scholarly journals The working for water programme: Evolution of a payments for ecosystem services mechanism that addresses both poverty and ecosystem service delivery in South Africa

2008 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 788-798 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.K. Turpie ◽  
C. Marais ◽  
J.N. Blignaut
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Payments For Ecosystem Services

Cross-scale governance and ecosystem service delivery: A case narrative from the Olifants River in north-eastern South Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 173-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.C. Biggs ◽  
J.K. Clifford-Holmes ◽  
S. Freitag ◽  
F.J. Venter ◽  
J. Venter
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Olifants River

Lay Knowledge of Ecosystem Services in Rural Eastern Cape Province, South Africa: Implications for Intervention Program Planning

2019 ◽  
Vol 05 (02) ◽  
pp. 1940001
Author(s):  
Chenai Murata ◽  
Sukhmani Mantel ◽  
Chris de Wet ◽  
Anthony R Palmer
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Program Planning ◽  
Intervention Programs ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Eastern Cape Province ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Lay Knowledge ◽  
Lay People

The ecosystem service concept is a new scientific construct that was coined to lay bare the contribution that nature makes to human well-being. Besides playing an epistemic role (expanding ecological knowledge), the concept is pedagogical in that it seeks to emphasize the need to conserve nature among resource managers and resource users. The growth of ecosystem service literature since the 1980s has been moved by a largely scientific debate that seeks to disambiguate ecological functions from services, develop appropriate resource accounting techniques and critique the concept as a neoliberal construct. Conclusions reached in these debates are used to guide intervention programs such as payment for ecosystem services (PES), but knowledge of the rural people on whose landscapes the programs are implemented seldom features in the debates. Local communities rely on lay ecological knowledge to interpret and interact with nature. The question we have in mind is thus: In the context of South Africa’s chequered history of racialized conservation and top-down development intervention programs, what is the likelihood of success of exclusively scientific ecosystem service programs? We pose this question while aware that the relationship between science and other knowledge systems is more complementary than dichotomous. However, some features make the two work differently from each other. We selected two villages of Mgwalana and Mahlungulu in Eastern Cape Province of South Africa to investigate lay knowledge of ecosystem services. We make an argument for implications of these findings on planning of intervention programs. We used a mixed methods approach that involved two rounds of data collection. The first was a quantitative survey with 33 respondents. The second round involved in-depth interviews with 17 respondents. The study found that lay people understand ecosystem services in significantly different ways to scientists. While they easily recognize provisional and cultural, lay people are not familiar with regulatory and supporting ecosystem services and classification of services into groups confuses them. Messages foregrounded in these findings have potential to both expand the ecosystem service knowledge and attract stakeholder cooperation in intervention programs.

scholarly journals Valuation of Ecosystem Services in South Africa, 2001–2019

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 11262
Author(s):  
Mohamed A. M. Abd Elbasit ◽  
Jasper Knight ◽  
Gang Liu ◽  
Majed M. Abu-Zreig ◽  
Rashid Hasaan
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Economic Changes ◽  
Sensing Model ◽  
Over Time

Although changes in ecosystems in response to climate and land-use change are known to have implications for the provision of different environmental and ecosystem services, quantifying the economic value of some of these services can be problematic and has not been widely attempted. Here, we used a simplified raster remote sensing model based on MODIS data across South Africa for five different time slices for the period 2001–2019. The aims of the study were to quantify the economic changes in ecosystem services due to land degradation and land-cover changes based on areal values (in USD ha−1 yr−1) for ecosystem services reported in the literature. Results show progressive and systematic changes in land-cover classes across different regions of South Africa for the time period of analysis, which are attributed to climate change. Total ecosystem service values for South Africa change somewhat over time as a result of land-use change, but for 2019 this calculated value is USD 437 billion, which is ~125% of GDP. This is the first estimation of ecosystem service value made for South Africa at the national scale. In detail, changes in land cover over time within each of the nine constituent provinces in South Africa mean that ecosystem service values also change regionally. There is a clear disparity between the provinces with the greatest ecosystem service values when compared to their populations and contribution to GDP. This highlights the potential for untapped ecosystem services to be exploited as a tool for regional sustainable development.

scholarly journals Applying ecosystem services as a framework to analyze the effects of alternative bio-economy scenarios in Nordic catchments

