Spatial Planning and Development Policy Journal

A conceptual framework of applying the ecosystem services Nexus in the strategic environmental assessment, in order to support the planning, decision-making and evaluation processes

https://doi.org/10.48308/spdp.2023.103704
Volume 1, Issue 1 - Serial Number 1
September 2025
Spatial Planning and Development Policy Journal

Authors

Naghme Mobarghaee 1
Mostafa Keshtkar 1
Romina Sayahnia 1
Zahra Asdollahi 2

1 Environmental Science Research Institute (ESRI) Shahid Beheshti University

2 -

Abstract
Today, the evaluation of ecosystem services is known as an important basis for policy making and decision-making, because this evaluation is based on the interaction between nature and humans and the necessary potentials to resolve conflicts and synergies between environmental, economic and social sectors in order to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs). However, its practical use in spatial planning and decision support is associated with many weaknesses. Basically, planning with the aim of achieving different goals is a complex process because many goals are often in conflict with each other and cannot be aligned at the same time. In this research, the application of the "correlation of ecosystem services" approach in the strategic assessment of the environment and spatial planning is considered as a new paradigm. The "Nexus" approach is introduced as a new approach, considering the goals of sustainable development, which increases the efficiency of resource use and avoids the adverse effects of single sector development strategies by considering the future. In this regard, the presented theoretical frameworks show how ecosystem services play a role in describing the interaction between humans and nature in different temporal and spatial scales, and how an integrated process in an embodied context is used to implement the "Nexus" approach and relationships. It discusses the interplay between policymaking, spatial planning and evaluation.

Keywords

Nexus of ecosystem services
spatial planning
strategic environmental assessment
sustainable development

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