scholarly journals Deepor Beel Wetland: Threats to Ecosystem Services, Their Importance to Dependent Communities and Possible Management Measures

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 9-24
Author(s):  
Jekulin Lipi Saikia
Author(s):  
Oksana Veklych

For the first time in the professional literature the theoretical and methodological composition of the three-dimensional model of the frame-concept of assessment of ecosystem assets of territorial communities is revealed and presented. This frame-concept forms the general conceptual basis and logistic algorithm of practical actions for implementation the assessment of ecosystem assets of territorial communities in the practice of nature management. In accordance with the existing typology of concepts, the characteristics of the frame-concept of assessment of ecosystem assets of territorial communities are given. The main elements of the three-dimensional model of the frame-concept of assessment of ecosystem assets of territorial communities, which are identified by its construction according to the appropriate logistic algorithm of its composition, are established. This algorithm should be performed in several successive iterations. The first is the analysis and structural-functional description of the categorical basis of the concept of ecosystem assets as producers of ecosystem services, which represents the studied frame-concept. The second iteration involves in-depth disclosure of the content and features of ecosystem assets of territorial communities as a notion. The third is to describe ways to assess the ecosystem assets of local communities as a two-dimensional formation, providing an appropriate level of detail. The fourth iteration is the definition of the numerical formalization of the semantic sphere of ecosystem assets, in particular the numerical formalization of the value measurement of ecosystem assets as producers of ecosystem services. The fifth is a study of scenarios for assessing the ecosystem assets of local communities. The subject-object and other components of the scenario of assessment of ecosystem assets of a particular territorial community, which are written in its corresponding scheme, are shown. In the future, this, in turn, allows us to design the nature of the relationship between the local community as the owner of ecosystem assets and other beneficiaries of their use. This will make it possible to address the level of responsibility for the functioning of the ecosystem assets that produce these services, as well as when considering eco-compensation for the consumption of specific types of ecosystem services or their loss. As a result, the study of the frame-concept of assessment of ecosystem assets of territorial communities created an appropriate theoretical and methodological platform that forms its holistic view and understanding by scientists and practitioners. Therefore, it will help to justify and implement real management measures to assess ecosystem assets belonging to specific local communities.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gudrun Schwilch ◽  
Tatenda Lemann ◽  
Örjan Berglund ◽  
Carlo Camarotto ◽  
Artemi Cerdà ◽  
...  

Only a few studies have quantified and measured ecosystem services (ES) specifically related to soil. To address this gap, we have developed and applied a methodology to assess changes in ecosystem services, based on measured or estimated soil property changes that were stimulated by soil management measures (e.g., mulching, terracing, no-till). We applied the ES assessment methodology in 16 case study sites across Europe representing a high diversity of soil threats and land use systems. Various prevention and remediation measures were trialled, and the changes in manageable soil and other natural capital properties were measured and quantified. An Excel tool facilitated data collection, calculation of changes in ecosystem services, and visualization of measured short-term changes and estimated long-term changes at plot level and for the wider area. With this methodology, we were able to successfully collect and compare data on the impact of land management on 15 different ecosystem services from 26 different measures. Overall, the results are positive in terms of the impacts of the trialled measures on ecosystem services, with 18 out of 26 measures having no decrease in any service at the plot level. Although methodological challenges remain, the ES assessment was shown to be a comprehensive evaluation of the impacts of the trialled measures, and also served as an input to a stakeholder valuation of ecosystem services at local and sub-national levels.


2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-22
Author(s):  
Anjali Uniyal ◽  
◽  
Rohit Sharma ◽  
Gopal S. Rawat ◽  
◽  
...  

Community managed forest in the foothills of Dhauladhar range supports the livelihood of rural communities by supplying a range of provisioning services. However, baseline data on the vegetation composition of this forest is still lacking which is otherwise very important to assess the status of forest in sustaining the flow of ecosystem services (ES). Present study therefore aimed to quantify its vegetation structure and composition. Encroachment of Ageratina adenophora in the forest fringes has not only deteriorated the vegetation composition but has also affected the quality of soil leading to loss of native herbs and grasses causing decline in fodder availability for the livestock. Due to improper management measures, the invasive species is spreading fast to other interior areas. This has serious implications for the sustenance of the provisioning services for the rural people including water retaining capacity of the forest ecosystem. Hence, proper management interventions are needed for the conservation of this forest so that the flow of ecosystem services continues for a long term.


Elem Sci Anth ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsiao-Chun Tseng ◽  
Alice Newton ◽  
Gwo-Ching Gong ◽  
Chia-Chia Lin

Asia has been experiencing rapid industrialization, urbanization, and economic growth in recent decades. Taiwan was one of the 4 Asian dragons, regions that experienced rapid industrialization and exceptionally high growth rates between the early 1960s and 1990s, but at a high cost to the environment, and thus, it was heavily polluted. Estuaries are highly dynamic and diverse ecosystems that provide multiple ecosystem services that maintain marine ecosystem health and benefit humankind. However, estuaries and the ecosystem services they provide are rapidly degrading due to increasing pressures and changes, especially those in populous, urban areas. Social–environmental analysis integrates scientific information and social activities and thereby provides a comprehensive understanding for the multiparty, joint decision-making processes necessary for successful, sustainable management. In this study, 60 years of economic data and 26 years of water quality data are examined using social–environmental frameworks, the driver-pressure-state-impact-response framework, and the systems approach framework to analyze the management of water quality for an estuary in a populous urban area, the Tamsui River estuary, in Taiwan. Potential societal responses and management measures are identified that can be implemented to reduce human activities, diminish pressure, ameliorate water quality, and enhance the state of the estuarine systems in the Tamsui River and its estuary. The recommended societal responses are increased education, the establishment of community-based river rangers, wetland and mangrove conservation, the development of a circular economy, the implementation of governance measures, and improvements in monitoring and assessments. Improvement of the water quality in the Tamsui River estuary increases the hedonic value of property for people who live near the riverside. Currently, the number of tourists and tourism-based businesses have increased. Nevertheless, improvements in water quality in the Tamsui River estuary bring well-being and benefits that could be further enhanced to increase the cost/benefit relation of the management measures.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Philip Brick ◽  
Kent Woodruff

This case explores the Methow Beaver Project (MBP), an ambitious experiment to restore beaver (Castor canadensis) to a high mountain watershed in Washington State, USA. The Pacific Northwest is already experiencing weather regimes consistent with longer term climate projections, which predict longer and drier summers and stronger and wetter winter storms. Ironically, this combination makes imperative more water storage in one of the most heavily dammed regions in the nation. Although the positive role that beaver can play in watershed enhancement has been well known for decades, no project has previously attempted to re-introduce beaver on a watershed scale with a rigorous monitoring protocol designed to document improved water storage and temperature conditions needed for human uses and aquatic species. While the MBP has demonstrated that beaver can be re-introduced on a watershed scale, it has been much more difficult to scientifically demonstrate positive changes in water retention and stream temperature, given hydrologic complexity, unprecedented fire and floods, and the fact that beaver are highly mobile. This case study can help environmental studies students and natural resource policy professionals think about the broader challenges of diffuse, ecosystem services approaches to climate adaptation. Beaver-produced watershed improvements will remain difficult to quantify and verify, and thus will likely remain less attractive to water planners than conventional storage dams. But as climate conditions put additional pressure on such infrastructure, it is worth considering how beaver might be employed to augment watershed storage capacity, even if this capacity is likely to remain at least in part inscrutable.


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