As part of the project ‘ValuES – Integrating Ecosystem Services into Policy, Planning and Practice’ 19 processes of ecosystem service assessment used in diverse socio-economic contexts and policy
settings were identified and analysed. This case study analysis describes experiences on the ground with ecosystem service assessments and the way they are used in decision making processes. The overall aim was to better understand the role of such assessments and to distil lessons in relation to their effectiveness in supporting policy change and environmental decision making.

This document reports on these lessons learned.

• Assessment purpose: Assessing ecosystem services can be done for different purposes. They range from raising general awareness to supporting specific planning or decision making. ValuES has identified 6 distinct types of applications for which different recommendations apply. It is necessary early on to achieve clarity about the issue at stake, the intended outcome of the assessment, and the audience being addressed. Only then can assessments be designed to effectively serve these purposes. In practice, there is no one-size-fits-all-approach to assessments.
• Assessment context: To assess ecosystem services meaningfully it is crucial to understand the context, i.e. the ‘supply side’ (the ecosystem) and the ‘demand side’ (the socio-economic, cultural and political system). This can require additional specialist knowledge, e.g. about cultural norms, legal issues and policy instruments. Understanding this context helps the analyst to ask the right assessment questions; and also the results need to be interpreted in context.
• Choice of method: Different methods generate different results because they represent different perspectives or focus on different factors. This being so, assessments always shape values, even if their main aim is to measure them. For relevant and credible results, it is necessary to choose an appropriate method. This means to select an approach (e.g. qualitative, quantitative, or monetary valuation) and to strike a balance in assessment design between costs, quickness, robustness and detail of findings. More demanding methods do not per se produce more useful results.
• Connection with policy process: An assessment can produce much-needed information, but doing an assessment is unlikely on its own to change policy processes or decisions. Engaging key stakeholders early on and strategically gearing the assessment to a political entry point enhances its potential policy impact. This can require significant efforts. However, in some cases, the (participatory) assessment process itself has been just as important for leveraging policy change as the assessment results.