Ecosystem services (ES) are theoretically linked to healthy ecological conditions, but this relationship seems to be rather challenging to demonstrate in the real world. Therefore, shedding light on these aspects can be crucial for implementing effective ecosystem management strategies, for instance within the context of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) implementation. This work aims to present a spatially-explicit assessment of the ecological potential (capacity) and actual use (flow) of 12 ES in the Venice lagoon and to explore the relationships with the ecological status. Quantitative indicators of capacity and flow for each ES have been assessed and mapped and the results summarised with a set of aggregated indicators. The outcomes reveal a positive relationship between the overall capacity and flow of ES, suggesting that where the first is degraded, an overall loss of ES delivery occurs. A complex picture emerges when exploring the links with the ecological conditions, as the relationship changes with the ES and ecological status indicators considered. Structural indicators of ecological status, such as the Biological Quality Elements adopted by the WFD (assessed by MAQI and M-AMBI metrics), seem to be weakly linked with ES, while functional indicators (Kempton Q-90 diversity and secondary production) showed stronger links, especially when aggregated ES indicators are considered. Concerning different ES, it appears that the flow of the ES that are mediated by human uses (provisioning and cultural ES) is negatively related with some of the ecological status indicators. Finally, our results suggest possible limitations of the zonation adopted under the WFD, when it comes to the analysis of ES. We argue that ES could play a role in the management of the Lagoon ecosystem, as their analysis could be used to preserve the ecological functioning by managing the ‘uses’ we make of the ecosystem.

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Urban green spaces are considered the most important element for keeping the balance between good environmental conditions, infrastructure development, and social sustainability in cities. Nevertheless, urban green spaces are declining in developing countries due to the fast diffusion of different human activities, raising the potential risk of social injustice and urban ecology meltdown. This study brings the example of Shahdara Town, a suburban area of Lahore, the second largest city and one of the most populated ones in Pakistan. In Shahdara Town, the scarcity of urban green spaces seems to achieve an unequal distribution of restorative places within crowded residential areas. By coupling the vegetation spectral index NDVI and Lahore institutional data to detect green spaces, this study maps the urban green area distribution and compares it with the population settlement pattern. An analysis was made to assess possible spatial relationships between green areas distribution, population density, and the social–economic profile of the residents. The distribution and accessibility of green spaces resulted insufficient for Shahdara Town’s population, highlighting local issues from a social perspective. The imbalanced provision of green spaces for densely populated areas is a big challenge for urban planners and policymakers because it jeopardizes the city life-quality and local ecological justice. Only the effort of conducting a good spatial assessment during urban planning processes can lead to a balanced and equal distribution of urban green spaces in developing cities, ensuring social and ecological justice for the population.

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The Venice lagoon—the largest Mediterranean coastal lagoon—is characterized by the presence at its edges of 31 “valli da pesca”, types of artificial ecosystems that mime the ecological processes of a transitional aquatic ecosystem. Constituted by a series of regulated lakes bounded by artificial embankments, the valli da pesca were established centuries ago to maximize provisioning Ecosystem Services (ESs), such as fishing and hunting. As time passed, the valli da pesca underwent an intentional isolation process leading to private management. Nonetheless, the valli da pesca are still exchanging energy and matter with the “open’ lagoon and today represent an essential element within the context of lagoon conservation. This study aimed to analyze the possible effects of artificial management on both ESs supply and landscape arrangements by assessing 9 ESs (climate regulation, water purification, lifecycle support, aquaculture, waterfowl hunting, wild food, tourism, information for cognitive development, and birdwatching), along with eight landscape indicators. Obtained results suggested that the valli da pesca are today ruled under five different management strategies, according to the maximized ES. Management conditions influence the landscape pattern and achieve a series of “side effects” on the other ESs. The comparison between the managed and abandoned valli da pesca highlights the importance of anthropogenic interventions for conserving these ecosystems, as the abandoned valli da pesca show a loss of ecological gradients, landscape heterogeneity, and provisioning ESs. Nevertheless, the persistence of intrinsic geographical and morphological characteristics still prevails regardless of intentional landscape molding. The result is that the provisioning ESs capacity per unit area is higher in the abandoned valli da pesca than in the open lagoon, emphasizing the importance of these confined areas of the lagoon ecosystem. Considering the spatial distribution of multiple ESs, the provisioning ESs flow that does not occur in the abandoned valli da pesca seems to be replaced by the flow of cultural ESs. Thus, the ESs spatial pattern highlights a balancing effect between different ESs categories. The results are discussed considering the trade-offs generated by private land conservation, anthropogenic interventions, and their relevance for the ecosystem-based management of Venice lagoon.