Applications of GIS-Based Hydrological Models in Mountain Areas in Bulgaria for Ecosystem Services Assessment: Issues and Advantages

2016 ◽  
pp. 35-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kremena Boyanova ◽  
Stoyan Nedkov ◽  
Benjamin Burkhard
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Hydrological Models ◽  
Mountain Areas

scholarly journals The Influence of Land Use Change on Key Ecosystem Services and Their Relationships in a Mountain Region from Past to Future (1995–2050)

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 616
Author(s):  
Jie Gao ◽  
Xuguang Tang ◽  
Shiqiu Lin ◽  
Hongyan Bian
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Sustainable Land Use ◽  
Mountain Region ◽  
Water Yield ◽  
Mountain Regions ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
The Government ◽  
Steep Slopes

The ecosystem services (ESs) provided by mountain regions can bring about benefits to people living in and around the mountains. Ecosystems in mountain areas are fragile and sensitive to anthropogenic disturbance. Understanding the effect of land use change on ESs and their relationships can lead to sustainable land use management in mountain regions with complex topography. Chongqing, as a typical mountain region, was selected as the site of this research. The long-term impacts of land use change on four key ESs (i.e., water yield (WY), soil conservation (SC), carbon storage (CS), and habitat quality (HQ)) and their relationships were assessed from the past to the future (at five-year intervals, 1995–2050). Three future scenarios were constructed to represent the ecological restoration policy and different socioeconomic developments. From 1995 to 2015, WY and SC experienced overall increases. CS and HQ increased slightly at first and then decreased significantly. A scenario analysis suggested that, if the urban area continues to increase at low altitudes, by 2050, CS and HQ are predicted to decrease moderately. However, great improvements in SC, HQ, and CS are expected to be achieved by the middle of the century if the government continues to make efforts towards vegetation restoration on the steep slopes.

scholarly journals Ecosystem services from mountain forest ecosystems: conceptual framework, approach and challenges

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-68
Author(s):  
Maria Glushkova ◽  
Miglena Zhiyanski ◽  
Stoyan Nedkov ◽  
Rositsa Yaneva ◽  
Lora Stoeva
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Mountain Forest ◽  
Territorial Development ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Mountain Ecosystems ◽  
Wide Range

Mountain ecosystems play an essential role in sustainable mountain development, providing benefits and values to humanity not only for the rich biodiversity they contain, but also because of their important role in climate regulation, water cycle, provisioning of recreation, tourism, cultural or spiritual values. The high biodiversity of the mountain areas allow the provision of a wide range of ecosystem services. However, different impacts to the environment threaten the delivery of these services and, consequently, the quality of life of people, both living in the mountains and outside the mountains. Recognizing, demonstrating and capturing the value of ecosystem services can play an important role in setting policy directions for ecosystem management and conservation and, thus, in increasing the provision of ecosystem services and their contributions to human well-being. Quantifying and mapping of these benefits can also help managers and decision makers to realize the importance of these sites for conservation and to allow the proper understandings of the impacts of mountain forest ecosystems on territorial development and welfare of local populations. The paper aims to outline the relevance and applicability of the ecosystem services approach for the assessment of the condition of mountain ecosystems and the services, they provide, for better understanding by the scientific community and to support decision makers in sustainable management of mountain regions.

scholarly journals Multi-objective land allocation for zoning of ecosystem services in mountain forests

2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 233-244
Author(s):  
Roman Sitko ◽  
Ľubomír Scheer
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Land Allocation ◽  
Tatra Mountains ◽  
Wood Production ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Multi Objective ◽  
Support Measures ◽  
Conflicting Objectives ◽  
The Tatra Mountains ◽  
Avalanche Control

Abstract The paper proposes a system for zoning of mountain areas based on the level of provisioning of ecosystem services. Techniques of multi-objective land allocation were applied to allocate complementary and conflicting objectives. The zoning system consists of four phases: i) Identification of criteria for the evaluation of ecosystem services; ii) Quantification of criteria for three different forestland states; iii) Evaluation of potential and effect of the forest on providing the ecosystem services and iv) Zoning of ecosystem services with their prioritization and spatial allocation of support measures. The study was conducted in the Tatra Mountains (Slovakia). Erosion control, avalanche control, wood production and cultural services were evaluated. The greatest differences between potential and effect of the evaluated ecosystem services were identified for the avalanche control. A comparison of our results with the existing (control) map of ecosystem services has proved that the proposed system is a potent means for multi-objective forest planning.

