scholarly journals Perceptions of ecosystem services provision performance in the face of climate change among communities in Bobirwa sub-district, Botswana

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ephias Mugari ◽  
Hillary Masundire ◽  
Maitseo Bolaane ◽  
Mark New
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Arid Areas ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Community Values ◽  
Local Initiatives ◽  
Local Ecosystem ◽  
Semi Arid

PurposeBetween 2006 and 2016, local communities in semi-arid Bobirwa sub-district in the Limpopo Basin part of Botswana had endured notable fluctuations in the delivery of critical ecosystem services. These changes have been coupled with adverse effects on local people’s livelihood options and well-being. However, a few such studies have focussed on the semi-arid to arid landscapes. This study therefore aims to provide recent knowledge and evidence of consequences of environmental change on semi-arid arid landscapes and communities.MethodologyTo examine these recent changes in key ecosystem services, the authors conducted six participatory mapping processes, eight key informant interviews and several rapid scoping appraisals in three study villages. The analyses were centred on changes in seasonal quantities, seasonality, condition of ecosystem service sites, distance to ecosystem service sites and total area providing these services. Drivers of change in the delivery of key ecosystem services and the associated adverse impacts on human well-being of these recent changes in bundles of ecosystem services delivered were also analyzed.FindingsResults show that adverse weather conditions, drought frequency, changes in land-use and/or land-cover together with unsustainable harvesting because of human influx on local resources have intensified in the past decade. There was circumstantial evidence that these drivers have resulted in adverse changes in quantities and seasonality of key ecosystem services such as edible Mopane caterpillars, natural pastures, wild fruits and cultivated crops. Similarly, distance to, condition and total area of sites providing some of the key ecosystem services such as firewood and natural pastures changed adversely. These adverse changes in the key ecosystem services were shown to increasingly threaten local livelihoods and human well-being.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper discusses the importance of engaging rural communities in semi-arid areas in a participatory manner and how such information can provide baseline information for further research. The paper also shows the utility of such processes and information toward integrating community values and knowledge into decisions regarding the management and utilization of local ecosystem services under a changing climate in data-poor regions such as the Bobirwa sub-district of Botswana. However, the extent to which this is possible depends on the decision makers’ willingness to support local initiatives through existing government structures and programmes.Originality/valueThis study shows the importance of engaging communities in a participatory manner to understand changes in local ecosystem services considering their unique connection with the natural environment. This is a critical step for decision makers toward integrating community values in the management and utilization of ecosystem services under a changing climate as well as informing more sustainable adaptive responses in semi-arid areas. However, the extent to which decision makers can integrate such findings to inform more sustainable responses to declining capacity of local ecosystems in semi-arid areas depends on how they value the bottom-up approach of gaining local knowledge as well as their willingness to support local initiatives through existing government structures and programmes.

Factors contributory to fire occurrences in two populated areas in the American southwest

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanna T.Y. Tong ◽  
Shitian Wan ◽  
Yuhe Gao
Keyword(s):  
Population Growth ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
American Southwest ◽  
Arid Areas ◽  
Vegetative Cover ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Clark County ◽  
Temporal Relationships ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Semi Arid

PurposeThis study aims to further understand the factors contributory to fire occurrences in two semi-arid regions in the American Southwest, Clark County in Nevada and Maricopa and Pinal Counties in Arizona.Design/methodology/approachStatistical and geographic information system analyses were employed to examine the spatial and temporal relationships of various natural and human-caused factors with fire incidences.FindingsAngström fire danger index, average amount of rainfall one month prior, extent of forests and grasslands, and proximities to secondary roads and population centers have significant relationships with fire events.Research limitations/implicationsThe importance of the factors contributory to fire occurrence is site-specific even in areas with similar climatic regimes and varies among different geographic regions; as such, researchers will need to conduct specific investigation of each study area.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study can be instrumental in facilitating fire managers to derive more informed strategies in fire prevention and management.Originality/valueWhile there are many studies on fire, most of them are conducted in wet regions with a lot of vegetative cover; not much work is done on arid areas. This paper considered and compared the spatial and temporal relationships of a wide range of natural and human-caused factors with fire events in two semi-arid areas. The intent was to assess the relative importance of these factors in areas even with similar climatic regimes. As our world is facing unprecedented changes in terms of climate and population growth, it is paramount to have an enhanced understanding of the impacts of these changes on fire regimes. The study areas are hot and dry, and they are located in the wildland–urban interfaces with rapid population growth and urbanization; as such, the research findings may contribute to existing literature.