AMBIO ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (11) ◽  
pp. 1784-1796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan E. Vermaat ◽  
Bart Immerzeel ◽  
Eija Pouta ◽  
Artti Juutinen
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
The Other ◽  
Assessment Framework ◽  
Cropland Area ◽  
Current Scenario ◽  
Total Economic Value

Abstract The inherently unknown future development of a Nordic bio-economy was studied with four scenarios applied in an ecosystem service assessment framework. This framework couples CORINE land use cover with estimates of 15 final ecosystem services from the CICES 5.1 classification in biophysical and monetary terms. Current land use in two catchments, Lillebæk (83% cropland, area 4.7 km2, Denmark) and Ovre Haldenvassdraget (67% forest, 1006 km2, Norway) was compared with four scenarios for 2050. One scenario focusing on sustainability and environmental awareness led to considerable changes in land use and ecosystem service delivery (more diverse provisioning and higher value of regulating services, but not a higher total economic value), whereas the other three did not deviate markedly from the current scenario. Projected land use scenarios were verified with experts and stakeholder representatives. We conclude that the framework has sufficient resolution to show differences in service delivery among scenarios.

scholarly journals An ecosystem services perspective of Lake Wairarapa: Insights from the past, present, and toward the future

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Sky Halford
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Collaborative Management ◽  
Coastal Lake ◽  
E Coli ◽  
The Past ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Impact

<p>Ecosystem services encompass the wide range of intrinsic and extrinsic benefits that humans derive from ecosystems and how such services contribute to community wellbeing. The delivery of effective and efficient provisioning, regulating, and cultural ecosystem services at Lake Wairarapa (a shallow, super-trophic, coastal lake in the lower North Island) has been heavily impacted through current land use. Using a pragmatic epistemology and mixed methods approach, this research sought to understand the past, present, and future delivery of ecosystem services at Lake Wairarapa through three distinct, yet complementary, studies.  Firstly, a palaeo-environmental reconstruction using five proxies was completed to build an understanding of past environmental conditions at Lake Wairarapa. Prior to human arrival, the lake was stable and resilient in response to environmental perturbations. However, alteration of the landscape following human arrival has reduced ecosystem service effectiveness, prompting a transition into an entirely new environmental state at Lake Wairarapa. This chapter highlighted the abrupt removal of mānuka and centennial shift from a forest catchment into one dominated by agriculture so a field trial was conducted to assess the ability of mānuka to reduce nitrogen leaching and E. coli contamination. Mānuka can significantly reduce the conversion of ammonium to nitrate compared to pasture, thus regulating nitrate leaching; however, the impact on E. coli counts was less conclusive. Finally, cultural services present at Lake Wairarapa and future community aspirations were assessed through seven semi-structured interviews of Wairarapa community members. Place attachment was recognised as the underlying factor that facilitated strong cultural service delivery. Social and environmental restoration was identified as the key vision for the future, underpinned by collaboration within resource management.  From this research, four recommendations were made to enhance ecosystem service delivery at Lake Wairarapa: establishment of ecologically appropriate restoration plans, facilitated collaborative management, further investigation of environmental and economic properties of mānuka, and development of community engagement programmes. This multi-disciplinary and holistic approach outlines a pathway towards a positive and inclusive future for Lake Wairarapa and its communities.</p>

scholarly journals Constraining natural and anthropogenic disturbances in the delivery of coastal ecosystem services

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Sheron Y. Luk
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Salt Marsh ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
New England ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Coastal Ecosystem ◽  
Anthropogenic Activity ◽  
Estuarine Ecosystem

