Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Climate Change Ecosystem services'
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Oh, Yu Kyung. "Climate change adaptation in London through resilient ecosystem services management." Thesis, King's College London (University of London), 2018. https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/climate-change-adaptation-in-london-through-resilient-ecosystem-services-management(c1b8b3aa-04d5-4151-83da-9971ed59f95f).html.
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As urban populations continue to grow around the world, cities and their residents become increasingly vulnerable to climate change risks. Detrimental impacts on natural ecosystems have been observed in the built environment, as well as poorer quality of life. As urban areas are characterised by complex adaptive systems, the concept of ecosystem services represents an important tool for the management of urban socio-environmental quality and can be applied to climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies. This thesis investigates London’s potential resilience to climate changes through ecosystem services management. In particular, the socioecological capacity of the All London Green Grid for contributing to climate change resilience via patterns of green spaces, and carbon storage and sequestration through urban street trees, will be the central focus in the research. This capacity was assessed firstly by conducting an evaluation of the landscape metrics of Greater London’s green spaces to determine the extent and quality of green infrastructure, and how this varies according to relevant socioeconomic variables. This was achieved using GIS and the spatial analysis programme FRAGSTATS. This broad-scale evaluation was then supported by greater in-depth field measurements, focusing specifically on street trees, within selected eleven Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), which are an important vehicle for the local management of the ALGG and thereby climate resilience. This local-scale assessment also incorporated greater evaluation of ecosystem service provision by vegetation, and in particular street trees and their capacity for carbon storage and sequestration. Finally, governance of green spaces within BIDs and broader understanding of resilience and climate change was assessed with qualitative research methods, including semi-structured interviews of different agents and agencies involved in the ALGG network. This included investigation of decision-makers’ perspectives on vulnerabilities and the prospects for further developing London green spaces, to determine the feasibility of different management options.
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Williams, Samantha. "Perceptions of wetland ecosystem services in a region of climatic variability." University of the Western Cape, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/6599.
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Magister Artium - MAWetlands provide various ecosystem services such as provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural services which may be directly or indirectly beneficial to humans. The manner in which such wetlands are managed is partly determined by human perceptions of their value. However, climatic variability and climate change put the continued provision of such ecosystems under stress. The result is that certain ecosystem services may be provided to differing extents during anomalously wet or dry years. There is thus uncertainty as to the values ascribed to wetlands by people during varying climatic phases. This thesis focuses on understanding how people perceive the functioning of wetlands within our current climate against a background of climatic variability and climate change. This study explores people’s perceptions regarding the functioning of wetlands and ecosystem services provided during dry and wet years, as an indication of how climatic variability and climate change impact peoples’ perceptions. The data was collected in the wetlands of the Agulhas Plain in the Nuwejaars Catchment. Five wetlands classified and scored using the WETEcoServices tool. In addition, five semi-structured interviews and three participatory mapping exercises with landowners were also undertaken. The study reports on the landowners’ awareness of wetland ecosystems, ecosystem services and climatic variability and climate change. Provisioning, supporting, and cultural ecosystem services are frequently used by landowners, which can be impacted by climatic variability and climate change. The WETEcoService benefits and landowners perceptions of ecosystem services varies, as the WETEcoService direct and indirect ecosystem services are either effective or ineffective in dry and wet years. In contrast to landowners perceptions emphasising the importance of ecosystem services directly beneficial to them. The study recommends that the ecosystem services landowners perceive as important is linked to their interest to guarantee their participation in catchment management. WET-EcoService benefits can inform landowners and managers about ecosystem services degradation and whether their conservation methods are either positively or negatively impacting wetlands.
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Duncan, C. A. "Mangrove forest ecosystem services : biodiversity drivers, rehabilitation and resilience to climate change." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2017. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1553177/.
