In the context of global environmental changes, the endeavours to reach both natural and social sustainability become more and more debated. Speaking of regional development and realization of economic intentions, the impact on the biodiversity must be considered. The local communities, however, might disregard some interventions that affect the environment when trying to reach better socioeconomic status. In this paper, we intend to explore the social demands for ecosystem services in terms of the construction of an open-pit mining project in the semi-arid Southern Arizona. By conducting qualitative assessment via survey-based investigation, we couple the preferences of the ecosystem services beneficiaries (ESBs)-local environmentalists and local residents, with natural-based parameters. The research outcomes help to identify the most important ecosystem services reliant on water resources. The generated supply/demand maps reveal a spatial understanding on the ecosystem services in regards to the hypothetical judgements of the involved participants (ecosystem services beneficiaries). In addition, the importance and the application of the ecosystem services concept in nature-based solutions are highlighted.