Ecosystem services

2011 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 575-594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion B. Potschin ◽  
Roy H. Haines-Young
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Physical Geography ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Puzzle Solving ◽  
Emerging Issues ◽  
Stocks And Flows ◽  
Change Impact

The ‘ecosystem service’ debate has taken on many features of a classic Kuhnian paradigm. It challenges conventional wisdoms about conservation and the value of nature, and is driven as much by political agendas as scientific ones. In this paper we review some current and emerging issues arising in relation to the analysis and assessment of ecosystem services, and in particular emphasize the need for physical geographers to find new ways of characterizing the structure and dynamics of service providing units. If robust and relevant valuations are to be made of the contribution that natural capital makes to human well-being, then we need a deeper understanding of the way in which the drivers of change impact on the marginal outputs of ecosystem services. A better understanding of the trade-offs that need to be considered when dealing with multifunctional ecosystems is also required. Future developments must include methods for describing and tracking the stocks and flows that characterize natural capital. This will support valuation of the benefits estimation of the level of reinvestment that society must make in this natural capital base if it is to be sustained. We argue that if the ecosystem service concept is to be used seriously as a framework for policy and management then the biophysical sciences generally, and physical geography in particular, must go beyond the uncritical ‘puzzle solving’ that characterizes recent work. A geographical perspective can provide important new, critical insights into the place-based approaches to ecosystem assessment that are now emerging.

scholarly journals Enabling Green and Blue Infrastructure to Improve Contributions to Human Well-Being and Equity in Urban Systems

BioScience ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (7) ◽  
pp. 566-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Andersson ◽  
Johannes Langemeyer ◽  
Sara Borgström ◽  
Timon McPhearson ◽  
Dagmar Haase ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Rapid Change ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Urban Systems ◽  
Dynamic Interactions ◽  
Technological Factors ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Variable Distribution

AbstractThe circumstances under which different ecosystem service benefits can be realized differ. The benefits tend to be coproduced and to be enabled by multiple interacting social, ecological, and technological factors, which is particularly evident in cities. As many cities are undergoing rapid change, these factors need to be better understood and accounted for, especially for those most in need of benefits. We propose a framework of three systemic filters that affect the flow of ecosystem service benefits: the interactions among green, blue, and built infrastructures; the regulatory power and governance of institutions; and people's individual and shared perceptions and values. We argue that more fully connecting green and blue infrastructure to its urban systems context and highlighting dynamic interactions among the three filters are key to understanding how and why ecosystem services have variable distribution, continuing inequities in who benefits, and the long-term resilience of the flows of benefits.

scholarly journals Science for the sustainable use of ecosystem services

F1000Research ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 2622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena M. Bennett ◽  
Rebecca Chaplin-Kramer
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Service Science ◽  
Human Wellbeing ◽  
History Of ◽  
Value Of Nature

Sustainability is a key challenge for humanity in the 21st century. Ecosystem services—the benefits that people derive from nature and natural capital—is a concept often used to help explain human reliance on nature and frame the decisions we make in terms of the ongoing value of nature to human wellbeing. Yet ecosystem service science has not always lived up to the promise of its potential. Despite advances in the scientific literature, ecosystem service science has not yet answered some of the most critical questions posed by decision-makers in the realm of sustainability. Here, we explore the history of ecosystem service science, discuss advances in conceptualization and measurement, and point toward further work needed to improve the use of ecosystem service in decisions about sustainable development.

scholarly journals Possible effects of changes in the meteorological state over semi-arid areas on the general well-being of weather-sensitive patients

2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomy S Yackerson ◽  
Ljuba Bromberg ◽  
Batiah Adler ◽  
Alexander Aizenberg
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Arid Areas ◽  
Semi Arid

scholarly journals The Framework of Ecosystem Services for Economic Valuation Purposes: A Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 434-449
Author(s):  
Nguyen Minh Duc
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Natural Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Economic Valuation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Past

Although humans need ecosystems and ecosystem services for their survival and well-being, most of the global ecosystems and the services that they provide have declined and/or degraded rapidly over the past few decades. In order to find the ways to sustainably use natural resources, substantial efforts have been made to measure and value the ecosystem services. The term ‘ecosystem service’ was interpreted in different ways in the literature. For making correct decisions in natural resource management, a consistent way of defining and classifying ecosystem services is needed for valuation purposes. This paper argued for the need to divide ecosystem services into intermediate and final services.

scholarly journals Assessing the Role of Gender in Identifying and Prioritizing Local Ecosystem Services of Trees in Croplands

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Tuemay Tassew ◽  
Gebru Eyasu
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
T Test ◽  
Service Access ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Gender Biases ◽  
Local Ecosystem

