Recreational ecosystem services (RES), understood as the numerous benefits people obtain from landscapes and the natural environment, are a topical area of policy, research and society. This Editorial introduces the current state of RES research, provides an overview of the 21 contributions comprising this Special Issue of Ecosystem Services, and outlines opportunities for further research. This issue’s publications employ diverse methods for assessing and valuing RES at different scales in Europe and beyond. The papers present advancements in mapping and valuation, provide evidence for the contributions of biodiversity and landscapes to the generation of RES and human well-being, and shed light on distributional effects across different beneficiaries. Taken together, contributions emphasize that RES may be a prime vehicle for reconnecting people with nature with positive effects on societal well-being. The diversity of approaches currently applied in RES research reflects much creativity and new insights, for example by harnessing georeferenced social media data.

Future research should aim towards harmonizing datasets and methods to enhance comparability without compromising the need for context-specific adaptations. Finally, more research is needed on options for integrating RES information in decision making, planning and management in order to enhance actual uptake in public and private decisions.

娱乐生态系统服务（RES）被理解为人们从景观和自然环境中获得的众多收益，是政策，研究和社会的热门领域。本社论介绍了RES研究的现状，概述了构成本生态系统服务专刊的21篇论文，并概述了进一步研究的机会。本期出版物采用了多种方法来评估和评估欧洲及其他地区不同规模的RES。这些文件介绍了制图和估值方面的进展，为生物多样性和景观对可再生能源的产生和人类福祉的贡献提供了证据，并阐明了不同受益人的分配影响。在一起 文章强调，RES可能是使人与自然重新联系并为社会福祉带来积极影响的主要工具。当前在RES研究中使用的方法的多样性反映了很多创造力和新见解，例如通过利用地理参考的社交媒体数据。

未来的研究应致力于统一数据集和方法，以增强可比性，同时又不损害针对具体情况的适应性需求。最后，需要进行更多的研究以将RES信息集成到决策，计划和管理中，以增强公共和私人决策的实际接受度。