scholarly journals Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Services in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eklabya Sharma ◽  
Nakul Chettri
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Regional Cooperation ◽  
Landscape Management ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Landscape Conservation ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Hindu Kush ◽  
Mountain Development ◽  
Developing Knowledge

With 22% global land surface area, the mountains ecosystem is home to 13% of the total human populations. Evolved as a unique ecosystem, the mountain adds value with diverse ecosystems; tradition and culture as well as ecosystem services for socio-economic development in the mountain areas and beyond. As it caters half of the humanity with its diverse types of ecosystem services, the realization of its significance are still limited in national, regional and global discourses. In the conservation front, there has been a significant progress in the concept and practices from species focussed interventions to habitat and ecosystem/landscape conservation approaches. The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), known as the highest mountain ecosystems in the world is also the water tower for the region often referred as the third pole. This unique ecosystem is an important repository of biological and cultural diversities and source of varied ecosystems services to 240 million people living within and about a one third of global population living downstream. The region has been in spotlight for being part of the 36 ‘Global Biodiversity Hotspot’ as well as climate change hotspot. However, our understanding the dynamics of changing landscapes and climate and its linkage to people, mostly challenged by poverty are limited. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), an inter-governmental regional knowledge and enabling centre, has been instrumental in developing knowledge about the dynamics of these fragile ecosystems and support its regional member countries through science based integrated approaches. Since its inception, ICIMOD has been engaged in developing knowledge and supporting policies for mountain development focusing on socio-economic, ecological and environmental dimensions. In this paper, we present the retrospect of our understanding and learnings in the HKH through transboundary landscape management and regional cooperation mostly focused on conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services perspectives. The paper reflects on changing paradigm and complex process for strengthening regional cooperation in the HKH.

scholarly journals To What Extent Are Cattle Ranching Landholders Willing to Restore Ecosystem Services? Constructing a Micro-Scale PES Scheme in Southern Costa Rica

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 709
Author(s):  
Iván Pérez-Rubio ◽  
Daniel Flores ◽  
Christian Vargas ◽  
Francisco Jiménez ◽  
Iker Etxano
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Costa Rica ◽  
Stated Preference ◽  
Economic Valuation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Policy Instrument ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Forest Protection ◽  
Micro Scale

Deforestation and the unsustainable management of agricultural and livestock production systems in tropical mountain areas have caused fragmented and degraded landscapes. Payment for ecosystem services (PES) could be an effective policy instrument with which to reduce deforestation and restore disturbed ecosystems. The national-scale PES program in Costa Rica is recognized as being successful; however, its financial resources have been mostly dedicated to forest protection, and much less to reforestation projects. This paper aims to construct a micro-scale PES scheme by using primary data generated through spatial modeling and socio-economic and stated preference surveys (choice experiment) in southern Costa Rica. The results suggest that, on average, landholders would agree to implement restoration projects on their own private pasturelands if an appropriate holistic place-based approach was applied encompassing biophysical, social, economic, and institutional aspects. Willingness-to-accept values allow payments to be linked to cattle farmers’ estimates of specific ecosystem services (ES) and land opportunity costs. The economic valuation of three ESs (erosion control, water availability, and biodiversity) allows construction of a layered payment scheme, which could encourage the development of a potential partnership between national and local institutions and NGOs as alternative buyers of ESs, reduce transaction costs, and improve household well-being.

scholarly journals Good Pastures, Good Meadows: Mountain Farmers’ Assessment, Perceptions on Ecosystem Services, and Proposals for Biodiversity Management

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5609
Author(s):  
Alexander Wezel ◽  
Sibylle Stöckli ◽  
Erich Tasser ◽  
Heike Nitsch ◽  
Audrey Vincent
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Grassland Management ◽  
Fruit Trees ◽  
Biodiversity Management ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Local Initiatives ◽  
Additional Costs ◽  
Insufficient Time

An ongoing decrease in habitat and species diversity is occurring in many areas across Europe, including in grasslands in mountain areas, calling for adapted biodiversity management and measures. In this context, we carried out 79 interviews with grassland farmers in five alpine mountain regions in Germany, France, Austria, Italy, and Switzerland. We analyzed farmers’ perceptions about the functions and services of their grasslands, how they qualify “good” grasslands, which grassland management practices have changed over the last 10 years, and proposals to increase species diversity on the farm. They related them primarily to cultural ecosystem services, secondly to provisioning services, and thirdly to regulating and supporting services. Good pastures or meadows were mostly related to composition, quality of forage and productivity, structural criteria, and certain characteristics of soils and topography. The measures for increasing biodiversity that were most frequently proposed were upgrading of forest edges, planting hedges or fruit trees, less or late grassland cutting, reduction or omission of fertilization, and more general extensification of farm productions. Factors hindering the implementation of these measures were mainly increased workload, insufficient time, and a lack of financial means or support to cover additional costs for biodiversity management. These factors have to be taken specifically into account for future policies for enhanced biodiversity management of grasslands, also beyond mountainous areas. Overall, we found that farmers have good but varying knowledge about biodiversity management of their grasslands, but also different perspectives on how to improve it. Here, local initiatives that bring together farmers and flora or fauna specialists to exchange knowledge could be designed and used in participatory pilot schemes to enhance the implementation of improved biodiversity management.

