Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES)

Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES) aims to implement the Target 2 - Action 5 of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 (1) that calls Member States, with the assistance of the European Commission, to:

  • Map and assess the state of ecosystems and their services in their national territory by 2014
  • Assess the Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services economic value of such services, and promote the integration of these values into accounting and reporting systems at EU and national level by 2020.

In December 2011, the Council acknowledged that the maintenance and restoration of ecosystems and their services should be supported by the results of mapping and assessment of the state of ecosystems and their services and in view of the short timeframe for initiating this work, urged the Commission and Member States to determine the modalities for and scope of these tasks building upon the work carried out by the Member States. The Working Group on Mapping and Assessment on Ecosystems and their Services (MAES) set up under the common implementation framework (CIF) is mandated to co-ordinate and oversee Action 5.  

Belgian Biodiversity Platform expert involved in this initiative:
Dr Hans Keune, social scientist involved in the MAES exercise on behalf of the Belgian Biodiversity Platform. 

 

  • LATEST NEWS ON MAES: 

1st MAES Stakeholders Workshop - Brussels, 21-22 November 2012

  

 

l

 

(1) The headline target overarching the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 and adopted by EU Heads of States and Governments is: "Halting the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services in the EU by 2020, and restoring them in so far as feasible, while stepping up the EU contribution to averting global biodiversity loss". This headline target is supported by six sub-targets and 20 associated actions.