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Mangrove forests provide a significant contribution to human well-being; particularly through climate change mitigation and adaptation (CCMA) due to disproportionately high carbon sequestration and coastal protection from tropical storms. However, mangrove community structure drivers of these ecosystem services (ES), rehabilitation potential for high CCMA ES delivery, and their resilience to climate change impacts remain poorly understood and monitored. This thesis uses field- and satellite remote sensing-based methods and a dual focus at a Philippines-specific and West Africa to South Asian-scale to quantitatively assess mangrove CCMA ES delivery. The first three chapters provide a background, and literature review on ES delivery, ecological restoration and resilience to perturbations, mangrove ES, their anthropogenic and climate change threats, and current management. Chapters 4 and 5 detail the case study selection and methodologies employed. Chapter 6 focuses on the flora community structure drivers of mangrove ES delivery, and shows that divergent controls can drive trade-offs in the delivery of key CCMA benefits. Chapter 7 focuses on the potential of mangrove rehabilitation for high CCMA ES delivery, and shows that mangrove rehabilitation in abandoned aquaculture ponds can provide high relative CCMA benefits, revealing large areas of abandoned aquaculture with favourable tenure status for greenbelt rehabilitation. Chapter 8 focuses on remote monitoring of mangrove resilience to sea level rise, and the potential anthropogenic and abiotic factors influencing these, establishing a methodology for continued remote monitoring and revealing variability in resilience and resistance across forests. Overall, it is demonstrated that current mangrove management in the Philippines and globally may be insufficient to secure high CCMA ES delivery, due to (1) non- consideration of flora community structure, site-specific and areal requirements, (2) complexity in governance systems for reclamation of mangrove lands, and (3) a lack of spatial planning and zoning to accommodate mangrove resilience to climate-induced perturbations.
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Hartley, Andrew James. "Improving projections of change in the ecosystem services of West Africa." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/28145.
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Ecosystem services are the benefits people obtain from ecosystems. Quantifying these benefits and understanding how they may change under multiple future pressures, such as climate change or land use change, is a highly uncertain exercise. In managing ecosystems to be resilient to future changes, natural resource managers need the most accurate information available, but also need to be informed of when and where they can be confident, or not, in projections of change. In this thesis, I address many of the key aspects of uncertainty in projections of change in ecosystem services, with a particular focus on challenges in West Africa. I show where and for what variables climate models may be reliably used in ecological studies, providing important advice for interpreting the impacts of climate change on biodiversity. Furthermore, I show that uncertainty in climate observations can also have a significant impact on climate change adaptation decisions at both the species level and in terms of protected area management. I also address how vegetation in West Africa may respond to future climate change. I found that even after uncertainties in climate and land use were considered, carbon storage in West African tropical forests was projected to increase where forest degradation remained low or reduced; vegetation productivity was projected to increase in all parts of West Africa, with the exception of locations in the West Sahel where the largest reductions in precipitation were projected; and, importantly for protected areas, ecosystems were projected to shift northwards despite uncertainty in precipitation projections. I also show the sensitivity of 3 major land surface models to uncertainty in vegetation mapping, thereby providing guidance to the remote sensing community on priorities to improve land cover mapping and to the earth system modelling community on bounds of uncertainty in carbon, moisture and energy budgets due to vegetation mapping uncertainties. Lastly, in using the latest land-atmosphere coupled convection-resolving model, I show that it is possible to simulate the observed interaction between landscape heterogeneity and local and regional scale precipitation in West Africa. This provides a timely and relevant tool that will allow scientists and natural resource managers to more accurately assess the impact of changes in land use on the regional climate of West Africa.
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Cold, Helen S. "Assessing Effects of Climate Change on Access to Ecosystem Services in Rural Alaska." Thesis, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10977216.
