ABSTRACT
Approaches to the management and protection of natural resources and the landscape often overlook the functioning of ecosystems and the resilience of complex biophysical systems. Loss of biodiversity is caused by drivers such as land use change, deforestation and habitat fragmentation or environmental pollution resulting from climate change. Moreover, environmental externalities, a lack of adequate property rights, market power and asymmetrical information are the indirect causes of ecosystem degradation. In spite of the fact that European policies are progressing, they are still not effective in addressing societal challenges. Moreover, land users’ lack of awareness of ecosystem service value and unsustainable management has also had adverse effects on ecosystems’ resilience (European Commission, 2011; Andrés et al., 2012).
