scholarly journals ASSESSMENT OF ECOSYSTEMS SERVICES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND LAND USE MANAGEMENT

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 257
Author(s):  
Elīna Konstantinova ◽  
Līga Brūniņa ◽  
Aija Peršēvica ◽  
Marga Živitere
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
National Level ◽  
Sustainable Land Use ◽  
Development Scenarios ◽  
Planning Processes

A very important factor for sustainable development is a balance between the exploitation of natural resources for socio-economic development, and conserving ecosystem services that are critical to everyone’s wellbeing and livelihoods. The strategical importance of ecosystem services is set by the UN Millennium Ecosystem Assessment in 2005, which put ecosystem services firmly on the policy agenda and the EU Biodiversity Strategy, which states that “Member States must map and assess the state of ecosystems and their services in their national territory by 2014, assess the economic value of such services, and promote the integration of these values into accounting and reporting systems at EU and national level by 2020”. The aim of the paper is to present and discuss the approach of ecosystem services assessment for sustainable land use and strategical development scenarios. The paper will focus on the role of ecosystem services in development and spatial planning, and this approach can be integrated in planning processes and decision making. There will be presented a case study for two coastal territories in Latvia, where an ecosystem services assessment was implemented and sequentially different development scenarios considered and analysed.

scholarly journals Market-Based Conservation for Better Livelihoods? The Promises and Fallacies of REDD+ in Tanzania

Land ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Scheba
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Nature Conservation ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
National Level ◽  
Policy Reforms ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Alternative Livelihood ◽  
Governance Institutions

Governments, multilateral organisations, and international conservation NGOs increasingly frame nature conservation in terms that emphasise the importance of technically managing and economically valuing nature, and introducing markets for ecosystem services. New mechanisms, such as REDD+, have been incorporated in national-level policy reforms, and have been piloted and implemented in rural project settings across the Global South. By reflecting on my research on REDD+ implementation in two case study villages in Tanzania, the paper argues that the emergence and nature of market-based conservation are multi-faceted, complex, and more profoundly shaped by structural challenges than is commonly acknowledged. The paper identifies three particularly important challenges: the politics surrounding the establishment of community-based forest management; the mismatch between formal governance institutions and actual practices on the ground; and the fickleness of income from carbon sales and alternative livelihood opportunities. I argue that these challenges are not merely teething troubles, but they question fundamental assumptions of market-based conservation, more generally. I end with reference to better ideas for achieving sustainable development.

scholarly journals Non-Monetary Assessment and Mapping of the Potential of Agroecosystem Services in Rural Slovakia

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-276
Author(s):  
Jarmila Makovníková ◽  
Boris Pálka ◽  
Stanislav Kološta ◽  
Filip Flaška ◽  
Katarína Orságová ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Soil Texture ◽  
Slovak Republic ◽  
National Level ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Sustainable Land Use ◽  
Land Use Management ◽  
Biodiversity Protection

AbstractThe updated Slovak National Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 is a key document in the field of biodiversity protection, and assessment together with mapping of the value of different ecosystem services is one of its most important objectives. This study applies the first non-monetary assessment and pilot mapping of agroecosystem services in the Slovak Republic at seven model sites located in the main climatic areas and estimates the agroecosystem services potential of Slovakia as a rural country with a transformed multi-criteria approach used at national level. It suggests that the distribution of the value of agroecosystem services is geographically different probably due to climatic conditions, slope and soil texture. Our assessment provides a suitable basis for further investigation of agroecosystem services and contributes to optimizing sustainable land use management in Slovakia.

scholarly journals Refining the Tiered Approach for Mapping and Assessing Ecosystem Services at the Local Scale: A Case Study in a Rural Landscape in Northern Germany

Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 348
Author(s):  
Marie Perennes ◽  
C. Sylvie Campagne ◽  
Felix Müller ◽  
Philip Roche ◽  
Benjamin Burkhard
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Similarity Index ◽  
Structural Similarity ◽  
Local Scale ◽  
Rural Landscape ◽  
Sustainable Land Use ◽  
Northern Germany