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Across the planet, climate change is altering the way human societies interact with the environment. Amplified climate change at high latitudes is significantly altering the structure and function of ecosystems, creating challenges and necessitating adaptation by societies in the region that depend on local ecosystem services for their livelihoods. Rural communities in Interior Alaska rely on plants and animals for food, clothing, fuel and shelter. Previous research suggests that climate-induced changes in environmental conditions are challenging the abilities of rural residents to travel across the land and access local resources, but detailed information on the nature and effect of specific conditions is lacking. My objectives were to identify climate-related environmental conditions affecting subsistence access, and then estimate travel and access vulnerability to those environmental conditions. I collaborated with nine Interior Alaskan communities within the Yukon River basin and provided local residents with camera-equipped GPS units to document environmental conditions directly affecting access for 12 consecutive months. I also conducted comprehensive interviews with research participants to incorporate the effects of environmental conditions not documented with GPS units. Among the nine communities collaborating on this research, 18 harvesters documented 479 individual observations of environmental conditions affecting their travel with GPS units. Environmental conditions were categorized into seven condition types. I then ranked categories of conditions using a vulnerability index that incorporated both likelihood (number of times a condition was documented) and sensitivity (magnitude of the effect from the condition) information derived from observations and interviews. Changes in ice conditions, erosion, vegetative community composition and water levels had the greatest overall effect on travel and access to subsistence resources. Environmental conditions that impeded travel corridors, including waterways and areas with easily traversable vegetation (such as grass/sedge meadows and alpine tundra), more strongly influenced communities off the road network than those connected by roads. Combining local ecological knowledge and scientific analysis presents a broad understanding of the effects of climate change on access to subsistence resources, and provides information that collaborating communities can use to optimize adaptation and self-reliance.
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Hall, Elin. "Sustainable forests: A strategy for climate change adaptation and mitigation? : A case study from Babati District, Tanzania." Thesis, Södertörn University College, School of Life Sciences, 2009. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-2719.
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This Bachelor‟s thesis aims at explaining the relationship between forests and climate change, a subject that has been given a lot of attention in environmental discussions in recent years, particularly because forests are a source of carbon dioxide emissions and in the same time have the potential to mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration. However, with the importance of mitigation as a background, the focus of this study is on adaptation. The purpose is to identify mutual benefits from the diverse forest ecosystems, and examine the possible benefits from forests to the rural poor population in Tanzania, in a future scenario of increased vulnerability to climate change. The methodology for the study can be divided into two parts, one qualitative literature study and one field study in Babati District northern Tanzania, limited to interviews and excursions. This thesis gives details about the scientific projections and local perceptions of climate change and the effects of climate change. The results of the thesis highlights the importance of sustainably managed forests and agroforestry systems, which have been successful in Babati through local participation; economic incentives such as carbon credit and other payments for ecosystem services, which is a possible future extension of forestry activities; and increased integration between sectors, which make sure that adaptation within different sectors can be done simultaneously.
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Boltemo, Edholm Jenny. "How can Ecosystem Services be implemented in local Climate Adaptation? : A case study of Arjeplog." Thesis, Mittuniversitetet, Institutionen för ekoteknik- och hållbart byggande, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:miun:diva-36856.
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Ecosystem services are essential for human climate adaptation. As climate change is a direct driver of change for ecosystem service provisioning, it is of importance to care for our ecosystems to be able to cope with future challenges. Local governance has a central role in climate adaptation due to its responsibility in physical planning. To be able to plan for changes driven by climate change, a flexible, adaptive strategy is necessary. Ecosystem-based Adaptation, EbA, can provide this flexibility to an overall adaptation strategy. In this case study, the potential of EbA to help Nature-based Tourism, NbT, to adapt to a changing climate was spatially mapped to be a useful part of the basis for local physical planning. The mapping includes areas of biodiversity, water infrastructure and features that provide resilience to climate change. The results show that there are areas with potential for EbA that can address adverse effects of climate change for the NbT. These spatial mapped areas provide an instant overview of the key areas to consider when planning for climate adaptation. These mapped areas are also combined with a qualitative assessment of the potential for EbA. By providing decision-makers with information on where and how ecosystem services can assist local climate adaptation, decisions that support both the future of humanity and ecosystems are enabled. However, to reach enforcement of EbA, the knowledge has to be included in binding documents such as detail plans.
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Blanco, González Víctor. "Modelling adaptation strategies for Swedish forestry under climate and global change." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/25380.
