Integrating supply and social demand in ecosystem services assessment: A review

As a result of the unsustainable way in which natural resources are consumed, the gaps between the supply and social demand of ecosystem services (ES) are gradually widening. In this regard, studies have increasingly assessed both ES supply and demand comprehensively. This current review covers recent case studies about the integrated assessment of ES supply and demand (IAESSD), which is defined as the application of ES supply and demand assessments in one case study. By combining some key words (e.g., ES, supply or capacity, demand or flow), 38 IAESSD case studies were selected. The “indicator-method-mismatches” in the case studies were then analyzed in detail. The results show that different indicators are applied to distinguish supply and demand. Mapping, participatory methods, and modeling are often used in IAESSD. ES supply–demand mismatches, which have a strong impact on human well-being by causing unsatisfied demand, are influenced by natural and anthropogenic factors. Because of the complex and interactive nature of ecological and economic systems, IAESSD faces challenges regarding the clarification of different ES components from supply to social demand and the provision of promising methods for the identification of ES mismatches. Thus, a framework for further IAESSD research is proposed. This framework highlights the importance of identifying multi-dimensional mismatches and matching ES supply and demand in practice.