Evaluating the impact of regional development policies on future landscape services

In this paper we analyse the potential impact of an integrated policy package for the Gelderse Vallei region in the Netherlands on seven landscape services (residential use, intensive livestock husbandry, drinking water supply, attractiveness for overnight tourism, habitat provision for rare, endemic and indicator plant species, arable agricultural production, and attractiveness for leisure cycling). The spatially explicit methodology focuses on the changes in landscape properties resulting from the implementation of these policies and its effects on the supply of landscape services and economic values of the landscape services. After the policy implementation the strongest increase in services supply is expected in rural areas while the strongest increase in value is expected to occur in (peri-) urban areas of the study area. In addition, full implementation of the policy package will lead to an increase in multifunctional areas. This study presents one of the first spatially explicit methodologies to quantify and analyse spatial variation in economic value of landscape services in time, and therefore can contribute to well-informed management of landscapes. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.