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Adaptation is necessary to cope with, or take advantage of, the effects of climate change on socio-ecological systems. This is especially important in the forestry sector, which is sensitive to the ecological and economic impacts of climate change, and where the adaptive decisions of owners play out over long periods of time. These decisions are subject to experienced and expected impacts, and depend upon the temporal interactions of a range of individual and institutional actors. Knowledge of, and responses to, climate change are therefore very important if forestry is to cope with, or take advantage of, the effects of climate change over longer timescales. It is important to understand the role of human behaviour and decision-making processes in the study of complex socio-ecological systems and modelling is a method that can support experiments to advance this understanding. This study is based on the development of CRAFTY-Sweden; an agent-based model that allows the exploration of Swedish land-use dynamics and adaptation to climate change through scenario analysis. In CRAFTY-Sweden, forest and farmland owners make land use and management decisions according to their objectives, management preferences and capabilities. As a result of their management and location characteristics they are able to provide ecosystem services. To explore future change, quantitative scenarios were used that considered both socio-economic development pathways and climatic change. Simulations were run under the different scenarios for the period 2010-2100, for the whole of Sweden. Furthermore, because institutions (i.e. organisations) also influence socio-ecological systems through their actions and interactions between them and with land owners and the environment, a conceptual model of institutional actions applied to socio-ecological systems was developed. The application of this conceptual model was explored through a model of institutions that can act, interact and adapt to environmental change in attempting to affect ecosystem service provision within a simple forestry governance system. I found that forestry in the future will likely be unable to meet societal demands for forest services solely on the basis of autonomous adaptation. A northward expansion of agriculture and especially of forestry proved positive for both sectors to adapt to changing conditions, under several scenarios, given the substantial land availability and the improved environmental conditions for plant growth. Legacy effects of past land-use change can have a great impact on future land-use change and adaptation processes, especially in forestry. Also, greater competition for land may lead to shorter forest rotation times. Socio-economic change and land owner behavioural differences may have a larger impact on owner competitiveness, land-use change and ecosystem service provision than climate-driven changes in land productivity. Different owner objectives and behaviour resulted in different levels of ecosystem service provision. Also, particular forest types were differently suitable for adaptation depending on the sets of objectives under which they were managed. Owners implementing particular management strategies can be differently competitive under different future scenarios, and the suitability of such strategies for adaptation is not a static, inherent characteristic of a system. Instead, it evolves in response to changing contexts that include both the external global change drivers and the internal dynamics of agent interactions. Additionally, institutional conceptual models as presented here can support better understanding of the key institutional decision-making dynamics and their consequences, endogenously, flexibly across different socio-ecological systems. Finally, study limitations, future research and the policy relevance of findings are discussed.
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Förster, Johannes [Verfasser]. "Assessing ecosystem services for informing decision making on sustainable land management under climate change / Johannes Förster." Halle, 2018. http://d-nb.info/1162134313/34.
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Rinawati, Fitria, Katharina Stein, and André Lindner. "Climate Change Impacts on Biodiversity - The Setting of a Lingering Global Crisis." Saechsische Landesbibliothek- Staats- und Universitaetsbibliothek Dresden, 2013. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-qucosa-108275.
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Climate change has created potential major threats to global biodiversity. The multiple components of climate change are projected to affect all pillars of biodiversity, from genes over species to biome level. Of particular concerns are "tipping points" where the exceedance of ecosystem thresholds will possibly lead to irreversible shifts of ecosystems and their functioning. As biodiversity underlies all goods and services provided by ecosystems that are crucial for human survival and wellbeing, this paper presents potential effects of climate change on biodiversity, its plausible impacts on human society as well as the setting in addressing a global crisis. Species affected by climate change may respond in three ways: change, move or die. Local species extinctions or a rapidly affected ecosystem as a whole respectively might move toward its particular "tipping point", thereby probably depriving its services to human society and ending up in a global crisis. Urgent and appropriate actions within various scenarios of climate change impacts on biodiversity, especially in tropical regions, are needed to be considered. Foremost a multisectoral approach on biodiversity issues with broader policies, stringent strategies and programs at international, national and local levels is essential to meet the challenges of climate change impacts on biodiversity.
