Through the delivery of eco systemic services (ES), the ecosystems of an area provide irreplaceable support to the quality of life of its inhabitants and the basic factors for lasting economic development. These services constitute the natural capital of a geographical area and also a sort of insurance policy against extreme events. The fi rst results of an original and fast method are presented here. It was found that each year Italian eco systems deliver goods and benefi ts equivalent (if their absence is hypothesised) to euro 71.3 billion. The trends for these values are more important: in just ten years some provinces seem to have lost more than 3% of their total value and up to 18% in the case of specifi c Ess. The prospects for Ess integrated in geographical assessment and planning could be supported by development strategies that are more aware of ecological processes and that are more farsighted.
Keywords: Eco systemic services; natural capital; strategic planning

Rocco Scolozzi, Elisa Morri, Riccardo Santolini, Sustainable and resilient urban and regional planning; the outlook for ecosystemic services in "TERRITORIO" 60/2012, pp. 167-175, DOI:10.3280/TR2012-060027