The overall objective of the study was to assess and compare the role of gender in identifying and prioritizing the ecosystem services of trees in croplands. The research was carried out in croplands and species inventory in each cropland was conducted during field observations of every tree species by interviewing the local farmers and/or villagers. A questionnaire containing both close-ended and open-ended questions were designed to collect information about the role of gender in identifying and prioritizing the ecosystem services supplied by each tree species in croplands based on local communities. A total of 15 ecosystem services were identified from trees in croplands by both men and women. The number and type of ecosystem services identified by men and women were different. The differences could be due to different access and benefits from ecosystem services. As a result, their perception and knowledge of ecosystem services could also vary. After identification of each ecosystem service, a paired two-tail t-test was conducted whether the list of individual score values given to each local ecosystem services identified by both men and women were the same or not. The statistical result of the paired t-test showed that the score values of all the ecosystem services that are only identified by both men and women were not statistically significant. This can imply that the commonly identified ecosystem services have more or less similar importance to men and women. The findings in this research demonstrate that ecosystem services identification might cause gender biases on women due to neglected control and access to the ecosystem services of trees in croplands which in turn could have an impact on tree resource management, conservation, and development interventions. Therefore, integrating women in ecosystem service access and control can help build various experiences of gender and balanced institutions which can aid collective and effective tree and forest resource management and to maximize the benefits for all beneficiaries of the ecosystem services.

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 Quantifying Ecosystem Service Supply, Social Demand and Their Link With Smallholder Farmers' Well-Being in Contrasting Agro-Ecological Zones of East African Rift Valley.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haile Ketema ◽  
wu wei ◽  
Abiyot Legesse ◽  
Zinabu Wolde ◽  
Tenaw Endalamaw ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Social Demand ◽  
Ecological Zones ◽  
Semi Arid ◽  
Agro Ecological Zones

Abstract Background Ecosystem service supplies (ES) have experienced progressive decline mostly due to increased ES social demand. Identifying ecosystem supply (ES), social demand, and their impacts on smallholder farmers' well-being is essential to ensure sustainable utilization of ES. Quantitative studies assessing ES mostly focused on ES supply with little attention given to social need and its effects on human well-being. Methods We assessed and mapped selected ES supply, social demand and their mismatches, and evaluated their impacts on subjective well-beings of smallholder farmers in contrasting agro-ecological zones (AEZ). We used a questionnaire survey to analyze and map six provisioning ecosystem services (ES) focusing on ES supply, social demand and their mismatches. Using the universal soil loss equation (USLE), we mapped the rate of soil loss in the contrasting agro-ecological zones (AEZ). A participatory approach was employed to evaluate smallholder farmers' well-being in the study region. Radar diagram was used to identify the links between ES supply, social demand and smallholder farmers' well-being. Results The results showed that a high supply of provisioning ecosystem goods such as cereal crops, fruits and coffee occurred in humid AEZ, while less supplies were seen in semi-arid AEZ of the study region. The ES supply was not in accordant with ES social demand and different factors such as population size and level of production are among the main factors causing ES supply-demand mismatches. Due to the undulating topography, high rate of soil loss was seen in humid AEZ. Smallholder farmers have given higher values for soil erosion control compared with individuals from semi-arid AEZ. Of all indicators of smallholder farmers well-being, income had the highest weight while receiving the least well-being satisfaction level both in humid and semi-arid AEZs. Conclusion The mismatches between supply and demand in provisioning ecosystem supply had strong and immediate impacts on smallholder farmers well-being. Therefore, we suggest policies that effectively control population growth, applying intensive crop production and strengthening integrated watershed management. These policies would help ES to recuperate and enhance its continuous flow and improve smallholder farmers' well-being both in the humid and semi-arid AEZ of the study region.

scholarly journals Increasing capacity to produce scenarios and models for biodiversity and ecosystem services

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (suppl 1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel M.D. Rosa ◽  
Carolyn J. Lundquist ◽  
Simon Ferrier ◽  
Rob Alkemade ◽  
Paula F. Drummond de Castro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Postgraduate Training ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Drivers Of Change ◽  
Training Schools ◽  
Forestry Products ◽  
The Impact

Abstract: Extensive anthropogenic activities driven by the demand for agriculture and forestry products have led to dramatic reductions in biodiversity worldwide and significant changes in the provisioning of ecosystem services. These trends are expected to continue in the future as the world continues to develop without much consideration of the role that nature plays in sustaining human livelihoods. Scenarios and models can be important tools to help policy- and decision-makers foresee the impact of their decisions; thus, increasing capacity in creating such models and scenarios is of utmost importance. However, postgraduate training schools that focus on this topic are still rare. Here we present and reflect on the experience of the São Paulo School of Advanced Science on Scenarios and Modelling on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services to Support Human Well-Being (SPSAS Scenarios). In addition, we introduce the Special Issue of Biota Neotropica that resulted from the activities taking place during the SPSAS Scenarios. In total, nine case studies emerged from the activities carried out during SPSAS Scenarios. These focused on a variety of ecosystems, their current drivers of change and expected trends, as well as on the development of alternative positive scenarios applying the recently developed Nature Futures Framework. We emphasize the need to increase capacity in scenario and modelling skills in order to address some of the existing gaps in producing policy-relevant scenarios and models for biodiversity and ecosystem services.

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