Spatially explicit assessments of ecosystem services (ES) potentials are a key component in supporting a sustainable land use management. The ES matrix method is a commonly used approach as it allows for a comparably fast, comprehensible and accessible ES assessment. As it is often based on land use/land cover data (LULC) with no spatial variability, a main critique is that the results fail to assess spatial variability at landscape levels, which limits the reliability of the outputs for spatial planning applications. By using the case study area of Bornhöved in northern Germany, we analyzed three assessment methods that combine expert judgments, LULC data with different resolutions and ecosystem condition indicators, in order to find the required resolution and data for ES assessment and mapping at a local scale. To quantify map discrepancies, we used the structural similarity index (SSIM) and analyzed the differences in local mean, variance and covariance between the maps. We found that using different spatial resolutions led to a relatively small difference in the outcomes, in which regulation and maintenance services are more affected than the other services categories. For most regulation, maintenance and cultural ES, our results indicate that assessments based only on LULC proxies are not suitable for a local quantitative assessment of ES, as they cannot sufficiently cover the spatial heterogeneity of ES capacities that arise from different ecosystem conditions.

scholarly journals Linking Biophysical and Economic Assessments of Ecosystem Services for a Social–Ecological Approach to Conservation Planning: Application in a Biosphere Reserve (Biscay, Spain)

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 3092 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nekane Castillo-Eguskitza ◽  
María F. Schmitz ◽  
Miren Onaindia ◽  
Alejandro J. Rescia
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Biosphere Reserve ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Ecological Planning ◽  
Social Ecological

The search for a balance between nature conservation and sustainable development remains a scientific and spatial planning challenge. In social-ecological systems based on traditional rural activities and associated with protected areas, this balance is particularly complex. Quantifying the economic impact of land use changes on ecosystem services can be useful to advise policy makers and improving social-ecological sustainability. In this study, we evaluated the land use changes in a time series and estimated the monetary value of the ecosystem services of the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve (Biscay, Spain). In addition, we linked the monetary and biophysical values of land uses in each zoning units of the reserve, in order to identify the spatial adjustment between both assessments. Results showed that land use changes have clearly homogenized the landscape without substantially affecting its economic value. The methodological approach allowed detection that the reserve zoning was performed based more on its biophysical values than on economic ones. Thus, evident divergences between the biophysical and economic assessments were found. The core area was the one that had the highest coincidences (medium values) between both ecosystem services assessments, which highlights its importance not only in biophysical terms, is also economical. The procedure followed proved to be a useful tool to social-ecological planning and design of specific conservation strategies for the sustainable development of the area.

scholarly journals Assessment of Urban Green Space Based on Bio-Energy Landscape Connectivity: A Case Study on Tongzhou District in Beijing, China

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 4943 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kunyuan Wanghe ◽  
Xinle Guo ◽  
Xiaofeng Luan ◽  
Kai Li
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Development Strategy ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Landscape Connectivity ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Beijing China

Green infrastructure is one of the key components that provides critical ecosystems services in urban areas, such as regulating services (temperature regulation, noise reduction, air purification), and cultural services (recreation, aesthetic benefits), but due to rapid urbanization, many environmental impacts associated with the decline of green space have emerged and are rarely been evaluated integrally and promptly. The Chinese government is building a new city as the sub-center of the capital in Tongzhou District, Beijing, China. A series of policies have been implemented to increase the size of green urban areas. To support this land-use decision-making process and achieve a sustainable development strategy, accurate assessments of green space are required. In the current study, using land-use data and environmental parameters, we assessed the urban green space in the case study area. The bio-energy and its fluxes, landscape connectivity, as well as related ecosystem services were estimated using a novel approach, the PANDORA model. These results show that (1) in the highly urbanized area, green space is decreasing in reaction to urbanization, and landscape fragmentation is ubiquitous; (2) the river ecology network is a critical part for ecosystem services and landscape connectivity; and (3) the alternative non-green patches to be changed to urban, urban patches which can improve landscape quality the most by being changed to green, and conservation priority patches for biodiversity purposes of urban green were explicitly identified. Conclusively, our results depict the spatial distribution, fluxes, and evolution of bio-energy, as well as the conservation prioritization of green space. Our methods can be applied by urban planners and ecologists, which can help decision-makers achieve a sustainable development strategy in these rapidly urbanizing areas worldwide.

