Ekosystémová služba regulácie klímy vo vybraných regiónoch Slovenska = Climate regulation ecosystem services in selected Slovak regions

Abstract

The practical application of ecosystem service assessment tools is essential to meet the ever-increasing demands on human well-being that require a sustainable approach to landscape management. The aim of the contribution is to evaluate regional differentiations in the values of climate regulation as one of the regulatory ecosystem services in relation to natural potential in 4 regions of the Slovak Republic (Krupina district, Michalovce district, Piešťany district and Brezno district) using a modified matrix approach. The results in these regions indicated that the spatial localization of individual ecosystems in the country, in combination with a higher altitude and a larger area of forests and protected areas, can represent significant factors influencing the territory's potential to provide benefits resulting from climate regulation ecosystem services. Mountain areas generally have a higher capacity to provide climate regulation, which is mainly due to rich forest vegetation, as is the case in the Brezno model region. A comparison of the regions showed the most significant regional differences between the pairs of regions, namely Brezno, Krupina on the one hand (regions with rural character at an altitude mostly above 300 meters above sea level), and Michalovce, Piešťany on the other (regions with a warm climate at an altitude mostly up to 300 meters).