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Scriven, Joel Nicholas Hamilton. "Markets and payments for ecosystem services : engaging REDD+ on Peru's Amazonian frontier." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2011. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:5b88b956-bba4-45ff-8b3c-af610262ab6d.
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The impacts of tropical deforestation and forest degradation are felt at multiple levels, bringing about local ecosystem degradation, regional biome fragmentation and global contributions of 12-15% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. In response to this, markets and payments for ecosystem services have emerged to financially value the services forests provide, most notably in the form of mechanisms to reduce deforestation and enhance forest conservation (REDD+). REDD+ has received much attention at the international level, but the pressing contemporary challenge is its engagement at the local scale. This thesis examines the potential local-level engagement of REDD+ on the Amazon frontier as an approach to altering patterns of anthropogenic encroachment on the world's greatest expanse of tropical forest. Case studies are taken from the buffer zones of protected areas along Peru's Amazonian frontier, Yanachaga-Chemillen National Park (YChNP) in central Peru and Manu National Park (MNP) in the SE of the country. A political ecology approach is taken to examine the influences and implications of existing land use governance structures, local livelihoods and preferences, and smallholder production and land economy, in the context of REDD+. Adopting mixed methods comprising semi-structured interviewing and land user surveys, data were collected between July 2008 and September 2009. I show that the two sites' histories and geographies have shaped distinct challenges for REDD+. The proximity of YChNP to Lima has fuelled agricultural expansion and higher land use incomes, yet institutions – particularly those belonging to the state – are exceedingly weak. The pace of land use change here obliges certain urgency for REDD+ interventions to provide livelihood alternatives, divert the current development path and restore the landscape. MNP’s rurality has protected it to date from expansive deforestation, yet weak institutions, poverty and increasing threats from national development processes highlight the importance of REDD+ interventions. In an analysis of land economy, an innovative conceptual framework is presented, the '3Rs' (rewarding, regulating and reshaping) to tackle local heterogeneity in REDD+ engagement. This thesis contributes knowledge to the practical and theoretical advancement of REDD+, and proposes the mechanism as an important new arena for academic investigation.
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Moor, Helen. "Function follows Form : Trait-based approaches to climate change effects on wetland vegetation and functioning." Doctoral thesis, Stockholms universitet, Stockholm Resilience Centre, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-133488.
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Climate change and habitat fragmentation are altering the structure and functioning of plant communities world-wide. Understanding how, why and with what consequences are major challenges of ecology today. Trait-based approaches focus on functional rather than taxonomic identity to facilitate process-based explanation and prediction. This thesis develops new ways of operationalising traits to understand plant community responses to the environment and community effects on ecosystem functioning and services. Wetlands, distinct in nature and patchy in their distribution, serve as a natural laboratory to extend plant trait theory and as inspiration for metacommunity modelling. The first part of the thesis (Papers 1 and 2) focuses on wetland plant traits in relation to current and future environmental conditions, ecosystem functioning and ecosystem services. Paper 1 surveys the state of knowledge regarding (i) ultimate and proximate drivers of wetland plant community functional composition, trait covariation and responses of individual traits along gradients, as well as (ii) trait effects on the sets of ecosystem properties and processes that underlie the generation of three key wetland ecosystem services (regulation of water flow, water quality, and climate). Paper 2 modifies species distribution modelling to predict future changes in plant community trait distributions due to climate change in central Sweden, which allows a qualitative estimate of changes in ecosystem service potential. Climate change induced functional changes may benefit water quality and flow regulation provided by fens and riparian wetlands, but compromise carbon sequestration capacity in bogs. The second part of the thesis (Papers 3 and 4) develops trait-based metacommunity models to study the interplay of local and regional dynamics on species, community and whole-metacommunity responses to climate change. Paper 3 finds model assumptions about species dispersal capacity to strongly influence predictions of diversity loss following climate change. While differences in species dispersal capacity drastically increase predicted extinction risk, more realistic models based on an empirically derived seed mass – seed number trade-off strongly moderate these predictions. Without considering fitness effects of covarying traits, models that include variable dispersal capacities thus might overestimate extinction risk from climate change. Paper 4 studies the development and recovery of the regional average trait-lag of response trait distributions, as a direct measure of the instantaneous realised metacommunity response to temperature change with implications for levels of ecosystem functioning. The dynamical response jointly depended on local response capacity and regional adaptive re-organisation via species range shifts. Where habitat was scarce, connectivity network properties mediated response capacity and may guide conservation priorities. This thesis makes contributions to plant trait ecology, wetland functional ecology, ecosystem service science and metacommunity theory. As a whole it furthers progress towards a predictive ecology that can bridge scales from individual physiology to ecosystem dynamics and anticipate global change effects on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 1: Manuscript. Paper 3: Manuscript. Paper 4: Manuscript.
