Ecosystem Services to the test of the territory: Perspectives for the urban bioregion approach

A growing body of research is focusing on ecosystem services as a useful framework to include the biophysical processes and their reproduction in urban and territorial decision-making. Originally conceived as a heuristic metaphor, its operationalisation has raised critiques, especially regarding the universalising abstractions, standardised procedures and service monetisation involved. Within the urban bioregion approach, the concept of ecosystem services can prove effective as a tool to draw attention to the socio-ecological dynamics related to the valorisation through community design of the territorial heritage, which includes the natural resources, as long as it is brought back to the physical and social dimensions of the territory. Starting from a consideration of the relationship to nature that the ecosystem services imply, the critiques the approach has raised, and some possible alternatives, the paper aims to reinterpret the concept and redevelop the approach from a bioregional perspective. A case study from the Florence metropolitan area, concerning integrated strategies for water management, provides some insights to shed light on both the opportunities and the critical aspects of a revisited approach to the ecosystem services, within the urban bioregion perspective.