scholarly journals Mapping Potential Zones for Ecotourism Ecosystem Services as a Tool to Promote Landscape Resilience and Development in a Brazilian Municipality

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 10345
Author(s):  
João Roque Guerrero ◽  
António Teixeira Gomes ◽  
José de Lollo ◽  
Luiz Moschini
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Environmental Planning ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
Integrated Analysis ◽  
Practical Case ◽  
Municipal Planning ◽  
Planning Processes ◽  
The City

In recent decades, with the increasing global need for sustainable development, ecotourism has emerged as one of the most efficient activities that can be used to reconcile economic development with environmental conservation. A growing interest in the ecotourism and ecosystem services provided by landscapes makes such services increasingly necessary within municipal planning processes. This study aims to construct a geoenvironmental model based on geographic information systems (GISs) to spatially identify areas with greater capacity to promote ecotourism, with a practical case study of the city of Brotas, Brazil. The model can produce an integrated analysis of landscape components using geoenvironmental, topographic, and urban data. As a result, four zones were classified according to their ecotourism potential, with 81% of the overall local territory showing great potential, which not only reinforces the territory’s resilience regarding sustainable development, but also demonstrates that ecotourism should be included in discussions related to environmental planning in Brotas, as well as in other municipalities that have ecotourism potential.

scholarly journals The Influence of Land Use Change on Key Ecosystem Services and Their Relationships in a Mountain Region from Past to Future (1995–2050)

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 616
Author(s):  
Jie Gao ◽  
Xuguang Tang ◽  
Shiqiu Lin ◽  
Hongyan Bian
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Sustainable Land Use ◽  
Mountain Region ◽  
Water Yield ◽  
Mountain Regions ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
The Government ◽  
Steep Slopes

The ecosystem services (ESs) provided by mountain regions can bring about benefits to people living in and around the mountains. Ecosystems in mountain areas are fragile and sensitive to anthropogenic disturbance. Understanding the effect of land use change on ESs and their relationships can lead to sustainable land use management in mountain regions with complex topography. Chongqing, as a typical mountain region, was selected as the site of this research. The long-term impacts of land use change on four key ESs (i.e., water yield (WY), soil conservation (SC), carbon storage (CS), and habitat quality (HQ)) and their relationships were assessed from the past to the future (at five-year intervals, 1995–2050). Three future scenarios were constructed to represent the ecological restoration policy and different socioeconomic developments. From 1995 to 2015, WY and SC experienced overall increases. CS and HQ increased slightly at first and then decreased significantly. A scenario analysis suggested that, if the urban area continues to increase at low altitudes, by 2050, CS and HQ are predicted to decrease moderately. However, great improvements in SC, HQ, and CS are expected to be achieved by the middle of the century if the government continues to make efforts towards vegetation restoration on the steep slopes.

scholarly journals Replicating Elite Dominance in Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding: The Role of Local Government–Scholar Networks in China

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Maags ◽  
Heike Holbig
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Focal Point ◽  
National Level ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Intangible Cultural Heritage ◽  
Republic Of China ◽  
Heritage Discourse

Abstract:Since “intangible cultural heritage” (ICH) became the new focal point in the global heritage discourse, governments and scholars in many countries have begun to promote this new form of “immaterial” culture. The People’s Republic of China has been one of the most active state parties implementing the new scheme and adapting it to domestic discourses and practices. Policies formulated at the national level have become increasingly malleable to the interests of local government-scholar networks. By conducting a comparative case study of two provinces, this article aims to identify the role of local elite networks in the domestic implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, focusing on the incentives of scholars and officials to participate in ICH policy networks. It finds that the implementation of the Convention has not removed the power asymmetry between elite and popular actors but, instead, has fostered an elite-driven policy approach shaped by symbiotic, mutually legitimizing government–scholar networks.

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