A variety of ecosystem services classification systems and mapping approaches are available in the scientific and technical literature, which needs to be selected and adapted when applied to complex territories (e.g. in the interface between water and land, estuary and sea). This paper provides a framework for addressing ecosystem services in complex coastal regions. The roadmap comprises the definition of the exact geographic boundaries of the study area; the use of CICES (Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services) for ecosystem services identification and classification; and the definition of qualitative indicators that will serve as basis to map the ecosystem services. Due to its complexity, the Ria de Aveiro coastal region was selected as case study, presenting an opportunity to explore the application of such approaches at a regional scale. The main challenges of implementing the proposed roadmap, together with its advantages are discussed in this research. The results highlight the importance of considering both the connectivity of natural systems and the complexity of the governance framework; the flexibility and robustness, but also the challenges when applying CICES at regional scale; and the challenges regarding ecosystem services mapping.

The precise delineation of coastal areas subject to past, present, and future erosive processes plays a fundamental role in coastal risk management. Within this framework, satellite data represent a valuable synoptic and multi-temporal information source. Therefore, this research integrated remote sensing and GIS techniques for mapping and modeling shoreline evolution through time. Long-term shoreline’s proxy rates of advance and retreat were determined using Landsat data from the mid-1980s to 2011 and subsequently, a short-term scenario (3 years) was predicted and validated. Two different coastal environments, Oceanic and Mediterranean, were investigated. In the first, different proxies were analyzed, thereby enabling a multi-proxy analysis. Findings showed that the method provided more accurate results in higher energy environments (Oceanic) and where the coastline is not urbanized. Results also highlighted the importance of performing multi-proxy analyses in given study areas, to more reliably define shoreline modeling. Importantly, during the analyses, particular attention was given to assessing uncertainty, which is crucial when outcomes of scientific research are considered for management.

A decision support framework for the management of lagoon ecosystems was tested using four European Lagoons: Ria de Aveiro (Portugal), Mar Menor (Spain), Tyligulskyi Liman (Ukraine) and Vistula Lagoon (Poland/Russia). Our aim was to formulate integrated management recommendations for European lagoons. To achieve this we followed a DPSIR (Drivers-Pressures-State Change-Impacts-Responses) approach, with focus on integrating aspects of human wellbeing, welfare and ecosystem sustainability. The most important drivers in each lagoon were identified, based on information gathered from the lagoons’ stakeholders, complemented by scientific knowledge on each lagoon as seen from a land-sea perspective. The DPSIR cycles for each driver were combined into a mosaic-DPSIR conceptual model to examine the interdependency between the multiple and interacting uses of the lagoon. This framework emphasizes the common links, but also the specificities of responses to drivers and the ecosystem services provided. The information collected was used to formulate recommendations for the sustainable management of lagoons within a Pan-European context. Several common management recommendations were proposed, but specificities were also identified. The study synthesizes the present conditions for the management of lagoons, thus analysing and examining the activities that might be developed in different scenarios, scenarios which facilitate ecosystem protection without compromising future generations.