Potentials of quantitative and qualitative approaches to assessing ecosystem services

Quantitative and qualitative approaches to assessing and valuing ecosystem services have been compared using case studies from Italy and Germany. This paper describes and analyzes two different methods of applying an ecosystem service approach and discusses their relative strengths, shortcomings and peculiarities. This allows the conditions to be identified that best support the application of one or other of these methods. Suggestions are offered on how to integrate both methodologies in order to improve the implementation of an ecosystem service approach in decision-making processes. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.