  The term nature-based solutions has often been used to refer to adequate
green infrastructure, which is cost-effective and simultaneously provides
environmental, social and economic benefits, through the delivery of ecosystem
services, and contributes to build resilience. This paper provides an overview
of the recent work mapping and assessing ecosystem services in Malta and the
implications for decision-making. Research has focused on the identification
and mapping of ecosystems, and ecosystem condition, the capacity to deliver key
ecosystem services and the actual use (flow) of these services by local
communities leading to benefits to human well-being. The integration of results
from these different assessments demonstrates several significant synergies
between ecosystem services, indicating multifunctionality in the provision of
ecosystem services leading to human well-being. This is considered as key
criterion in the identification of green infrastructure in the Maltese Islands.
A gradient in green infrastructure cover and ecosystem services capacity is
observed between rural and urban areas but ecosystem services flow per unit
area was in some cases higher in urban environments. These results indicate a
potential mismatch between ecosystem service demand and capacity but also
provide a scientific baseline for evidence-based policy which fosters the
development of green infrastructure through nature-based innovation promoting
more specific and novel solutions for landscape and urban planning.
