On 8 November 2023, the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU) organised the final event of the NatGuidES project in Ljubljana, Slovenia, where they presented the manual for the identification, assessment and mapping of ecosystem services (ES). 

The manual has been developed within the framework of the project to define practical steps for the implementation of the concept of ES in protected areas (PA), to support managers in the management of PA by means of a protocol for the identification, assessment and mapping of ES. It defines the main work steps from the identification of ES through the selection of indicators and assessment to the mapping of selected ES. The final result of the protocol are assessments of ES and maps (spatial representations) of ES, which are used to quantify and visualise the spatial availability of ES, and the manual also indicates the last step, i.e. management and governance. The consideration of ES is based on a cascade approach, which enables the analysis of the flow of benefits, from the ecosystems that enable the creation of ES to the society that demands and enjoys them. Each step, in which the expected results, theoretical starting points and main challenges are presented, is illuminated with concrete examples from the Logar Valley Landscape Park. From December 2023, the manual will be freely available in Slovenian (with an extended summary in English) on the project’s website.

Given the significant importance of the event's theme and the NatGuidES project in general to SELINA, during the meeting colleagues from the ZRC SAZU delivered an overview presentation of SELINA and distributed promotional materials to offer additional information about the project. They also used the opportunity to announce the upcoming meeting of the national SELINA Community of Practice in Slovenia, scheduled to be held in Ljubljana in January 2024.