Table 4 Definition used in this review
Term | Definition | References |
|---|---|---|
Biotic Production Potential (BPP) | BPP is the condition of the land to support biomass production in the short, medium, and long term. Given the definition, BPP is considered a supporting service in this revision. In the LCA, BPP is a mid-point category, and the unit of measurement is kg C yr/FU | Brandão and Milà i Canals [81] |
Climate Regulation Potential (CRP) | CRP is the lack of carbon sequestration due to land use, i.e., non-stored carbon, compared to a reference land use. Given the definition, CRP is considered a regulating service in this revision. In the LCA, CRP is a mid-point category, and the unit of measurement is kg C transferred to air/FU | Müller-Wenk and Brandão [82] |
Erosion Regulation Potential (ERP) | ERP is the capacity of a terrestrial ecosystem to resist soil loss through erosion. Given the definition, ERP is considered a regulating service in this revision. In the LCA, ERP is a mid-point category, and the unit of measurement is kg of soil potentially eroded/FU | Saad et al. [83] |
Water Purification Potential related to physicochemical filtration (WPP-PCF) | WPP-PCF is the ability of soil to act as an absorption matrix and adsorb dissolved substances. Given the definition, WPP-PCF is considered a regulating service in this revision. In the LCA, WPP-PCF is a mid-point category, and the unit of measurement is centimoles of cation fixed per kilogram of soil per kg of soil (cmolc/kgsoil/FU) | Saad et al. [83] |
Water Purification Potential related to mechanical filtration (WPP-MF) | WPP-MF is the ability of soil to mechanically clarify a suspension through soil infiltration and provide a cleaning action to ensure groundwater protection. Given the definition, WPP-MF is considered a regulating service in this revision. In the LCA, WPP-MF is a mid-point category, and the unit of measurement is centimetre per day (cm/day/FU) | Saad et al. [83] |
Net primary production (NPP) | NPP is the quantity of carbon assimilated through photosynthesis by vegetation in a certain period. In LCA, NPP can be both a mid-point category and an end-point category for ecosystem quality. The unit of measure of NPP is MJse and when it is used as an end-point category, it can be converted into the most common unit of ecosystem quality, PDF | Taelman et al. [84] |
Human appropriation net primary production (HANPP) | HANPP is an indicator that measures the difference between NPP of potential vegetation without any human intervention and NPP remaining due to human intervention. In LCA, it can be considered a mid-point category | |
Emergy | Emergy is the quantity of direct and indirect solar energy used for delivering a product or a service. The common unit of measure is Solar Equivalent Joule (Jse). In LCA, it can be a proxy to consider and measure ESs for example for the measuring of soil erosion [41] | Perrotti [87] |
Land use | Land use is the change in the use or management of land by humans, which can lead to a change in land cover. It is part of the driver “habitat change”, one of the five drivers of ESs and biodiversity loss. In the LCA, land use is a mid-point category, and the units of measure are m2 yr or PDF m2 yr | |
Land occupation | Land occupation is the continuous use of an area for a certain purpose controlled by humans, e.g., agriculture, forestry, or construction. It is part of the driver “habitat change”, one of the five drivers of ESs and biodiversity loss. In the LCA, land occupation is a mid-point category, and the unit of measure is m2 yr | |
Climate change | Climate change is the change in climate induced by increasing temperature and CO2 concentration. It is one of the five factors driving the loss of ESs and biodiversity. In LCA this can be both a mid-point category and an end-point category | MA [6] |
Overexploitation | Overexploitation is the exploitation of natural resources and wildlife for human activities. It is one of the five drivers of ESs and biodiversity loss. In LCA does not exist counterpart in the mid-category, so this should be a new category for impact for ESs and biodiversity assessment | MA [6] |
Exotic species | Exotic species are indigenous species that can disturb the ecological functions of a natural ecosystem. It is one of the five factors that determine the loss of ESs and biodiversity. In LCA does not exist counterpart in the mid-category, so this should be a new category for impact for ESs and biodiversity assessment | MA [6] |
Pollution | Pollution is a change in the composition of soil, atmosphere and water caused by chemicals. It is one of the five drivers of ESs and biodiversity loss. This driver is represented by several categories, e.g., acidification or eutrophication. However other impact categories can be added, e.g., emission of noise or emission of light | MA [6] |