Value of Ecosystems and Their Services in Slovakia

Mederly, Černecký et al. (2019) state: “Nature and the environment are a key and indisputable value in terms of human existence – perhaps more important the more people in the world live and the more a man influences and changes the environment

through his activities. The world community and the European Union are increasingly aware of this fact, as are the various international activities and policy initiatives.” The existence of natural capital, such as biodiversity and ecosystems, which provides vital products to the humans – from fertile soils and multifunctional forests, through quality drinking water and clean air to pollination, climate regulation and flood control - i s a prerequiste f or g lobal e conomic p rosperity and human well-being. Mapping ecosystem

services (ES) is key to understanding how ecosystems contribute to the quality of human life and to supporting the argumentation of multisectoral policies that have a major impact on natural resources and their use (Burkhard & Maes 2017). An ecosystem can be defined as a dynamic complex of a community of plants, animals, microorganisms and their non-living environment forming a functional unit together. The ecosystem approach is a strategy for integrated management of land, water resources and biota that supports their conservation and sustainable use (MEA 2005).