scholarly journals From Environmental Soundness to Sustainable Development: Improving Applicability of Payment for Ecosystem Services Scheme for Diverting Regional Sustainability Transition in Developing Countries

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaohui Ding ◽  
Chen Zhou ◽  
Volker Mauerhofer ◽  
Weizhou Zhong ◽  
Guoping Li
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Emerging Countries ◽  
Water Diversion ◽  
Regional Sustainability ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Spatial Targeting

In developing and emerging countries, rapid urbanization at an unprecedented pace and degradation of ecosystem services at an alarming rate have caused many regions, especially those in environmentally sensitive areas (ESAs), to encounter the “regional development dilemma” (RDD), in which regions can hardly divert their current development pattern to achieve a transition to sustainability. The main research focus of this study is to introduce—by means of a case study—a payments for ecosystem service (PES) scheme as a policy instrument that incorporates an ecosystem services (ES)-based baseline for payments and a spatial-targeting-based allocation plan to address that dilemma and to bridge, as well as achieve, sustainable development goals simultaneously at a regional scale. The water source areas of the Middle Route Project in the South-to-North Water Diversion Project in China were used as the case study. Land Use/Land Cover Change (LUCC) of this area between 2002 and 2010 was detected by adopting remote sensing and spatial analysis technologies. The ecosystem services value (ESV) variation was then estimated and the eco-compensation plan was determined through comprehensively applying equivalent weighting factors of the ecosystem service of terrestrial ecosystems in China and the adjustment coefficient of the ecosystem service based on the notion of willingness to pay for ecosystem services. Results show that rapid urbanization has substantial impacts on the spatial dynamics and quality of ecosystems in the research area. From 2002 to 2010, the total ESV declined by CNY 6 billion. Therefore, the baseline eco-compensation from the benefit zone to the research area was CNY 1.1 billion under the assumption of commensurability. Responsibility ought to be shared by Henan and Hebei provinces, and Beijing and Tianjin, with payment of CNY 422.3, 388.5, 110.9, and 133 million, respectively. We drafted the allocation plan of eco-compensation based on the spatial pattern of ESV variation, and suggested policy tools tailored for subregions in the research area defined by LUCC change categories. Such an integrated study can lead to a more comprehensive understanding of regional PES schemes and provide a set of policy instruments with upgraded spatial-targeting and better cost-efficiency, particularly as blueprints for regional governments in developing and emerging countries that aim at leveraging regional sustainability through bridging and achieving SDGs.

scholarly journals Exploring the Use of Ecosystem Services Conceptual Models to Account for the Benefits of Public Lands: An Example from National Forest Planning in the United States

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 267
Author(s):  
Lydia Olander ◽  
Katie Warnell ◽  
Travis Warziniack ◽  
Zoe Ghali ◽  
Chris Miller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Public Lands ◽  
The United States ◽  
Forest Planning ◽  
National Forest ◽  
Planning Team ◽  
National Forest Planning

A shared understanding of the benefits and tradeoffs to people from alternative land management strategies is critical to successful decision-making for managing public lands and fostering shared stewardship. This study describes an approach for identifying and monitoring the types of resource benefits and tradeoffs considered in National Forest planning in the United States under the 2012 Planning Rule and demonstrates the use of tools for conceptualizing the production of ecosystem services and benefits from alternative land management strategies. Efforts to apply these tools through workshops and engagement exercises provide opportunities to explore and highlight measures, indicators, and data sources for characterizing benefits and tradeoffs in collaborative environments involving interdisciplinary planning teams. Conceptual modeling tools are applied to a case study examining the social and economic benefits of recreation on the Ashley National Forest. The case study illustrates how these types of tools facilitate dialog for planning teams to discuss alternatives and key ecosystem service outcomes, create easy to interpret visuals that map details in plans, and provide a basis for selecting ecosystem service (socio-economic) metrics. These metrics can be used to enhance environmental impact analysis, and help satisfy the goals of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the 2012 Planning Rule, and shared stewardship initiatives. The systematic consideration of ecosystem services outcomes and metrics supported by this approach enhanced dialog between members of the Forest planning team, allowed for a more transparent process in identification of key linkages and outcomes, and identified impacts and outcomes that may not have been apparent to the sociologist who is lacking the resource specific expertise of these participants. As a result, the use of the Ecosystem Service Conceptual Model (ESCM) process may result in reduced time for internal reviews and greater comprehension of anticipated outcomes and impacts of proposed management in the plan revision Environmental Impact Statement amongst the planning team.

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.

