Identifying driving forces of landscape changes: Historical relationships and the availability of ecosystem services in the Atlantic forest

We argue that the history of a landscape and the driving forces acting in each of its sectors account for the recent condition of its structure and ecological functions, which, in turn, can be translated into the availability of ecosystem services. Therefore, the present study investigated the historical relationship between the forces that have induced changes in the use and settlement of the island of São Sebastião over five centuries, their resulting impacts and their influences on the availability of regulation, supply, recreation and cultural ecosystem services. We worked with a broad historical survey and maps of land use and natural vegetation from different time periods. Thus, although the historical data were not accurate about the exact areas used for agriculture or forest we could infer about losses and replacement of ecosystem services. Moreover, we observed the occurrence of three driving forces that alternated in intensity and importance over time, leading to forest gains and losses that especially led to the degradation of regulation services.