Investigating blue water response to green management in a Mediterranean headwater catchment

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jérôme Latron ◽  
Mariano Moreno de las Heras ◽  
Antonio Molina ◽  
Francesc Gallart ◽  
Teresa Cervera ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Table ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Detailed Knowledge ◽  
Blue Water ◽  
Green Management ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Water Response

<p>Although forest provides multiple ecosystem services (e.g., soil conservation, carbon sequestration, regulation of water cycle), it often cannot provide all of them simultaneously because of the trade-offs between some of them. In particular, while afforestation and reforestation have been recommended as a means of sequestering carbon in forest biomass and soils to limit climate change impacts, these practices may significantly alter streamflow and groundwater recharge, particularly in Mediterranean headwater catchments. In this context, a better understanding of forest hydrology is necessary to anticipate the undesirable trade-offs of forest management that can affect water resources.</p><p>Within the MASCC and LIFE + CLIMARK projects, which respectively aim to establish possible land cover scenarios for the next decades and to implement forest management practices to strengthen the capacity of the forest to mitigate the effects of change climate, the Vallcebre research catchments (North Eastern Spain) were selected as a reference site to assess the effect of forest (green) management on water resources (blue water) in a Mediterranean environment. These research catchments offer available medium-term (15 years) hydrological series (precipitation, discharge and water table) prior to forest management and a detailed knowledge of their hydrological response, essential for this evaluation.</p><p>In October 2018, the forest cover of a small sub-catchment (0.0248 km<sup>2</sup>) which initially represented 54% of the basin was thinned (removing between 35% and 60% of the basal area depending on the locations) to assess the effect of multifunctional forest management on streamflow. In the same way, the forest covering the contribution areas (0.0138 and 0.0139km<sup>2</sup>) of two shallow piezometers was thinned according to the same procedure to evaluate possible changes on the dynamics of the piezometric levels.</p><p>This work aims to present the general framework of the study, the type of forest management carried out as well as a first analysis (at different temporal scales) of the water table and discharge dynamics observed during the first year after the forest management.</p>

Joint production of timber, carbon, and wildlife habitat in the Canadian boreal plains

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 1478-1492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey R. McCarney ◽  
Glen W. Armstrong ◽  
Wiktor L. Adamowicz
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Budget ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Joint Production ◽  
Timber Supply ◽  
Budget Model ◽  
Carbon Budget Model ◽  
Trade Offs

This study investigates the relationships and trade-offs between forest carbon management, sustained timber yield, and the production of wildlife habitat to provide a more complete picture of the costs and challenges faced by forest managers for a particular case study in Canada’s boreal mixedwood region. The work presented is an extension of a previously published model that analysed the joint production of timber supply and wildlife habitat using a natural disturbance model approach to ecosystem management. The primary contribution of the present study is the detailed incorporation of a carbon budget model into the framework developed previously. Using the Carbon Budget Model of the Canadian Forest Sector, dynamics specific to separate biomass and dead organic matter carbon pools are represented for individual forest cover types. Results indicate the potential for cost thresholds in the joint production of timber supply and carbon sequestration. These thresholds are linked to switch points in the decision between multiple use and specialized land management practices. Cobenefits in the production of carbon and wildlife habitat are shown to depend on ecological parameters, harvest flow regulations, and incentives for timber supply provided by the market.

scholarly journals Economic and ecological trade-off analysis of forest ecosystems: options for boreal forests

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 348-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Si Chen ◽  
Chander Shahi ◽  
Han Y.H. Chen
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Forest Ecosystem ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Sustainable Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Ecological Functions ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Trade Offs

Intensive forest management practices for production forestry can potentially impact the sustainability of ecological functions and associated forest ecosystem services. Understanding the trade-offs between economic gains and ecological losses is critical for the sustainable management of forest resources. However, economic and ecological trade-offs are typically uncertain, vary at temporal and spatial scales, and are difficult to measure. Moreover, the methods used to quantify economic and ecological trade-offs might have conflicting priorities. We reviewed the most current published literature related to trade-off analysis between economic gains and sustainability of forest ecosystem functions and associated services, and we found that most economic and ecological trade-offs studies were conducted in tropical and temperate forests, with few having their focus on boreal forests. Analytical methods of these published studies included monetary valuation, biophysical models, optimization programming, production possibility frontier, and multi-objective optimization. This review has identified the knowledge gaps in the understanding and measurement of the economic and ecological trade-offs for the sustainable management of boreal forests. While it remains uncertain how economic activities might best maintain and support multiple ecological functions and associated services in the boreal forests, which are susceptible to climate change and disturbances, we propose the use of optimization methods employing multiple objectives. For any tool to provide sustainable and optimal forest management solutions, we propose that appropriate and robust data must be collected and analyzed.

scholarly journals A review of green- and blue-water resources and their trade-offs for future agricultural production in the Amazon Basin: what could irrigated agriculture mean for Amazonia?

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 2179-2194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Lathuillière ◽  
Michael T. Coe ◽  
Mark S. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Green Water ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Blue Water ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Green And Blue Water ◽  
Future Economic Development

Abstract. The Amazon Basin is a region of global importance for the carbon and hydrological cycles, a biodiversity hotspot, and a potential centre for future economic development. The region is also a major source of water vapour recycled into continental precipitation through evapotranspiration processes. This review applies an ecohydrological approach to Amazonia's water cycle by looking at contributions of water resources in the context of future agricultural production. At present, agriculture in the region is primarily rain-fed and relies almost exclusively on green-water resources (soil moisture regenerated by precipitation). Future agricultural development, however, will likely follow pathways that include irrigation from blue-water sources (surface water and groundwater) as insurance from variability in precipitation. In this review, we first provide an updated summary of the green–blue ecohydrological framework before describing past trends in Amazonia's water resources within the context of land use and land cover change. We then describe green- and blue-water trade-offs in light of future agricultural production and potential irrigation to assess costs and benefits to terrestrial ecosystems, particularly land and biodiversity protection, and regional precipitation recycling. Management of green water is needed, particularly at the agricultural frontier located in the headwaters of major tributaries to the Amazon River, and home to key downstream blue-water users and ecosystem services, including domestic and industrial users, as well as aquatic ecosystems.

scholarly journals Community forestry and livelihood linkages: A case of Kamalamai community forest, Dolakha, Nepal

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 31-37
Author(s):  
Saroj Adhikari ◽  
Man Kumar Dhamala
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
International Development ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Physical Capital ◽  
Sustainable Livelihood ◽  
Community Forest ◽  
Scoring Method ◽  
The Impact

As a result of institutional failure of the nationalization of forest in 1957 A.D., a newer concept of participatory forest management was introduced in Nepal and local people got their space created in forest management during 1970s with a view to mitigating forest cover loss. Under this scheme Kamalmai Community Forest (129.59 hectares) located in Laduk VDC of Dolakha District was handed over to the community in 2000 A.D. The present study was conducted during February, 2014 to assess the status of forest management strategies and impact on livelihood of forest dependent people. Management aspect of the forest was assessed based on field observation, Key Informant Interview and Focus Group Discussion, whereas judgmental scoring method was used to assess the impact on livelihood; the questionnaire for which was prepared on the basis of Sustainable Livelihood Framework Guidance Sheet developed by Department for International Development (DFID), 1999. All the forest management practices including control of composition and structure of growing stock, and harvesting and distribution of forest products were strictly implemented. The total average scores for human, physical, social, financial and natural capitals, which were used to assess the livelihood, were found to be 2.5862, 1.4310, 2.5689, 0.2068 and 2.6896 respectively. The result illustrated that the forest under study had contributed to enhance the condition of human, social and natural capitals. The contribution was noticeable in terms of physical capital, but financial capital was not found satisfactory. Since the handover, there has been a notable change in greenery and landscape as well as on livelihood of forest dependent people.

scholarly journals Forest Management Regimes and Drivers of Forest Cover Loss in Forest Reserves in the High Forest Zone of Ghana

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Frank Ankomah ◽  
Boateng Kyereh ◽  
Michael Ansong ◽  
Winston Asante
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Forest Monitoring ◽  
Primary Forest ◽  
Forest Zone ◽  
Forest Reserves ◽  
Management Regimes ◽  
Forest Cover Loss

Forest cover loss, particularly those arising from deforestation and forest degradation, is largely driven by human activities and has attracted global attention over the decades. Globally, countries have adopted strategies to manage and conserve forests in response to these human disturbances. Ghana’s strategy to ensure sustainable management of the forest and its estate was to zone the forest into management regimes based on the resource availability and the object of managing those particular areas. Whilst forest degradation and its drivers and actors have been widely reported in Ghana, it is not known how forest management regimes influence these issues. Focusing on four forest reserves in the high forest zone of Ghana, this paper used interviews of key forest stakeholders, analysis of Forestry Commission field reports, and field verification to demonstrate the effect of forest management regimes on drivers of forest degradation. A combination of many proximate and underlying factors was observed to drive degradation in a synergetic way. The main drivers which were identified and their corresponding actors varied and manifested differently across management regimes. The strive by forest landowners to earn revenue from the protected forest, perceived unfair payment of ground rents for protected areas by Timber Utilization Contract holders, poor forest management practices on the part of forestry personnel, nondeterrent penalties, poor forest monitoring, the granting of compartment re-entry permits to harvest residual yield, overdependence on few species, weak enforcement of forest regulations, and perceived corruption on the part of forestry officials were the major underlying factors that impact on how the drivers manifested in various regimes. Our study reveals that the primary forest stakeholders of the country are the main actors of forest degradation and have developed various means convenient for specific regimes that enable them to benefit from the forest at the expense of conservation.

scholarly journals What could irrigated agriculture mean for Amazonia? A review of green and blue water resources and their trade-offs for future agricultural production in the Amazon Basin

