THE USE AND EVALUATION OF RIPARIAN FOREST ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN LATVIA

Author(s):  
Mārcis SAKLAURS

The use and evaluation of riparian forest ecosystem services is a topical issue in Latvia involving interests of different target groups. Research work on proper management methods, their impact on biological values and production function has been started in 2014, while information on social values was missing. Particular methodology was designed and three different approaches of opinion polls were used to obtain information on use of riparian forest services and their evaluation by public in spring, 2015. In total there were 1024 questionnaires distributed out of which 418 were analysed for the research purposes along with 224 filled on the Internet. Different services of riparian forest ecosystems were used by 88 % of respondents, mostly walking along rivers and swimming were mentioned. Respondents evaluated three different scenarios of forest management and 96% of them gave preference to the scenario which required implementation of sustainability criteria resulted in high diversity of species and an increase of esthetical values. Large part (61 %) of respondents accepted the idea of voluntary work to improve the condition of rivers and riparian forests and in average there were ready to work 3.8 days per year. Willingness to pay (WTP) to improve the situation of riparian forests and rivers close to a residence place of a respondents was expressed by 62 % of respondents, in the average 28.50 Euro per year was mentioned. The current research is a starting point for evaluation of riparian forest ecosystems and provides valuable information for further analyses. Research data are used to identify factors influencing the use and evaluation of different services provided by riparian forest ecosystem. Results will be used in decision making processes related to legislation and management changes, as well as in valuation of ecosystem services and planning of public use of riparian forests.

2012 ◽  
Vol 163 (12) ◽  
pp. 481-492
Author(s):  
Andreas Rigling ◽  
Ché Elkin ◽  
Matthias Dobbertin ◽  
Britta Eilmann ◽  
Arnaud Giuggiola ◽  
...  

Forest and climate change in the inner-Alpine dry region of Visp Over the past decades, observed increases in temperature have been particularly pronounced in mountain regions. If this trend should continue in the 21st Century, frequency and intensity of droughts will increase, and will pose major challenges for forest management. Under current conditions drought-related tree mortality is already an important factor of forest ecosystems in dry inner-Alpine valleys. Here we assess the sensitivity of forest ecosystems to climate change and evaluate alternative forest management strategies in the Visp region. We integrate data from forest monitoring plots, field experiments and dynamic forests models to evaluate how the forest ecosystem services timber production, protection against natural hazards, carbon storage and biodiver-sity will be impacted. Our results suggest that at dry low elevation sites the drought tolerance of native tree species will be exceeded so that in the longer term a transition to more drought-adapted species should be considered. At medium elevations, drought and insect disturbances as by bark beetles are projected to be important for forest development, while at high elevations forests are projected to expand and grow better. All of the ecosystem services that we considered are projected to be impacted by changing forest conditions, with the specific impacts often being elevation-dependent. In the medium term, forest management that aims to increase the resilience of forests to drought can help maintain forest ecosystem services temporarily. However, our results suggest that relatively rigid management interventions are required to achieve significant effects. By using a combination of environmental monitoring, field experiments and modeling, we are able to gain insight into how forest ecosystem, and the services they provide, will respond to future changes.


Author(s):  
Kapil Kharkwal ◽  
Dalip Kumar Mansotra ◽  
Bhupendra Singh Bhandari

This chapter deals with scientific information about the wild socioeconomic plants used by the local inhabitants of the Champawat district of Uttarakhand for the enhancement of their livelihood. During this entire study, it was observed and documented that poor rural people of this area are educationally and financially backward, and they do not have any permanent source of income; due to this reason they are unable to fulfill their necessary requirements. Therefore, they are totally dependent on various forest ecosystem services, viz., selling prepared herbal medicines, wild edible fruits, and wild ornamental plants, etc., which shares approximately 45-50% of their total annual income and plays a vital role for the upliftment of their livelihood. During this research work, a total of 63 plant species belonging to 58 genera under 46 families have been documented, which are being used as livelihood resources by the locals of this area.