scholarly journals Reframing Water-Related Ecosystem Services Flows

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingyu Lin ◽  
Jinliang Huang ◽  
Michalis Hadjikakou ◽  
Yaling Huang ◽  
Kun Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Water Quantity ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Hydrological Models ◽  
Jiulong River Watershed ◽  
Ecosystem Disservices ◽  
Model Water ◽  
Water Quantity And Quality

To sustain water-dependent economic and socio-ecological systems, natural capital and its interactions with other capitals is gaining attention, but a clear understanding of how to manage natural capital sustainably and how to make decisions relevant to water-related ecosystem services is yet to be achieved. In this study, we extended the framing of water-related ecosystem service flows as a cycle, integrating water quantity and quality and capturing the flows of ecosystem services (i.e., green phase) and ecosystem disservices (i.e., red phase), and connecting natural capital, built capital, and beneficiaries. We applied this framework to the Jiulong River watershed in China, using hydrological models to model water quantity and quality based on historical observations and experimental data. Our results showed that, during the green phase, the interactions of natural capital and built capital significantly improved water quality in downstream areas with higher flows. During the red phase, built capital reduced ecosystem disservices by ~10% while natural capital further reduced it by over one half. Our framework can provide information for natural capital management, eco-compensation, and pollutant management relevant to water-related ecosystem services.

scholarly journals SWAT-CUP for Calibration of Spatially Distributed Hydrological Processes and Ecosystem Services in a Vietnamese River Basin Using Remote Sensing

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lan T. Ha ◽  
Wim G. M. Bastiaanssen ◽  
Ann van Griensven ◽  
Albert I. J. M. van Dijk ◽  
Gabriel B. Senay
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Remotely Sensed ◽  
Red River ◽  
Hydrological Processes ◽  
Hydrological Models ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Calibration Process ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Spatially Distributed

Abstract. Distributed hydrological models are usually calibrated against the measured outflow of a certain drainage area, provided flow data is available. A close match with flow does however not mean that the spatially distributed hydrological processes are properly understood and simulated. In this paper, remotely sensed precipitation, evapotranspiration (ET) and leaf area index (LAI) from open access data sources were used to calibrate the SWAT model for the Day Basin, a tributary of the Red River in Vietnam. The efficacy of the SWAT-CUP parameter sensitivity and optimization model developed by Abbaspour (2015) was tested with spatial remote sensing input parameters. The innovation is that the parameters of the soil-vegetation processes were optimized for every Hydrological Response Unit for which remotely sensed monthly ET and LAI values were available. Such level of detail cannot be achieved from flow measurements, which are the integrated result of many processes over large areas. A total of 15 soil-vegetation process parameters were calibrated. The SUFI2 algorithm in SWAT-CUP appeared to be an adequate practical tool for the calibration process. Simulated monthly ET correlations with remote sensing estimates showed an R2 = 0.71 and NSE = 0.65 while monthly LAI showed correlations of R2 = 0.59 and NSE = 0.57 over a five year validation period. Accumulated modelled ET over the 5-year calibration period amounted to 5713 mm compared to 6015 mm of remotely sensed ET: a non-significant difference of 302 mm (5.3 %). Because river flow was not optimized during the calibration process, it could be used as an independent validation of the calibrated model simulations. The monthly flow at two flow measurement stations were adequately estimated (R2 = 0.78 and 0.55, NSE = 0.71 and 0.63 for Phu Ly and Ninh Binh, respectively). The estimated total water withdrawal from the Red River was 1.934 billion m3/yr with a peak flow of approximately 200 m3/s during the months of February and July. The availability of a reliable set of parameters will make SWAT a useful tool for optimizing water conservation, agricultural outputs, and ecosystem services such as reduced soil erosion, better water quality standards, carbon sequestration, micro-climate cooling amongst others. Such calibrated distributed eco-hydrological models can be used for appraising scenarios of green growth.

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