Coastal ecosystems provide key services that benefit human wellbeing yet are undergoing rapid degradation due to natural and anthropogenic pressures. This thesis seeks to understand how disturbances impact salt marsh and estuarine ecosystem functioning in order to refine their role in coastal ecosystem service delivery and predict future resilience. Salt marsh survival relative to sealevel rise increasingly relies on the accumulation and preservation of soil organic carbon (SOC). Firstly, I characterized SOC development and turnover in a New England salt marsh and found that salt marsh soils typically store marsh grass-derived compounds that are reworked over centuries-to-millennia. Next, I assessed how two common marsh disturbances – natural ponding and anthropogenic mosquito ditching – affect salt marsh carbon cycling and storage. Salt marsh ponds deepen through soil erosion and decomposition of long-buried marsh peat. Further, the SOC lost during pond development is not fully recouped once drained ponds are revegetated and virtually indistinguishable from the surrounding marsh. Mosquito ditches, which were installed in ~ 90% of New England salt marshes during the Great Depression, did not significantly alter marsh carbon storage. In Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, a US National Estuary, we tested relationships among measures of estuarine water quality, recreational activity, and local socioeconomic conditions to understand how the benefits of cultural ecosystem services are affected by shifts in water quality associated with global change and anthropogenic activity. Over a 24-year period, water quality degradation coinciding with increases in Chlorophyll a is associated with declines in fishery abundance and cultural ecosystem service values ($0.08 – 0.67 million USD). In combination, incorporation of both anthropogenic and natural disturbances to coastal ecosystem functioning and service delivery can produce improved estimates of ecosystem service valuation for effective resource decision-making under future climate scenarios.

scholarly journals Supply–Demand Coupling Mechanisms for Policy Design

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (20) ◽  
pp. 5760 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Jiang ◽  
Yuanyuan Chen ◽  
Yang Bai ◽  
Xibao Xu
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Policy Design ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Payments For Ecosystem Services ◽  
Institutional Reforms ◽  
Multi Scale ◽  
Services Science ◽  
Coupling Mechanisms

Ecosystem services are important for sustaining human survival and sustainable socio-economic development. For the past two decades, ecosystem services studies have greatly promoted the application of ecosystem services science in conservation. As a scientific method to integrate multi-regional and multi-scale ecosystem service providers and beneficiaries, ecosystem service supply and demand coupling mechanisms and payments for ecosystem services programs are closely linked. In this paper, we first provide an overview of the payments for ecosystem services concept and an evaluation of its effectiveness in implementation. We then analyze the correlation between payments for ecosystem services and supply–demand coupling mechanisms and propose a framework to link these two ideas. China’s practice in implementing ecological redline policy and institutional reforms for protected area management will provide a good experimental platform for comprehensive payments for ecosystem service design and effectiveness evaluation within China and beyond.

scholarly journals An ecosystem services perspective of Lake Wairarapa: Insights from the past, present, and toward the future

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Sky Halford
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Collaborative Management ◽  
Coastal Lake ◽  
E Coli ◽  
The Past ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Impact

<p>Ecosystem services encompass the wide range of intrinsic and extrinsic benefits that humans derive from ecosystems and how such services contribute to community wellbeing. The delivery of effective and efficient provisioning, regulating, and cultural ecosystem services at Lake Wairarapa (a shallow, super-trophic, coastal lake in the lower North Island) has been heavily impacted through current land use. Using a pragmatic epistemology and mixed methods approach, this research sought to understand the past, present, and future delivery of ecosystem services at Lake Wairarapa through three distinct, yet complementary, studies.  Firstly, a palaeo-environmental reconstruction using five proxies was completed to build an understanding of past environmental conditions at Lake Wairarapa. Prior to human arrival, the lake was stable and resilient in response to environmental perturbations. However, alteration of the landscape following human arrival has reduced ecosystem service effectiveness, prompting a transition into an entirely new environmental state at Lake Wairarapa. This chapter highlighted the abrupt removal of mānuka and centennial shift from a forest catchment into one dominated by agriculture so a field trial was conducted to assess the ability of mānuka to reduce nitrogen leaching and E. coli contamination. Mānuka can significantly reduce the conversion of ammonium to nitrate compared to pasture, thus regulating nitrate leaching; however, the impact on E. coli counts was less conclusive. Finally, cultural services present at Lake Wairarapa and future community aspirations were assessed through seven semi-structured interviews of Wairarapa community members. Place attachment was recognised as the underlying factor that facilitated strong cultural service delivery. Social and environmental restoration was identified as the key vision for the future, underpinned by collaboration within resource management.  From this research, four recommendations were made to enhance ecosystem service delivery at Lake Wairarapa: establishment of ecologically appropriate restoration plans, facilitated collaborative management, further investigation of environmental and economic properties of mānuka, and development of community engagement programmes. This multi-disciplinary and holistic approach outlines a pathway towards a positive and inclusive future for Lake Wairarapa and its communities.</p>

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