Mapping multiple ecosystem services indicators: Toward an objective-oriented approach

•We tested and compared three methods to map multiple ecosystem services indicators.•The methods lead to different representations (trade-offs, richness and associations).•Methods and maps can also be considered according to their limitations and advantages.•Limitations and advantages of each method should condition maps’ final uses. Quantifying and mapping ecosystem services (ES), their indicators and their relationships is of crucial importance for environmental management. In this article, we analyze the spatial distribution of multiple-ES indicators at three locations on the pioneer fronts of the Brazilian Amazon. We identify trade-offs and synergies between six ES indicators for soil, vegetation and biodiversity characterization. We also propose spatial representations of multiple-ES indicators (vegetation carbon stocks, rates of water infiltration into soil, soil chemical quality, soil carbon stocks, biodiversity and richness in Sphingidae). Finally, we discuss three different methods to map them depending on the goals of the maps, arguing that maps lean on objective-oriented approaches. The study is based on remote sensing and sampling data from 135 sampling points. We created multiple-ES indicators maps based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA), a score of ES richness, and discrimination of land cover units. PCA is an appropriate tool for showing high correlations between indicators, nevertheless has notable limitations for visual communication. The scoring method may help mapping ES hotspots, however it fails to consider relationships among them. The land-cover-based method has the advantage of being simple and easy to interpret, still it may not consider important indicators not related to land-cover changes. We discuss the interests and limitations of these different ways to map multiple-ES indicators, regarding the final goals of the maps.