Regulating ecosystem services and climate neutrality: Evidence from the Campania Region (Italy)

Ecosystem services (ESs) play a critical role in climate change strategies, contributing to both mitigation and adaptation. Regulating services, such as carbon sequestration and climate regulation, are particularly essential for achieving climate neutrality. Ecosystem-based approaches emphasize the complex relationships between climate and ESs, highlighting the need for management strategies that promote synergies and minimize trade-offs. These interactions, often driven by external and internal factors, or drivers, can enhance or hinder the ability of ecosystems to provide multiple services simultaneously. Although multifunctionality implies that a single area can support several ESs, in practice, some functions may conflict, and not all services can be delivered concurrently. Understanding these relationships is crucial for informing land-use decisions and policy frameworks, particularly within the context of increasing emphasis at the European and international levels on restoring and enhancing ESs. This study investigates the interactions—both synergistic and conflicting—between six key ESs in the Campania Region of southern Italy. The selected services include: global climate regulation (carbon storage), local climate regulation (land surface temperature), habitat quality, agricultural and forestry production, landscape aesthetics, and recreational potential. Proxies and spatial indicators are employed to analyze relationships and assess potential overlaps or trade-offs. Campania, with its diverse landscapes, rich biodiversity, and numerous protected areas, provides a valuable case study for evaluating ecosystem multifunctionality. The findings aim to support more effective ecosystem management and spatial planning, offering insights for reducing conflicts among services while maximizing co-benefits for climate, biodiversity, and human well-being.