Assessment framework for landscape services in European cultural landscapes: An Austrian Hungarian case study

European cultural landscapes are characterised by a high level of anthropogenic fragmentation which is known as a major reason for the loss of biodiversity in industrialised countries. To receive support for adequate choices in sustainable landscape planning, information on the spatial distributions of landscape functions and services is needed. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop an integrative assessment framework to evaluate a wide range of landscape services at different spatial scales. The proposed methodology was applied within the cross-border region of Austria and Hungary. Embedded in a spatial reference framework we assessed and visualised five main landscape services within the investigation area: regulation, habitat, provision, information and carrier. Considering location and spatial extent three different levels of service assessment were distinguished: (1) the Landform Approach was based on seven different Landform Types within the study area. All services were directly observable either by the use of Corine land cover or by clearly identifiable spatial indicators. (2) The Broader Habitat Approach focused on the assessment of services at the landscape element scale within randomly selected landscape sample sites. It was based on the use of an expert driven capacity matrix, which values were revised by semi-quantitative data gained from field work. (3) The information services occurring at a broader scale were assessed at the Landscape Character Type scale within the Socio-cultural Approach. Additional indicators mainly based on geo-data were defined. Finally, all services were extrapolated to the Landform Types revealing the actual landscape service provision within the study area. The results presented hot and cold spots of service provision at different spatial scales as well as the trade-offs between the different services. The landscape service maps might provide regional stakeholders with valuable information on service supply and can therefore be used as knowledge basis in cross-border landscape planning decision processes. Making landscape services spatially explicit and combining empirical data with spatial information presents an innovative approach to landscape research in the field of assessing and visualising landscape services. This would enable the development of a decision support tool, which can be used for the systematic evaluation of goal attainments and conflict detection. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.