scholarly journals Complex Interrelationships between Ecosystem Services Supply and Tourism Demand: General Framework and Evidence from the Origin of Three Asian Rivers

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Chung ◽  
Tao Pan ◽  
Xintong Zou ◽  
Jianguo Liu
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Spatial Interaction ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Qinghai Province ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Demonstration Site ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Tourism Attractions ◽  
Three Rivers

Over the past two decades, the demands of nature-based tourism have been rapidly growing worldwide, yet it is not clear how tourist demands for water, food, and infrastructure influence the ecosystem services (ES), which are often the bedrock of an area’s economic, cultural, and natural wealth. With a general conceptual model that applies the telecoupling framework, this study identifies complex interrelationships between the demand for nature-based tourism, which is a type of cultural ES, ES supply, and the economy simultaneously, using China’s Qinghai Province as a demonstration site. The province is the origin of three rivers, making it crucial for water retention and prime for tourism. The results indicate that there is a strong spatial interaction between the number of tourism attractions and water retention. The southern Qinghai region’s natural resources are protected by the Sanjiangyuan (three rivers headwater) National Park. From 2010–2014, tourists in the Sanjiangyuan region spent more money than those in the northern Qinghai region, which has accelerated the development of tourism infrastructures. The Sanjiangyuan region may face the unexpected degradation of its natural habitats due to rapid tourism development. Our findings suggest that new management plans are needed to minimize the negative impacts from the demands of distant tourists, and preserve the region that supports both the environment and the economy.

scholarly journals Effects of a Short-Term Trampling Experiment on Alpine Vegetation in the Tatras, Slovakia

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2750
Author(s):  
Veronika Piscová ◽  
Michal Ševčík ◽  
Juraj Hreško ◽  
František Petrovič
Keyword(s):  
Outdoor Recreation ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Recreational Activities ◽  
Small Areas ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Deciduous Shrubs ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Potential Damage ◽  
Alpine Communities

Over the past decades, outdoor recreation in mountains has become progressively more important and as a result human induced potential damage has increased. Alpine communities are particularly susceptible to human recreational activities, such as tourist trampling. Although there are a number of studies that explicitly assess the effects of trampling on alpine communities, they do not reflect on terrains with a rich topography and the presence of more communities in very small areas. In this study, effects of short-term trampling on some alpine communities in the Tatras, the highest mountains of the Carpathians, were studied experimentally. Vulnerability to disturbance was compared among plant communities in terms of resistance and resilience, which are based on cover measurements. With proximity to trampling intensity, we found a significant decrease in plant cover and abundance of deciduous shrubs, lichens, and mosses. These results demonstrate that human trampling in alpine communities has major negative impacts on lichen and moss abundance and species richness. A short-term trampling experiment required several years of community regeneration. Therefore, management plans should discourage hiking activity off paths and restrict recreational activities.

Assessing 30 Years of Neoliberal Environmental Management in Chile

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javiera Barandiarán
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Environmental Policies ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessments ◽  
Water Ecosystem ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Mutual Accountability

Neoliberal environmental policies operate through markets, including for carbon, water, ecosystem services, or—as in contemporary Chile—for environmental scientific knowledge. Chile illustrates how markets for science operate, such as for monitoring data or environmental impact assessments, and their negative impacts on public trust in science and on the state’s regulatory efforts. In a society governed by a market for science, environmental scientists cannot escape the suspicion that conflicts of interest compromise their independence and the credibility of their work. Chile’s neoliberal 1980 Constitution sustains this market for knowledge but will be reformed following national demonstrations in 2019. The health of Chile’s environment depends on a new constitution that democratizes both democracy and science. Rights of nature doctrines, as in Ecuador’s 2008 Constitution, can provide the constitutional foundation for strong mutual accountability between science, the state, society, and nature.

scholarly journals Spatial–Temporal Impacts of Urban Sprawl on Ecosystem Services: Implications for Urban Planning in The Process of Rapid Urbanization

