Towards a Comprehensive Approach to Quantifying and Mapping Ecosystem Services Flows

The authors introduce Service Path Attribution Networks (SPANs), developed as part of the Artificial Intelligence for Ecosystem Services (ARIES) project, to address the 'spatial mismatch' between where ecosystem services are produced and where they are used. The framework distinguishes between provisioning services (beneficial carriers) and preventive services (detrimental carriers), utilizing agent-based modeling to track 'carrier agents' across the landscape. By identifying source, sink, and use locations, the model generates five types of maps—theoretical, possible, actual, inaccessible, and blocked—to help decision-makers identify where service delivery is efficient or impaired. The paper demonstrates the application of SPANs to five service types: aesthetic viewsheds, riverine flood regulation, subsistence fisheries, recreation, and carbon sequestration, arguing that this flow-based approach enables more accurate valuation and targeted conservation planning.

• The authors introduce Service Path Attribution Networks (SPANs), an agent-based modeling approach that tracks 'carrier agents' to quantify the transmission of ecosystem services from source locations to human beneficiaries, accounting for the 'spatial mismatch' often ignored in traditional models.
• The framework categorizes ecosystem services into two types based on the nature of the carrier: provisioning services, where interaction with the carrier is beneficial, and preventive services, where the ecosystem provides value by limiting the flow of a detrimental carrier to people.

APA

Villa, F., Bagstad, K., Johnson, G., & Voigt, B. (2012). Towards a Comprehensive Approach to Quantifying and Mapping Ecosystem Services Flows. Basque Centre for Climate Change. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/20120823092043231995285.pdf

Chicago

Villa, Ferdinando, Ken Bagstad, Gary Johnson, and Brian Voigt. Towards a Comprehensive Approach to Quantifying and Mapping Ecosystem Services Flows. Basque Centre for Climate Change, 2012. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/20120823092043231995285.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Villa |first1=Ferdinando |last2=Bagstad |first2=Ken |last3=Johnson |first3=Gary |last4=Voigt |first4=Brian |title=Towards a Comprehensive Approach to Quantifying and Mapping Ecosystem Services Flows |publisher=Basque Centre for Climate Change |date=August 2012 |url=https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/20120823092043231995285.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{villa2012towards, author = {Villa, Ferdinando and Bagstad, Ken and Johnson, Gary and Voigt, Brian}, title = {{Towards a Comprehensive Approach to Quantifying and Mapping Ecosystem Services Flows}}, institution = {Basque Centre for Climate Change}, year = {2012}, month = aug, url = {https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/20120823092043231995285.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }