scholarly journals Local Community Perceptions on Landscape Change, Ecosystem Services, Climate Change, and Livelihoods in Gonarezhou National Park, Zimbabwe

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 4610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter Musakwa ◽  
Ephraim Mpofu ◽  
Nesisa Analisa Nyathi
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Landscape Change ◽  
National Park ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Large Herbivores

Understanding humanity’s relationship with nature is crucial for the well-being and sustainable development of mankind in the face of global environmental change. Communities depend on landscapes for survival and landscapes determine if sustainable development is to be achieved. The links between landscapes, ecosystem services, livelihoods, and climate change are often complex, misunderstood, and barely studied in rural areas of Africa, where communities live side-by-side with conservation areas. Our study surveyed the perception of the nexus of landscape change, climate change, ecosystem services, and livelihoods in Gonarezhou, a national park in southeastern Zimbabwe. We also used Landsat satellite imagery to map the landscape change over 20 years to validate and to correlate with the survey data. The survey results indicated that people relied on rainfed agriculture as a means of livelihood, but droughts as a result of climate change force communities to engage in other means of livelihoods such as small-scale poaching of small game such as impala and harvesting of natural resources such as edible shrubs. Crops and livestock as provisional ecosystem services have been negatively affected by climate change and landscape change. Landsat data confirmed that there was a negative transformation of the landscape as a result of agriculture, growth in settlements, and large herbivores. However, there was also a positive landscape transformation resulting from the conservation efforts by the Gonarezhou Conservation Trust (GCT). Cultural services about education and awareness of the environment and provisional services such as wild fruits are booming. Challenges such as soil erosion, human–wildlife conflict, and minimal community benefits from conservation efforts hindered sustainable development in the study area. While changes in landscape, climate, livelihoods, and ecosystem services happened at a local scale, the underlying drivers such as politics and the economy were also identified as drivers of landscape change.

scholarly journals The Value of Recreational Ecosystem Services in India

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 80
Author(s):  
Muniyandi Balasubramanian
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
National Park ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Consumer Surplus ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Forest Ecosystem Services ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Mental Well Being

Forest ecosystem services have played a vital role in human well-being. Particularly, recreational ecosystem services are creating physical and mental well-being for human beings. Therefore, the main objective of the paper is to estimate the economic value of recreational ecosystem services provides by recreational sites such as Nandi Hills and Nagarhole National Park based on the individual travel cost method in Karnataka, India. This study has used a random sampling method for 300 tourist visitors to recreational sites. The present study has also estimated the consumer surplus of the visitors. The results of the study have found that (i) economic value of two creational sites has been estimated at US $323.05 million, (ii) the consumer surplus has been estimated for Nandi Hills at US $7.45 and Nagarhole National Park at US $3.16. The main implication of the study is to design the entry fees for the recreational site and sustainable utilization of recreational ecosystem services for the present and future generations.

scholarly journals Contribution of Ecosystem Services to Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals

Proceedings ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veidemane
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Water Ecosystems

The sustainable development goals (SDGs) for 2030 are established to address global challenges including environment and human well-being. The SDGs are interconnected and achievement of them requires consideration of the planet’s ecosystems and resources - land, water and air. Ecosystem services (ES) approach has a high potential for better planning, policy and decision making. Understanding how different ecosystems (e.g., forests, rivers, wetlands, grasslands) contribute to the social and economic benefits is critical to ensure the long-term biodiversity protection and sustainable use of ecosystems. A conceptual framework linking biodiversity and ecosystem condition (its structure and functions), and ES to human well-being has been well-established in EU by so called MAES process (Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystem Services) lead by the European Commission. The framework is applied in recent research studies and projects, as well as national MAES processes. Various methods are applied for MAES in terms to determine biophysical, economic and social values and to deliver integrated ecosystem assessment. Assessment of ES and trade off analysis shall provide a new perspective for land use planning and decision making at different administrative and spatial levels and in different sectoral policies. EU and national policies for instance on agriculture, fishery, forestry, climate should account the benefits provided by relevant ecosystems and to ensure that the values are not diminished but rather enhanced during the implementation of the policies. Terrestrial and water ecosystems are interconnected as land-based human activities creates pressure that impacts the conditions in water ecosystems and thus delivery of ES by rivers and lakes. For example, intensive agricultural land use produces food for people and income; however, the activity also most frequently causes problems with water quality and quantity in the catchment area and a loss of biodiversity. A risk of such trade-off shall be handled in policy development. Ecosystems also contributes to the resilience of communities by reducing the risk of natural hazards and mitigate adverse impacts. Regulating services such as flood control are substituting investments in flood protection ensured by forests, wetlands and grasslands instead of human built infrastructure. Appropriate land cover and land use shall serve as a basic flood protection measure. Natural processes are increasingly recognised to create new-type solutions that use and deploy the properties of natural ecosystems and their services in an “engineered” way. A wide range of measures called also as nature-based solutions provide another opportunity to work with nature towards global sustainability.

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.

Climate Change-Induced Flood Disaster Policy Communication Issues for Local Community Adaptation Resilience Management in Uganda

2022 ◽  
pp. 689-703
Author(s):  
Wilson Truman Okaka
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Poor Countries ◽  
Disaster Policy ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Policy Communication ◽  
Policy Information ◽  
The Impact

Effective climate change and disaster policy communication services are vital for enhancing the adaptive resilience capacity of the vulnerable local communities in poor countries like Uganda. This chapter focuses on the effectiveness of the Ugandan national climate change and disaster policy information communication strategies in addressing national flooding disaster risks, highlights the recent trends of knowledge based responses to climate change induced floods, assesses the impact of the flood on the socio-economic well-being of local households and communities, and determines the vulnerability issues with corresponding adaptation strategies to floods in the flood prone country. Climate change flood risks have continued to exact huge socio-economic loss and damage effects due to the vulnerability and weak adaptation strategies to floods. The national meteorological services tend to forecast seasonal flood events; some flood forcing factors; and the impact of floods on social, economic, ecological, and physical infrastructure are on the rise in some parts of the country.

Environmental Hazards, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction: J. K. Mitchell’s Relevance to the Global Sustainable Development Agenda

2016 ◽  
Vol 03 (02) ◽  
pp. 1671006
Author(s):  
Juha I. Uitto
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Environmental Hazards ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Development Agenda ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Complex Disasters

This paper argues how Mitchell’s work on complex disasters and environmental hazards is highly relevant to the global Sustainable Development Agenda and the international organizations involved in its implementation. The paper takes as its starting point two United Nations University projects led by Mitchell in the 1990s and reviews their prescience in terms of current developments in the context of urbanizations, economic development, population growth, and global environmental change. The issue of adaptation to climate change is highlighted as exemplifying the importance of integrated approaches encompassing human and natural systems, as advocated by Mitchell. Challenges to program and policy evaluation are then discussed with regard to adaptation, adopting Mitchell’s approach of understanding local situations while anchoring evaluation in scientific knowledge.

Response of ecosystem functions to climate change and implications for sustainable development on the Inner Mongolian Plateau

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guozheng Hu ◽  
Jocelyn Davies ◽  
Qingzhu Gao ◽  
Cunzhu Liang
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Future Climate ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Carbon Exchange ◽  
Mongolian Plateau ◽  
Recent Climate Change ◽  
Recent Climate ◽  
The Impact

The responses of ecosystem functions in Inner Mongolian grasslands to climate change have implications for ecosystem services and sustainable development. Research published in two previous Special Issues of The Rangeland Journal shows that recent climate change added to overgrazing and other factors caused increased degradation of Inner Mongolian rangelands whereas on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, climate change tended to ameliorate the impacts of overgrazing. Recent climate change on the Mongolian Plateau involved warming with increasingly variable annual precipitation and decreased summer rainfall. Future climate projections are different, involving modest increases in precipitation and further climate warming. Research published in the current Special Issue shows that precipitation is the climate factor that has the most substantial impact on ecosystem functions in this region and is positively correlated with plant species diversity, ecosystem carbon exchange and Normalised Difference Vegetation Index. Increased flows of provisioning and regulating ecosystem services are expected with future climate change indicating that its impacts will be positive in this region. However, spatial heterogeneity in the environments and climates of Inner Mongolia highlights the risk of over-generalising from local-scale studies and indicates the value of increased attention to meta-analysis and regional scale models. The enhanced flows of ecosystem services from climate change may support sustainable development by promoting recovery of degraded grasslands with flow-on benefits for livelihoods and the regional economy. However, realising these potential benefits will depend on sound landscape management and addressing the risk of herders increasing livestock numbers to take advantage of the extra forage available. Investment in education is important to improve local capacity to adapt rangeland management to climate change, as are policies and strategies that integrate social, economic and ecological considerations and are tailored to specific regions. Gaps in understanding that could be addressed through further research on ecosystem functions include; belowground carbon exchange processes; the impact of increased variability in precipitation; and the impact of different management practices under changed climates.

scholarly journals Economic analysis of ecosystem based adaptation and engineering options: A case study from Udayapur, Nepal

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 35-42
Author(s):  
Dinesh Chandra Devkota ◽  
Kamal Thapa ◽  
Bhaskar Kharki
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Economic Analysis ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Benefit Analysis ◽  
High Benefit ◽  
Adaptation Options

Ecosystem services are vital to our well-being as they directly or indirectly support our survival and quality of life. But, the growing impact of climate change diminishes the benefit from ecosystem services. Therefore, identifying possible applicable adaptation options are inevitable to reduce the effect of climate change. The present research is based on a case study of Ksedi River watershed, Ajgada Village in Udaypur district of Nepal. The study demonstrates the comparison between different options to deal with flood and make a sound decision, based on economic rationale for long-term benefits. The present study compares ecosystem based adaptation options with engineering options using cost benefit analysis in order to protect village from flooding. Through stakeholder and expert consultations, ecosystem based adaptation options and economic options that are feasible in the village and catchment to mitigate the floods were listed. Economic analysis of these options and the different combinations were done using cost benefit analysis. Analysis was carried out for each of the different combination of options. Focus on ecosystem based adaptation options provide high benefit to cost return in terms of avoided damages and considering engineering options efficient in flood and erosion control in initial stage in spite of its high cost. The study suggests that reforestation in upland forest areas; plantation along riverbed and management of rangeland should be prioritized. Similarly, preparation of flood model, flood height damage curve and flood vulnerable maps specific to the site will help decision makers to implement site specific adaptation options.

