Landscape metrics as predictors of water-related ecosystem services: Insights from hydrological modeling and data-based approaches applied on the Arno River Basin, Italy.

The study addresses the challenge of integrating complex landscape-hydrological interactions into predictive models for improved water resource management. The aim is to investigate the effectiveness of landscape metrics-quantitative indices measuring landscape composition and configuration-as predictors of WES in the Arno River Basin, Italy. Utilizing two hydrological models alongside a random forest algorithm, we assessed spatial and temporal variations in water yield, runoff, and groundwater recharge.

Water Ecosystem Services Footprint of agricultural production in Central Italy.

The appropriate implementation of the concept of Water-related Ecosystem Services (WES) in water resources planning can support the development of productive activities and, at the same time, sustain local ecosystems. However, such implementation it is only possible when both WES supply and demand are evaluated, eventually with a spatially explicit method, for gaining insights into the ecohydrological behavior of a basin and the anthropogenic pressures on the available water resources. Based on the integration of hydrological modelling and Water Footprint (WF) analysis, this study aims at developing a methodology to analyze both the supply and demand of WES, evaluating a Water Ecosystem Services Footprint (WESF) associated with the agricultural sector.