Biodiversity and ecosystem services dashboards to inform landscape and urban planning: a systematic analysis of current practices

Guiding the transformation of cities and regions towards more sustainable pathways requires a deep understanding of the complexities of socio-ecological systems. This entails gaining insights into the status and trends of biodiversity, ecosystems and their services (BES), as well as navigating complex governance and power structures, particularly in contested spaces. Digital dashboards, understood as visual representations of key information, could effectively communicate complex BES information to decision makers and planners in landscape and urban planning, enabling more informed decisions. While dashboards are increasingly being used in spatial-related applications, the lack of scientific understanding regarding the emerging applications of BES information in dashboards underscores the pressing need for research and review in this area. This study aims to identify and analyze contemporary case studies of BES dashboard applications to explore their potential role, which can effectively support decision-making in landscape and urban planning. We develop a conceptual framework of interlinkages between BES dashboards and landscape planning processes and apply this framework to analyze 12 state-of-the-art BES dashboard applications from Asia, Australia, Europe, North and South America. Our results reflect emerging practices of dashboards visualizing BES information, which varied in purposes, content, functionalities, visual design, and output features. The dashboards represented/covered a total of 66 BES indicators, including tree health, forest status and functionality, green and blue spaces connectivity, and specific components of biodiversity. Further research on user demands and real-world impacts is necessary to enhance the effectiveness of BES dashboards in informing landscape and urban planning for people and nature. Dashboards for reporting BES information: Dashboards can facilitate the communication of biodiversity, ecosystems and their services (BES) information, providing policy makers with useful information for decision-making. Framework for analysis: Our conceptual framework developed for assessing BES dashboards in landscape and urban planning contexts enables practitioners to understand BES dashboard applications and opportunities. Insights into worldwide BES dashboards: Our analysis of 12 state-of-the-art of BES dashboards applications worldwide highlights the global reach of this tool. Decision-makers can gain valuable insights from various regions for addressing local biodiversity and ecosystem challenges. Diverse range of indicators and customizations: BES dashboards take diverse forms, including a wide range of indicators to customize BES information for local contexts and priorities. Future BES dashboards research: Future research and innovation should enhance BES dashboards' integration with planning systems, align with user demands, and impact real-world decision-making.

Automated summary

Digital dashboards effectively communicate complex BES information to decision makers in landscape and urban planning, providing valuable insights for more informed decisions. However, further research is needed to enhance the real-world impact of BES dashboards and their integration with planning systems.