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Lecina, Diaz Judit. "The key role of ecosystem services in forests: spatial relationships, conservation implications and risk to climate change hazards." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/670593.
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Els boscos proveeixen d’una àmplia varietat de serveis ecosistèmics (SE). Entendre com i per què aquests SE es distribueixen en el paisatge és essencial per dotar a les polítiques d’informació per protegir, millorar i restaurar aquests ecosistemes. A més, l’efectivitat de les Àrees Protegides (AP) en el manteniment dels SE i la biodiversitat encara no està clara, i els boscos estan cada vegada més sotmesos a la pressió del canvi climàtic, amb canvis en el règim de pertorbacions (com ara els incendis). Predir on aquestes pertorbacions tindran lloc en el futur i fins a quin punt els SE dels boscos s’hi veuran afectats són reptes fonamentals en la recerca.
L’objectiu general d’aquesta tesi és analitzar la distribució espacial dels SE als boscos, la seva rellevància en la conservació i la seva vulnerabilitat i risc enfront pertorbacions del canvi climàtic, especialment els incendis forestals. Per això, 1) hem analitzat la distribució espacial dels estocs de carboni i la biodiversitat, així com la relació entre ells i les seves causes, en boscos de dues regions i cinc subclimes; 2) hem determinat el rol de les AP en la preservació dels SE i la biodiversitat a Catalunya; 3) hem desenvolupat un marc conceptual per avaluar la vulnerabilitat dels boscos i el seu risc de pèrdua de SE; i 4) hem avaluat els patrons espacials i les causes de la vulnerabilitat dels boscos a incendis i el risc associat de pèrdua de SE a Catalunya. La relació entre els estocs de carboni i la biodiversitat és en general positiva, amb valors més elevats al nord d’Espanya i al sud del Québec. Valors de densitat i diversitat estructural elevats han afavorit al mateix temps els estocs de carboni, la biodiversitat d’arbres i la biodiversitat global. Respecte a les AP, hem trobat més estocs de carboni, cobertura d’hàbitats d’interès comunitari, hàbitats prioritaris i llocs d’interès geològic a l’interior de les AP que a les seves àrees d’influència (o buffer zones), però cap dels indicadors de biodiversitat (riquesa d’arbres i d’aus) ha mostrat diferències entre les AP i les àrees d’influència. Hem proposat un marc conceptual per avaluar la vulnerabilitat dels boscos i el risc de pèrdua de SE, basat en els components d’exposició, magnitud de la pertorbació, susceptibilitat i manca de capacitat adaptativa. Finalment, hem aplicat aquest marc general als incendis forestals de Catalunya. Els resultats han mostrat que la magnitud de la pertorbació és el component més important que defineix el risc de pèrdua de SE degut a incendis. El tipus funcional de bosc - especialment les coníferes no Mediterrànies que tenen poca capacitat adaptativa - és el factor més important sota condicions extremes. L’augment de risc més gran s’ha trobat en boscos relativament humits que actualment tenen un risc baix, situació que segons les tendències climàtiques actuals passarà a ser més comuna en un futur.
