Introduction increasing human population size, economic growth and glo- bal consumption patterns place pressure on environmental sys- tems rvitousek 1997), thus, the provisioning of ecosystem goods and services is affected. Ecosystem services are defined as the benefits that humans obtain from ecosystems; although the relationship between these services, human welfare and the monetisation of ecosystem services is not a new concept(West- man 1977), it has attracted more attention in recent years(Fisher, Turner& Morling 2009). The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment(MA 2005a) contributed substantially in bringing forward the ecosystem services concept as a policy tool to achieve the sustainable use of natural resources. The MA made"Correspondence author.