Basics of an integrated ecosystem service evaluation system for the Tisza river basin

Abstract

The present study aims to lay the foundations of an ecosystem services evaluation system for land cover
categories in the Tisza River Basin. Scientific data and international trends of international environmental
policy indicate that evaluation of ecosystem services should play an increasing role in strategic decisions on
land use also in Hungary. A new protocol was used to calculate the profitability of the main agricultural subdomains in the study area. On the basis of the management data of the forestry district containing the smaller sample area (namely the site of the planned Nagykörű flood control reservoir), the wood production of the forests concerned was computed. The flood risk reduction potential of land use changes was calculated using former literature (flood models and the project materials of the reservoir), while inland excess water exposure was computed using Pálfai’s relevant spatial database. For the Nagykörű sample area, the land-cover-based economic values of the different ecosystem services were gathered into a matrix, and the economic values of
the present and the potential land use were compared. The methods used were examined in terms of reliability and portability as well.