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1210
Author(s):  
Xiaoyan Li ◽  
Gulinaer Suoerdahan ◽  
Zhenyu Shi ◽  
Zihan Xing ◽  
Yongxing Ren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Urban Planning ◽  
Carbon Storage ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Urban Sprawl ◽  
Habitat Suitability ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Study Region

Rapid urbanization drives land cover change, affecting urban ecosystems and inducing serious environmental issues. The study region of Changchun, China was divided into three urbanization categories according to different urbanization levels and the characteristics of urban sprawl and changes and relationships between typical ecosystem services (ESs) under rapid urbanization were analysed. The results showed that Changchun has undergone considerable urban expansion since 2000, which has significantly impacted all ESs in terms of spatial and temporal heterogeneity. Habitat suitability and crop yield have relatively stronger service capacity in the study area. Since the expansion of large-scale infrastructures, the mean ES values of developed urban areas are the lowest among the three zones, except for water retention and sandstorm prevention in 2015, when the balance between all services decreased. Over the past 16 years, habitat suitability in developing urban areas has decreased to a large extent due to urban sprawl. Because of the improvement in agricultural science and technology, crop yield in three regions increased, while the area of cropland reduced from 1720 km2 to 1560 km2 (9.3%). Synergies between habitat suitability and carbon storage and habitat suitability and soil retention were detected in three areas. A trade-off between habitat suitability and water retention was detected in three areas. The interactions between crop yield and carbon storage, habitat suitability, and soil retention were more complex in this study region. In addition to water retention, urbanization index has a negative correlation with ESs. According to the results, some suggestions to alleviate ES loss during the process of rapid urbanization were proposed, which may guide scientific urban planning for sustainable urban development.

scholarly journals Site wind right: Identifying low-impact wind development areas in the Central United States

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Hise ◽  
Brian Obermeyer ◽  
Marissa Ahlering ◽  
Jessica Wilkinson ◽  
Joseph Fargione
Keyword(s):  
Wind Energy ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Minimal Risk ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Central United States ◽  
Rapid Transition ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Low Carbon Energy

AbstractTo help avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change, society needs to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century. Wind energy provides a clean, renewable source of electricity; however, improperly sited wind facilities pose known threats to wildlife populations and contribute to degradation of natural habitats. To support a rapid transition to low-carbon energy while protecting imperiled species, we identified potential low-impact areas for wind development in a 17-state region of the central U.S. By combining maps of sensitive habitats and species with wind speed and land use information, we demonstrate that there is significant potential to develop wind energy in the Great Plains while avoiding significant negative impacts to wildlife. These low-impact areas have the potential to yield approximately 1,099-1,832 GW of wind capacity. This is equivalent to 10-18 times current U.S. installed wind capacity. Our analysis demonstrates that ambitious low-carbon energy goals are achievable on sites with minimal risk of wildlife conflict.

Mobile Phone Revolution and its Dimensional Social and Economic Impacts in Nigeria's Context

2015 ◽  
pp. 359-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Okanlade Adesokan Lawal-Adebowale
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Economic Impacts ◽  
Spatial Interaction ◽  
Communication Tool ◽  
The Social ◽  
Mobile Phone Usage ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Telecom Sector ◽  
Financial Transactions

