ECOSYSTEM SERVICES: PROVISION, ASSESSMENT AND QUANTIFICATIONHOW TO COUNCIL SUSTAINABLE FOOD PROVISION, TERRITORIAL PLANNING, URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND NATURAL CAPITAL PRESERVATION? CASE STUDIES AND EXPERIENCES FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

The doctoral dissertation represents an investigation into the topic of Ecosystem Services and the related challenges that our society has to face, such as the integration between environmental conservation, sustainable food provision, socio-economic development and the need for improving quality of life. In particular, the dissertation proposes a set of case studies thanks to which it is possible to evaluate and assess the provision of Ecosystem Services in different contexts and at different spatial scale, both in agricultural and urbanized areas, therefore showing, from various point of views, the implementations of Ecosystem Services driven policies and approaches. Through the exploration of different environments, the interactions between new forms of agriculture (e.g., agroecology and agroforestry), territorial planning and environmental benefits can be observed, explaining dynamics and opportunities deriving from the application of combined frameworks capable to council both theoretical and practical aspects. The adoption of these frameworks, as well as the related analytical research methodologies, allows, on the one hand, a deeper understanding of the “state-of-art” scenario among Ecosystem Services concept and, on the other, provides specific insights for the transition to a more sustainable development and clear perspectives about the needed future research directions.