6. Cultural Services
Cultural ecosystem services (CES) of river ecosystems are recorded and assessed in Module 6 of RESI. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment describes cultural services as the non-material benefits people obtain from ecosystems (MA 2005). According to current international classifications (CICES.EU), the CES assessment is focusing on landscape aesthetic, nature and culture heritage, water based activities (i.e. angling, boating), non-water based recreational activities (i.e. biking, walking), education and science.
The multifaceted utilization of the cultural services offer promotes human well-being. After a literature based analysis of direct and indirect divers, an indicator set will be created to record and assess the CES offer by using the geographic information system (GIS). In the next phase, the human input will be quantified with the objective of estimating the utilized CES. This integrative consideration enables a comprehensive analysis of river ecosystem features in accordance with CES and to derive practical evidence for planning and development.