Urban Expansion and the Provisioning of Ecosystem Services in Nova Serrana, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Fragments of native vegetation within the landscape play a crucial role in providing ecosystem services (ES). Ecosystem services have become incre - asingly important in recent years, particularly in response to recurrent land use changes. This article aims to identify and analyze the impacts of urban expansion in Nova Serrana, MG, Brazil, on the provision of local ecosystem services. Landscape metrics were used to quantify changes in spatial composition and to comprehend the outcomes of processes that occurred over 15 years. Our results indicate a loss of 781 hectares of natural vegetation patches (including forests and savannah), mainly attributed to the expansion of urban areas. Furthermore, field campaigns revealed additional environ - mental issues not apparent in satellite images, such as local flooding, loss of springs, and air pollution from shoe factories. These issues are all conseof the of services.