The EU “Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services” (MAES) initiative aims to improve knowledge of ecosystems and their services (EU Biodiversity Strategy target 2, action 5). This implies that Member States, with the assistance of the European Commission, map and assess the state of ecosystems and their services on their national territory (by 2014) and assess the values of such services and promote the integration of these values into accounting and reporting systems at EU and national levels (by 2020).

Research will be needed to attain these goals, and to come to a better understanding of ecosystem processes as well as of how humans use biodiversity, how these uses affect biodiversity and ecosystem services, and how this usage can be sustainable. Initiatives under the community of practice on Belgian Ecosystems and Society (BEES community [80]) of the Belgian Biodiversity Platform are being taken in this context. The Belgian MAES working group was initiated in 2012 and includes Belgian biodiversity and ecosystem services experts and stakeholders (see also operational objective 7.5 hereunder).