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Lathuillière ◽  
Michael T. Coe ◽  
Mark S. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Green Water ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Blue Water ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Green And Blue Water ◽  
Future Economic Development

Abstract. The Amazon Basin is a region of global importance for the carbon and hydrological cycles, a biodiversity hotspot, and a potential centre for future economic development. The region is also a major source of water vapour recycled into continental precipitation through evapotranspiration processes. This review applies an ecohydrological approach to Amazonia's water cycle by looking at contributions of water resources in the context of future agricultural production. At present, agriculture in the region is primarily rain-fed and relies almost exclusively on green water resources (soil moisture regenerated by precipitation). Future agricultural development, however, will likely follow pathways that include irrigation from blue water sources (surface and groundwater) as insurance from variability in precipitation. In this review, we first provide an updated summary of the ecohydrological framework before describing past trends in Amazonia's green and blue water resources within the context of land use and land cover change. We then describe green and blue water trade-offs in light of future agricultural production and potential irrigation to assess costs and benefits to terrestrial ecosystems, particularly land and biodiversity protection, and regional precipitation recycling. Management of green water is needed, particularly at the agricultural frontier located in the headwaters of major tributaries to the Amazon River, and home to key downstream blue water users and ecosystem services, including domestic and industrial users, as well as aquatic ecosystems.

scholarly journals Water security, global change and land–atmosphere feedbacks

2013 ◽  
Vol 371 (2002) ◽  
pp. 20120412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Dadson ◽  
Michael Acreman ◽  
Richard Harding
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Environmental Change ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Climate Impact ◽  
Detailed Knowledge ◽  
Management Decisions ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Hydrological System ◽  
The Impact

Understanding the competing pressures on water resources requires a detailed knowledge of the future water balance under uncertain environmental change. The need for a robust, scientifically rigorous evidence base for effective policy planning and practice has never been greater. Environmental change includes, but is not limited to, climate change; it also includes land-use and land-cover change, including deforestation for agriculture, and occurs alongside changes in anthropogenic interventions that are used in natural resource management such as the regulation of river flows using dams, which can have impacts that frequently exceed those arising in the natural system. In this paper, we examine the role that land surface models can play in providing a robust scientific basis for making resource management decisions against a background of environmental change. We provide some perspectives on recent developments in modelling in land surface hydrology. Among the range of current land surface and hydrology models, there is a large range of variability, which indicates that the specification and parametrization of several basic processes in the models can be improved. Key areas that require improvement in order to address hydrological applications include (i) the representation of groundwater in models, particularly at the scales relevant to land surface modelling, (ii) the representation of human interventions such as dams and irrigation in the hydrological system, (iii) the quantification and communication of uncertainty, and (iv) improved understanding of the impact on water resources availability of multiple use through treatment, recycling and return flows (and the balance of consumptive and conservative uses). Through a series of examples, we demonstrate that changes in water use could have important reciprocal impacts on climate over a wide area. The effects of water management decisions on climate feedbacks are only beginning to be investigated—they are still only rarely included in climate impact assessments—and the links between the hydrological system and climate are rarely acknowledged in studies of ecosystem services. Nevertheless, because water is essential not only for its direct uses but also for the indirect functions that it serves (including food production, fisheries and industry), it is vital that these connected systems are studied. Building on the examples above, we highlight recent research showing that assessment of these trade-offs is particularly complex in wetland areas, especially in situations where these trade-offs play to the advantage of different communities.

Forest Management In Mongolia – A Review Of Challenges And Lessons Learned With Special Reference To Degradation And Deforestation

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 133-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Gradel ◽  
Gerelbaatar Sukhbaatar ◽  
Daniel Karthe ◽  
Hoduck Kang
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Forest Health ◽  
Hydrological Regime ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Driven System ◽  
The Status

The natural conditions, climate change and socio-economic challenges related to the transformation from a socialistic society towards a market-driven system make the implementation of sustainable land management practices in Mongolia especially complicated. Forests play an important role in land management. In addition to providing resources and ecosystem functions, Mongolian forests protect against land degradation.We conducted a literature review of the status of forest management in Mongolia and lessons learned, with special consideration to halting deforestation and degradation. We grouped our review into seven challenges relevant to developing regionally adapted forest management systems that both safeguard forest health and consider socio-economic needs. In our review, we found that current forest management in Mongolia is not always sustainable, and that some practices lack scientific grounding. An overwhelming number of sources noticed a decrease in forest area and quality during the last decades, although afforestation initiatives are reported to have increased. We found that they have had, with few exceptions, only limited success. During our review, however, we found a number of case studies that presented or proposed promising approaches to (re-)establishing and managing forests. These studies are further supported by a body of literature that examines how forest administration, and local participation can be modified to better support sustainable forestry. Based on our review, we conclude that it is necessary to integrate capacity development and forest research into holistic initiatives. A special focus should be given to the linkages between vegetation cover and the hydrological regime.

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