Appendix 1 - Questions of the web-based survey

1)Decision contexts

1a)What is your area of work?

oSpatial and regional planning

oNature conservation and landscape planning

oOthers: ______

1b)Regional planning often needs to make weighing decisions between nature conservation and other concerns. Four typical tasks in which weighing is used include: (a) Comprehensive planning (e.g. regional plans), (b) spatial planning procedures, (c) regional development concepts and (d) position statements.
Are there other tasks in which you personally make weighing decisions between nature conservation and other interests?

______

1c)A great number of criteria play a role in weighing decision making processes. Which are the three most relevant aspects?

oRecommendations from science and nature conservation

oLegal provisions and regulatory constraints

oPersonal estimates based on spatial planning experience

oCompatibility with existing political strategies

oAcceptance of decisions by local land users

oAcceptance of decisions by the public

o Others: ______

2)Information used and information constraints

2a)Which sources of information on nature and landscape do you currently use in weighing decisions?

oLandscape plans

oExpert reports and opinions

oConsultation of data bases

oOwn empirical field studies

oInternet searches

oScientific publications

oLaws and directives

oExperiential knowledge

oDiscussions with colleagues

oInformation from workshops or conferences

oEducational training

oOthers: ______

2b)Which of the following information concerning the services of nature and landscape do you use currently in weighing decisions?

oFood

oRaw materials
o Fresh water

oRenewable energy

oLocal climate and air quality

oWater quality

oRegulation of water quantity (droughts and flooding)

oCarbon sequestration and storage

oModeration of extreme events

oSoil structure and fertility

oSpecies occurrences

oSpecies habitats

oAesthetic appreciation, spiritual experience

oTourism and recreation

oInformation and knowlege
Which other relevant information on nature and landscape do you use?
______

2c)Which format does the available information usually have?

oSemi-quantitative evaluations and descriptions

oMaps

oCardinally scaledassessments and accounting

2d)What are key deficits concerning the available information on nature and landscape concerning ist use in weighing decisions. Which additional informationwouldyouliketohave?

______

3)Ecosystem services

Brief introduction to the concept of ecosystem services from a planning perspective

The concept of ES is currently intensively discussed in policy and scientific communities. ES focus on the connections between natural and human systems. ES are understood as direct or indirect contributions of nature and landscape to human well-being. ES are differentiated into four major groups: provisioning services (e.g. food, materials, energy etc.), regulating and maintenance services (e.g. climate, air) and cultural services (e.g. recreation, education).

The key objective of the ES concept is to enhance public awareness through the quantification and economic valuation of ES and to contribute to a sustained provision of essential services over the long-term.

The concept of ES is increasingly also relevant for planning practice. On the one hand, landscape planning already addresses ES at the regional and local scale under the term “landscape functions”. At the other hand, integrating the concept of ES into spatial and landscape planning could expand current practices through the inclusion of market services as well as quantitative and economic valuation approaches and thus help fostering nature conservation objectives and the exploitation of synergies with other land users (Albert et al., 2012a).

3a)Did you know the ES concept prior to this survey?

  1. no
  2. yes
    if yes, how did you learn about the concept:

3b)How useful would you find ES data as additional information in weighing and decision-making within the following application contexts?

Meaningless / Some usefulness / High usefulness / Explanation
Comprehensive planning (i.e. accounting for ES as a measure to assess the state of nature and landscape)
Project-oriented planning (i.e. the illustration of impacts of planning alternatives concerning the provision of ecosystem sevices)
Regional development (i.e. invalorisation of ES through tourism)
In the design of compensation schemes for implementing nature conservation measures (i.e. efficient distribution of agri-environmental payments)
In scenario analyses (i.e. the effects of dike relocations)
As information for the public

-Do you see other potential areas for implementation of the ES concept in your work?______

4)ES information formats

4a)ES can be communicated using different formats: qualitative descriptions, quantitative estimates or economic valuations (see illustrations below).
Which advantages and disadvantages do you see in the different formats as support for weighing decisions?

Figure 5: Exemplary illustration of different ES information formats (ordinal/semi-quantitative, cardinal/accounting, and economic valuation), for methods see section 3