify. Compliant seating was the second indicator, and it has the potential to function as a control indicator as it can be seen as a manifestation of the cultural ecosystem services generated at the green space. A multi-stakeholder management system was developed with the incorporation of indicators for ecosystem services. The developed management system aimed to facilitate the collaboration between stakeholders with the use of ecosystem service indicators. Taken together, the findings suggest a role for ecosystem service indicators in multi-stakeholder management plans to improve the value of green spaces.