2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 336
Author(s):  
Akhmad Yani

Most  studies valuation that have been described previously including forest ecosystems do not see the forest ecosystem services as natual capital / natural assets and even the socio-ecological context. The implication is that forest ecosystem services are considered as an economic asset / economic capital.  the concept of value used in the valuation is the concept of the value of output.  Though the forest ecosystem services has the characteristics of a sustainable dynamic and as part of the life supporting system including the ability resilience and self-terrific capacity. So that the forest ecosystem is no longer seen as economic assets, but with the characteristics of the dynamic and sustainable forest ecosystem is seen as natural or natural capital assets. The current perspective marginalize other forest ecosystem functions, such as socio-economic functions. Whereas the concept of an insurance value of forest ecosystems is not just the case as seen from the perspective as natural capital, but the role of social values in maintaining the sustainability of forest ecosystems is crucial, as reflected by the presence of heritage value, and existence value. So that the insurance value of the forest ecosystem occurs because the forest ecosystem serves as a natural asset / natural and social capital assets / social capital.


Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 732
Author(s):  
Bing Wang ◽  
Xiang Niu ◽  
Wenjun Wei

The technical framework of China’s Forest Ecosystem Inventory System (CFEIS) was recently developed based on ecological indicators assessed continuously in the field at forest ecosystem research stations and China’s Forest Resource Inventory (CNFRI) conducted every 5 years. The CFEIS consists of Field Observations (FOs)of ecological indicators and Distributed Valuations (DVs)of forest ecosystem services. The CFEIS can be used with the CNFRI to observe and monitor the ecological status of forests in China. This paper provides a brief review of the CFEIS by introducing its establishment and summarizing its application coupled with the CNFRI. For the FOs, the principles of the monitoring system layout are provided. The Chinese Forest Ecosystem Research Network (CFERN) was set up, which was the largest nationwide network of forest ecological stations in the world. The facilities and equipment were systematically assembled. The national forestry standards were drawn up for describing and measuring the ecological indicators of forest ecosystems, and these standards were used to specify data collection and transmission. For DVs, a distributed measurement method was created, and an indicator system of evaluation was studied and established, with the CNFRI integrated; a series of evaluation formulas and a package of models were also integrated with the DVs. The CFEIS integrated with the CNFRI estimates forest ecosystem services in China and the ecological benefits derived from the Grain for Green program, and a green national economic accounting system will provide an important case for monitoring and inventorying forest ecosystems at a national scale. The CFEIS can provide important experiences for forest ecosystem inventory systems in China and many other parts of the world.


2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 248-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bożena Kornatowska ◽  
Jadwiga Sienkiewicz

Abstract Forest ecosystems represent the most important values of natural assets. In economic valuation techniques, to estimate the value of forest ecosystem services, the attention is still focused mainly on their market values, i.e. the value of benefits measured in the economic calculation based, first of all, on the price of timber. The valuation of natural resources is currently supported by considerations of the global policy, in order to strengthen the argumentation justifying the need to incur expenditure related to the protection of biodiversity. There is increasing evidence that biodiversity contributes to forest ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services. Natural capital of forests can be consumed directly as food, wood and other raw materials or indirectly – by benefitting from purified water and air, safeguarded soils or protected climate. At the same time, forest ecosystems provide us with a range of intangible values – scientific, cultural, religious as well as encompass heritage to pass on to future generations. In the era of increasing pressure on the use of free public goods (natural resources), it is necessary to improve understanding of the role of forests in creating national natural capital, and in enhancing the quality of human life. All things considered, the so called non-market forest ecosystem services may have a much higher value than the profits from the production of timber and raw materials. Needless to say, non-market values of forest ecosystems are of great importance for the quality of human life, and the awareness of this should translate into social behavior in the use of natural resources. This paper reviews the methods to estimate the value of forest ecosystem services in view of recently acknowledged paradigm to move forward from economic production to sustainable human well-being.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 295-312
Author(s):  
Jang-Hwan Jo ◽  
Moon-Ki Choi ◽  
Oh Seok Kim ◽  
Kyeong-hak Lee ◽  
Chang-Bae Lee

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