Ecosystem Services

An ecosystem services (ES) approach seems to entail two different, but intertwined, mechanisms: (1) the adoption of the conceptual framework of ES, as a particular (instrumental) angle from which to analyze the linkages between people and the environment; and (2) the experimentation with a set of ES (e)valuation tools and instruments in order to reduce complexities through the adoption of economic/monetary values wherever suitable. This chapter explores both mechanisms—with respect to the conceptualization and to the valuation of ES—at the level of Belgian environmental policy making.