The emergence of mobile phone telecommunication in the last thirteen years in Nigeria has greatly revolutionized the dynamics of information exchange and usage by group of individuals in the country. Unlike the past years before 2001 whereby physical contacts and/or letter writing were the major means of interaction between individuals that are farther apart on geospatial dimension, spatial interaction is now the order of the day as a result of institutionalisation of the mobile telephony services in the country. By virtue of the telecom sector deregulation in 2001 and competition for dominance by the four major mobile phone network providers in the country, namely Airtel, MTN, Globacom and Etisalat, as much as 162, 719, 517 lines were actively connected in the country with a teledensity of 94.4 as at July 2014. Based on this, exploitation of the communication tools by Nigerian has effected a transformed social and economic condition of the country in terms of attraction of investors into the telecom sector, generation of income for the Nigerian Government, creation of employment opportunities, ease of business and financial transactions as economic impacts. The social impacts of the mobile phone revolution in the country include facilitation of prompt interactive linkages and exchange of information, entertainment and social networking. Other forms of impacts include its influence on educational and health services in the country. Despite the transformation impact of the mobile phone revolution in the country, exploitation of the communication tool for social vices by unscrupulous individuals was too obvious to be underplayed. The negative impacts arising from nefarious acts-mediated mobile phone usage include loss of hard earned income by unsuspecting individuals to swindlers, road accidents as a result of usage of phone while on the wheel and provision of deceptive information by one person to the other while on phone. This notwithstanding, the telecom sector has proven to be of great value to most Nigerian's as it enabled them to readily interact with one another, facilitate business and financial transactions thereby enhancing their social and economic wellbeing.

scholarly journals Globalization and Biodiversity Conservation Problems: Polycentric REDD+ Solutions

Land ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mwangi Githiru ◽  
Josephine Njambuya
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Great Chance ◽  
Free Rider Problem ◽  
The Face ◽  
Negative Impacts

Protected areas are considered the cornerstone of biodiversity conservation, but face multiple problems in delivering this core objective. The growing trend of framing biodiversity and protected area values in terms of ecosystem services and human well-being may not always lead to biodiversity conservation. Although globalization is often spoken about in terms of its adverse effects to the environment and biodiversity, it also heralds unprecedented and previously inaccessible opportunities linked to ecosystem services. Biodiversity and related ecosystem services are amongst the common goods hardest hit by globalization. Yet, interconnectedness between people, institutions, and governments offers a great chance for globalization to play a role in ameliorating some of the negative impacts. Employing a polycentric governance approach to overcome the free-rider problem of unsustainable use of common goods, we argue here that REDD+, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) climate change mitigation scheme, could be harnessed to boost biodiversity conservation in the face of increasing globalization, both within classic and novel protected areas. We believe this offers a timely example of how an increasingly globalized world connects hitherto isolated peoples, with the ability to channel feelings and forces for biodiversity conservation. Through the global voluntary carbon market, REDD+ can enable and empower, on the one hand, rural communities in developing countries contribute to mitigation of a global problem, and on the other, individuals or societies in the West to help save species they may never see, yet feel emotionally connected to.

scholarly journals Auckland’s Urban Sprawl, Policy Ambiguities and the Peri-Urbanisation to Pukekohe

Urban Science ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristian Silva
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Urban Space ◽  
Urban Sprawl ◽  
Agricultural Activities ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
City Regions ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Over Time

Urban sprawl has been discussed extensively with regard to its negative impacts. On this basis, regulations have been put in place to control sprawling suburbanization, including the establishment of restricted areas for expansion defined by administrative urban boundaries. Overall, these measures have not been at all successful, considering that city-regions continue to expand inorganically, often reinforcing urban sprawl patterns. As clear evidence of the weaknesses of planning regimes of control, these unsuccessful attempts are partly explained by a series of policy ambiguities that contradict the meaning of planning as a prescriptive discipline. This ambiguity is justified by the need to frame flexible regulations that allow adaptation to unforeseen events over time. In this paper, using the case of Auckland, New Zealand, it is demonstrated that instead of planning flexibility, there is planning “ambiguity” accompanied by weak opposition from rural regimes, which deliberately contributes to urban sprawl. This is relevant considering that the inorganic encroachment of rural lands diminishes the huge environmental potential of the peri-urban space of Auckland, its ecosystem services, and agricultural activities—all elements that encourage the creation of more environmentally sustainable peripheral landscapes as a counterpoint to traditional sprawling suburbanization.

scholarly journals Phosphorus thresholds for bloom-forming cyanobacterial taxa in boreal lakes

