Application of the ecosystem service concept for climate protection in Germany

Results show both biotic and abiotic ES to already be a significant part of other planning domains besides landscape planning. The sector of climate protection addresses mostly abiotic ES both implicitly and explicitly to implement and strengthen the use of renewable energies. Consequently, a specific category of ES related to renewable energies is introduced in this paper: REES (renewable energy ecosystem services). On the federal state level, REES are clearly highlighted with a strong strategic focus on mitigation and the promotion of renewable energies. In contrast, regulative ES in connection with adaptation measures were more frequently addressed on the local level. Still, REES were most frequently named when addressing measures, stakeholder and target groups. An enhanced incorporation of abiotic ES into classification systems seems necessary to enable a fair and balanced representation of biotic and abiotic services in evaluation studies or in the trade-off analysis of different land-use options.