#8 Masterclass on ‘Value of Ecosystem Services in the Urban Landscape’

Ecosystem services are the essential benefits humans derive from nature, including air and water purification, climate regulation, carbon sequestration and biodiversity support. As urban areas face increasing environmental degradation, it is crucial to recognize and quantify the economic and social benefits of natural spaces.  

Valuing these services also helps to understand the cost of actions that harm or reduce these environmental benefits. With this data, cities can make informed decisions, prioritize investments in green infrastructure, support biodiversity and ensure long-term resilience to climate change. 

Historically, non-urban ecosystems (forests, wetlands, etc.) have been the focus of ecosystem service valuations. However, this masterclass will highlight the need for valuations in the urban landscape, especially in the context of climate change, with a hands-on tutorial in the methodology for calculating it. 

The Masterclass will cover the following topics:

1. Frameworks for ecosystem service valuation – understanding both direct and indirect benefits provided by ecosystems.
2. Methods for calculating the value of ecosystem services.
3. A hands-on example of calculating ecosystem service value in an urban context.
4. Identifying the difficulties and limitations in applying these valuation methods to urban areas. 

Who Should Attend:

1. Government stakeholders working to develop and scale urban greening strategies
2. GIS & Data Practitioners working on urban canopy mapping, green space accessibility and spatial decision-making
3. Climate and impact investors looking to understand evidence-based metrics such as the 3-30-300 framework to inform funding decisions for scalable urban greening projects
4. Researchers and academic institutions interested in applying or advancing spatial frameworks for urban greening