More than a decade after the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) Governments and policymakers are increasingly adopting the ecosystem service concept, as a comprehensive approach of natural capital management and protection. The ecosystem service approach is seen as a possibility to enhance the efficient and sustainable use of ecosystems and natural capital (Schaefer et al., 2015)1) . However, successful implementation is still in early stages. While the scientific basis for the concept is still under development and intensively discussed amongst (part of) the scientific community (Wensem et al., 2016)2) , many experts or stakeholder do not even know the concept 3)) ) . The same is true for the general public as pointed out by Thomson et al., 20164) . To promote the implementation of ES assessment and its consideration in regional planning and landscape management the ecosystem service concept must be concise and understandable. Furthermore, ecosystem service research should focus on practical applications and the transferability of results. For this it is important to consider the perceived importance of ecosystem services. Haida et al.5) reported that the perceived importance of ecosystem services shows a pattern that recalls Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Stakeholder ranked ecosystem services which satisfy physiological needs at the top followed by services related to safety and security needs. Cultural ecosytem services were perceived as less important.
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