Response of Ecological Services Value to Land Use Change in the Shiyang River Basin: A Case Study in Wuwei Region

2012 ◽  
Vol 518-523 ◽  
pp. 5116-5120
Author(s):  
Pei Ji Shi ◽  
Xue Bin Zhang ◽  
Jun Luo ◽  
Xue Min Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Main Part ◽  
Land Use Pattern ◽  
Shiyang River Basin ◽  
Unused Land

Based on the detailed survey of land use change in Shiyang river basin, referencing Costanza, and Xie et al’ research results of the value of ecosystem services, this article probed the variation of land use and value of ecosystem service in Wuwei region. The results are: from 1997 to 2006, the area of woodland, construction land and garden land are increasing, while farmland, grassland, water and unused land are continuing to decrease. Land-use intensity is gradually increasing, the land use pattern towards to a centralized style. The values of ecosystem services are overall upward, and change faster than ever. The main part of the value of ecosystem service is constituted by the value of grassland, woodland and farmland. So it’s important to control the expansion of urban construction, strength the protection of the water, restore and enhance regional ecosystem services in the future.

scholarly journals Cultural Ecosystem Services Assessment Based on Geomorphological Approach – Case Study in Sapa, Lao Cai Province

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dang Kinh Bac ◽  
Dang Van Bao ◽  
Benjamin Burkhard ◽  
Felix Müller ◽  
Giang Tuan Linh
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Research Area ◽  
High Potential ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
Paddy Fields ◽  
Cultural Ecosystem Services ◽  
Lao Cai ◽  
Recreation And Tourism

Recently, ecosystem services assessment has been developed as an effective tool to exchange and understand science, develop policies, especially in cultural ecosystem services. However, quantification and mapping of cultural ecosystem services are obstructed by complications in their definitions and suitable indicators. It can be solved based on a geomorphological approach. The similarities of related indicators between geomorphological resources and cultural ecosystem services can be a helpful key for quantifying a recreation and tourism, landscape aesthetics and cultural identity in a particular region. Therefore, study applied an Analytical Hiearchy Process (AHP) to cultural ecosystem services assessment in Sapa, Lao Cai province. Six indicators relating to geomorphology, ecology and social were used in the process. Results indicated a high potential of cultural ecosystem services supply in research area, especially in forest, water bodies and paddy fields. Two local regions, that have not brought into play their available geomorphological potential, need to be invested for cultural ecosystem services.

scholarly journals Identifying and Mapping the Responses of Ecosystem Services to Land Use Change in Rapidly Urbanizing Regions: A Case Study in Foshan City, China

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 4374
Author(s):  
Zhuo Wu ◽  
Rubo Zhou ◽  
Ziyao Zeng
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Habitat Quality ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Water Yield ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Research Framework ◽  
Response Index ◽  
Spatial Response ◽  
Foshan City

Rapid urbanization has degraded some important ecosystem services and threatens socioeconomic sustainability. Although many studies have focused on the effect of urbanization on ecosystem services, the effect and its threshold have not been well-identified spatially. In this study, we propose a research framework by integrating nighttime light data, the InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Environmental Service and Tradeoffs) model, and a spatial response index to characterize the response of ecosystem services to rapid urbanization. We considered Foshan City as a case study to explore the effect of rapid urbanization on ecosystem services during 2000–2018. Our results showed that rapid urbanization resulted in a 49.13% reduction in agricultural production and a 10.13% reduction in habitat quality. The spatial response index of agricultural production, habitat quality, soil retention, water yield, and carbon sequestration were 14.25%, 2.94%, 0.04%, 0.78%, and 0.07%, respectively. We found that developing urban areas had the highest spatial response index, indicating that this area was the crucial area for future land management. We consider that our research framework can help identify the key areas affected by rapid urbanization. Visualizing the spatial response index and extracting the threshold for different levels of urbanization will be conducive to sustainable urban management and planning.

scholarly journals Linking Ecosystem Service Supply–Demand Risks and Regional Spatial Management in the Yihe River Basin, Central China

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 843
Author(s):  
Qingxiang Meng ◽  
Likun Zhang ◽  
Hejie Wei ◽  
Enxiang Cai ◽  
Dong Xue ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Soil Conservation ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Water Yield ◽  
Spatial Management

The continuous supply of ecosystem services is the foundation of the sustainable development of human society. The identification of the supply–demand relationships and risks of ecosystem services is of considerable importance to the management of regional ecosystems and the effective allocation of resources. This paper took the Yihe River Basin as the research area and selected water yield, carbon sequestration, food production, and soil conservation to assess changes in the supply and demand of ecosystem services and their matching status from 2000 to 2018. Risk identification and management zoning were also conducted. Results show the following: (1) The spatial distribution of the four ecosystems service supply and demand in the Yihe River Basin was mismatched. The food production supply levels in the middle and lower reaches and the upstream water yield, carbon sequestration, and soil conservation supply levels were high. However, most of the areas with high demand for ecosystem services were concentrated downstream. (2) From 2000 to 2018, the supply of water yield and carbon sequestration in the Yihe River Basin decreased, while that of food production and soil conservation increased. The demand for the four ecosystem services also increased. (3) Water yield faced considerable supply–demand risks. Fifty percent of the sub-basins were at a high-risk level, and the risk areas were concentrated in the middle and lower reaches. The three remaining services were mainly at low-risk levels. The Yihe River Basin was divided into eight types of supply–demand risk spatial management zones based on the ecosystem service supply and demand levels, which will help promote refined regional ecosystem management and sustainable development. The supply and demand assessment of ecosystem services from a risk perspective can integrate the information of natural ecosystems and socio-economic systems and provide scientific support for watershed spatial management.

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.

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