scholarly journals Um welchen Schutz der Vielfalt geht es? (Essay) | Which diversity is to be protected? (Essay)

2010 ◽  
Vol 161 (8) ◽  
pp. 291-294
Author(s):  
Mario F. Broggi
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Ecological Footprint ◽  
Land Use Policy ◽  
Strong Focus ◽  
Land Use Policies ◽  
The Moment

In order to operationalise the concept of biodiversity for biological variety, it has been applied at three levels: ecosystems, species and genetic diversity. In most cases the debate has been reduced to the aspect of the variety of species, ignoring the fact that the interactions are considerably more complex. In order to do justice to our responsibility for diversity, further efforts are needed, which could be subsumed under the heading “sustainable development”. At the moment, however, our ecological footprint is clearly too big. A strong focus must therefore be placed on such ecosystem services as fertility of the soil, carbon sequestration, maintenance of the hydrological balance, etc. That ultimately leads to economic arguments, which in turn will have massive impacts on current land use policies. Climate change and the increasing cultivation of biofuels are creating new effects, whose impacts on biodiversity were until recently unforeseeable. The underlying message must accordingly be that in the biodiversity debate we must focus on the landscape as such and an appropriate land use policy.

scholarly journals Education for Sustainable Development as Strategy for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation: A Literature Review

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Donna Lou E. Neri
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
World Health ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Keywords Education

The World Health Organization (2003) stated that there is growing evidence that changes in the global climate will have profound effects on the well-being of citizens in countries throughout the world. The “business as usual” frame of mind in dealing with this phenomenon is no longer feasible. Rather, there is a great need for a “sense of urgency” to empower and actively involve every individual to adapt and to mitigate the worsening of climate change. A great number of studies show that the leadership of the educational system in developed countries for more than 2 decades has been successful in promoting environmental sustainability. Some of these studies are reviewed and documented in this paper so that vulnerable countries may learn and benchmark from their experiences. Keywords - Education, sustainable development, climate change

scholarly journals Socio-environmental survey of a forest hamlet proximate to Neora Valley National Park in the Eastern Himalayas, India

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sayan Bhattacharya ◽  
Sudipta De ◽  
Arkajyoti Shome ◽  
Abhishek Dutta
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
National Park ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Indian Subcontinent ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Eastern Himalayas ◽  
Field Notes ◽  
The Village

The Eastern Himalayas have significant impact on the climate and biodiversity of the Indian Subcontinent. The Himalayan region has shown consistent warming trends in recent times, which can significantly affect the biodiversity, agriculture and local livelihoods. Many scattered hamlets are found in this zone and some of them are proximate to the forests enriched with endemic biodiversity. Icchey Gaon (27.1336oN, 88.5657oE; Altitude 5,600 feet) is a small village situated in Kalimpong district, India in the Eastern Himalayas. Icchey Gaon is situated proximate to Neora Valley National Park, which is located in the Eastern Himalayas as a global ‘biodiversity hotspot’. The village is one of the newest tourist destinations in the Eastern Himalayas. The village area is also a centre of Cinchona plantation since 19th century. The adjacent areas of Icchey Gaon have extensive coverage of Cinchona plantation. The survey work was done in April, 2017 by visiting Icchey Gaon village in Kalimpong, West Bengal. The study focuses on an interdisciplinary understanding of the physical and cultural environment of the forest and mountain areas. The survey work integrates the perspectives of human and social ecology, ecosystem services and sustainable development. Primary data were gathered through field survey and direct contact with common people and authorized centres of the region. Structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews supplemented by field notes were arranged to collect data from the village areas in Icchey Gaon. The length of each interview was about 40–50 minutes and was supplemented by field notes. Focuses were given on demography, agriculture, livestock management, traditional water management, education, culture, health, waste management, disaster management, biodiversity, joint forest management, ecosystem services and human animal conflict. Biodiversity of the region was documented by visiting the forest areas and the nature interpretation centre situated in Neora Valley National Park. There is an urgent need for implementing an integrated sustainable development system for the conservation of forest ecosystems and traditional human settlements in and around Neora Valley forest. Management strategies have been suggested for conserving the forest biodiversity and socio-economic condition of the hamlet. Bringing local communities into protected area management can have significant positive impact on long-term biodiversity conservation in the transboundary Himalayan landscapes. Extensive study is necessary in the Eastern Himalayas to explore the socio-ecological conditions in the context of climate change.

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