Water-related Ecosystem Services (WES), namely the multiple benefits that humans can obtain from water or water-related functions of an ecosystem, constitute a useful perspective to look at the overlap between biosphere and anthroposphere and to explore their sustainable coupling. On one hand, society acts as a driver of landscapes transformation, influencing the ecohydrological processes that underpin a large set of potential WES. On the other hand, society is the recipient of the WES provided by ecosystems, determining the actual production of services. Aiming at exploring the ecosystem-water-society nexus, this study develops a 4-tiered methodology for the participatory evaluation of WES as a basis to facilitate a shared watershed planning process in the Arno river basin (Central Italy), carried out within the framework of the Tuscany Regional Law for participation. Starting from the biophysical assessment of the study area and the analysis of the population, multiple focus groups were organized to allow the participatory evaluation of WES, mainly targeting low impact stakeholders. The proposed approach allowed the WES mapping and the identification of valuable WES characterised by a critical status. These results served as the basis for the analysis of multiple scenarios and the co-definition of a shared management strategy, jointly with decision makers. The analysis highlights the potential of WES concept as a suitable common language for developing participatory processes that support integrated water resources management. The proposed participatory WES assessment approach can sustain the active involvement of all interested parties in Water Framework Directive implementation (Art.14) and foster a wider policy objective of sustainability through the management plans.

与水有关的生态系统服务（WES），即人类可以从与水或与生态系统有关的水的功能中获得的多重收益，构成了一个有用的观点，可以审视生物圈和人类圈之间的重叠并探索其可持续的耦合。一方面，社会是景观转变的驱动力，影响了支持大量潜在WES的生态水文学过程。另一方面，社会是生态系统提供的WES的接受者，决定了服务的实际生产。为了探索生态系统，水与社会之间的联系，本研究开发了一种4层级的方法，用于WES的参与性评估，以此为基础促进了阿尔诺河流域（意大利中部）的分水岭共享规划过程，在《托斯卡纳区域法》框架内进行参与。从研究区域的生物物理评估和人口分析开始，组织了多个焦点小组，以允许对WES进行参与式评估，主要针对影响较小的利益相关者。所提出的方法允许进行WES映射并识别以临界状态为特征的宝贵WES。这些结果是与决策者一起分析多个方案和共同定义共享管理策略的基础。分析强调了WES概念作为开发支持集成水资源管理的参与性过程的合适通用语言的潜力。