A review of ES knowledge use in spatial planning

Despite the great progress made in ES (ecosystem service) science, the integration of ES into spatial planning remains below expectations. The science-policy/practice gap in ES application impedes the transformation toward sustainable spatial planning. In this review, we draw on the perspective from the science-policy interface to examine the use of ES knowledge in spatial planning. From the science perspective, we find that the usability of ES science has improved in recent years, although the evidence base used in planning remains incomplete; from the policy perspective, there is a lack of research on the way policymakers demand knowledge and their logic of action. Issues of power and politics are under-explored; given that the ES community advocates knowledge co-production as a significant merit of the ES approach, this is both surprising and worrying because of the multiple risks inherent in participatory processes. ES research should attend to these aspects to realize greater integration and policy effects in spatial planning.