World-first ecosystem services mapping

Council and the University of the Sunshine Coast joined forces to create a “world-first” ecosystem function mapping resource that anyone can use, as part of the joint Valuing the Sunshine Coast’s Natural Assets research project.

The world-first mapping product can help you explore and understand the different services provided by our ecosystems.

Extracting and bringing together data from a number of previous studies and reports, the Ecosystem Function Mapping and Reporting Tool shows the different ecosystem services for every location across the region and highlights “hot spots” that provide multiple services.

Ecosystem services are the benefits each type of ecosystem provides, including climate regulation, pollination, food supply, habitat and more. These are vital for supporting both natural environments and people, so understanding their location and role will help inform and balance decisions that will benefit generations to come.

Governments, industry groups, businesses and community members can access, learn from and use the data to investigate any location – from rainforests to floodplains and even built environments.

The ecological functions mapping tool is available publicly online here, along with instructional videos to guide users through the tool’s use and functionality.