Hydrobiologia ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 847 (21) ◽  
pp. 4389-4400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristiina Vuorio ◽  
Marko Järvinen ◽  
Niina Kotamäki
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Boreal Lakes ◽  
Threshold Values ◽  
Water Colour ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Recreational Use ◽  
Restoration Measures ◽  
Total P

AbstractCyanobacteria may limit recreational use of waters and have negative impacts on ecosystem services. The aim of this study was to determine phosphorus (P) thresholds for cyanobacterial taxa, which form toxin-producing blooms (mass occurrences) in boreal lakes. These thresholds help to set robust P reduction targets for restoration measures. We used long-term (> 40 years) June–August data from > 2000 Finnish lakes to evaluate the total P (TP) thresholds for the most important bloom-forming cyanobacterial genera and selected Microcystis and Dolichospermum species. The analyses were carried out separately for oligohumic, mesohumic and polyhumic lakes. TP threshold values varied between 10 and 61 µg l−1. The values were lower in oligohumic (water colour < 30 mg Pt l−1) than mesohumic (water colour 30–90 mg Pt l−1) lakes. The highest TP threshold (50 µg l−1) was observed for Microcystis in polyhumic lakes, and the lowest (10 µg l−1) for Planktothrix in oligohumic lakes.

scholarly journals Temporal Changes in Multiple Ecosystem Services and Their Bundles Responding to Urbanization and Ecological Restoration in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Metropolitan Area

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 2079 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanying Yang ◽  
Hua Zheng ◽  
Weihua Xu ◽  
Lu Zhang ◽  
Zhiyun Ouyang
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Ecological Restoration ◽  
Metropolitan Area ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Human Population ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Global Trend ◽  
Land Use Policies ◽  
Vegetables And Fruits ◽  
Soil And Water

By 2050, 70% of the human population is likely to be living in cities, making urbanization an increasing global trend. Detecting changes in ecosystem services (ES) and their bundles in response to urbanization is critical for evaluating land-use policies. We examined changes in the provision of grains, vegetables, fruits, carbon sequestration, soil retention, sandstorm prevention, and water retention from 2000 to 2010 in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei metropolitan area, China; then, using a k-means cluster analysis, we classified 202 counties of this area into groups (bundles) based on their similar sets of ES. We found that (1) urban area, forestland, and grassland increased by 22%, 3.6%, and 1.7%, respectively, while cropland decreased by 4.6%; (2) the provision of grains, vegetables, and fruits increased by 24–90%, despite an overall loss in cropland; carbon storage and sand retention increased by 40% and 7%, respectively, while soil and water retention increased slightly by approx. 1% each; (3) 72 counties changed their ES bundles; and the “agriculture bundle” dominated the landscape in 2000 while it decreased by 50% in 2010 and was mainly transformed to “sub-developed urban bundle”, indicating loss of cropland during that decade. The transformation of ES bundles can be used to understand the effects of urbanization. The study indicated that improved technologies and ecological restoration in rural areas can help sustain multiple ES in our rapidly urbanizing world.

Land for Food & Land for Nature?

Daedalus ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 144 (4) ◽  
pp. 57-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Balmford ◽  
Rhys Green ◽  
Ben Phalan
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Wild Species ◽  
Unit Area ◽  
Environmental Externalities ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Land Sparing ◽  
Yield Production ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Coupling Yield

Opinions on how to limit the immense impact of agriculture on wild species are divided. Some think it best to retain as much wildlife as possible on farms, even at the cost of lowering yield (production per unit area). Others advocate the opposite: increasing yield so as to limit the area needed for farming, and then retaining larger areas under natural habitats. Still others support a mixture of the two extremes, or an intermediate approach. Here we summarize a model designed to resolve this disagreement, and review the empirical evidence available to date. We conclude that this evidence largely supports the second, so-called land-sparing approach to reconciling agriculture and biodiversity conservation, but that important questions remain over the generality of these findings for different biota and for ecosystem services, how best to increase yields while limiting environmental externalities, and whether there are effective, socially just, and practical mechanisms for coupling yield growth to habitat retention and restoration.

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