En general, aquesta tesi ha augmentat l’evidència científica de la relació positiva entre els estocs de carboni i la biodiversitat en cinc subclimes. També ha mostrat que la conservació a Catalunya només és efectiva en el manteniment d’alguns dels SE i variables de conservació considerades. També ha contribuït amb un marc conceptual innovador sobre la vulnerabilitat dels boscos i el risc de pèrdua de SE degut a pertorbacions del canvi climàtic, assentant les bases per avaluar la vulnerabilitat i el risc d’una manera operativa i sistemàtica. L’aplicació d’aquest marc conceptual als incendis forestals ha mostrat implicacions rellevants en el risc de pèrdua de SE, fet que podria contribuir en el desenvolupament de polítiques futures mitjançant l’anticipació del risc, i ser una guia per la gestió forestal eficient.Los bosques proveen una amplia variedad de servicios ecosistémicos (SE). Entender cómo y por qué estos SE se distribuyen en el paisaje es esencial para proteger, mejorar y restaurar estos ecosistemas. Además, la efectividad de las Áreas Protegidas (AP) en el mantenimiento de los SE y la biodiversidad aún no está del todo clara, y los bosques están cada vez más sometidos a la presión del cambio climático, con cambios en el régimen de perturbaciones (como incendios). Predecir en qué lugares estas perturbaciones se darán en un futuro y hasta qué punto los SE se verán afectados son retos fundamentales de investigación. El objetivo general de esta tesis es analizar la distribución espacial de los SE de los bosques, su relevancia en la conservación y su vulnerabilidad y riesgo frente a perturbaciones del cambio climático, especialmente los incendios forestales. Para cumplir este objetivo, 1) hemos analizado la distribución espacial de los stocks de carbono y la biodiversidad en los bosques, así como la relación entre ellos y sus causas, en dos regiones y cinco subclimas; 2) hemos determinado el rol de las AP en la preservación de los SE y la biodiversidad en Cataluña; 3) hemos desarrollado un marco conceptual para evaluar la vulnerabilidad de los bosques y su riesgo de pérdida de SE; y 4) hemos evaluado los patrones espaciales y las causas de la vulnerabilidad de los bosques a incendios y el riesgo asociado de pérdida de SE en Cataluña. La relación entre los stocks de carbono y la biodiversidad es en general positiva, con valores más elevados en el norte de España y en el sur del Québec. Valores de densidad y diversidad estructural elevados han favorecido los stocks de carbono, la biodiversidad de árboles y la biodiversidad global. Respecto a las AP, hemos encontrado más stocks de carbono, cobertura de hábitats de interés comunitario, hábitats prioritarios y lugares de interés geológico dentro de las AP que en sus áreas de influencia (o buffer zones), pero ninguno de los indicadores de biodiversidad ha mostrado diferencias entre las AP y sus áreas de influencia. Las AP con niveles de protección más elevados no han proveído de más SE y biodiversidad, o viceversa. Además, hemos propuesto un marco conceptual para evaluar la vulnerabilidad de los bosques y el riesgo de pérdida de SE, basado en los componentes de exposición, magnitud de la perturbación, susceptibilidad y ausencia de capacidad adaptativa. Finalmente, hemos aplicado este marco general a los incendios forestales en Cataluña. Los resultados muestran que la magnitud de la perturbación es el componente más importante que define el riesgo de pérdida de SE debido a incendios. El tipo funcional de bosque - especialmente las coníferas no Mediterráneas que tienen una menor capacidad adaptativa - es el factor más importante bajo condiciones extremas. El aumento de riesgo más grande está en bosques relativamente húmedos, situación que según las tendencias climáticas actuales pasará a ser más común en un futuro. En general, esta tesis ha contribuido a aumentar la evidencia científica de la relación positiva entre los stocks de carbono y la biodiversidad. También ha mostrado que la conservación en Cataluña solo es efectiva para mantener algunos SE y variables de conservación. También ha contribuido con un marco conceptual innovador sobre la vulnerabilidad de los bosques y el riesgo de pérdida de SE debido a perturbaciones del cambio climático. La aplicación de este marco conceptual a los incendios forestales ha demostrado implicaciones en el riesgo de pérdida de SE, que podrían servir para el desarrollo de políticas futuras de anticipación del riesgo, pudiendo servir de guía para la gestión forestal eficiente.
Forest ecosystems provide a wide variety ecosystem services (ES). Understanding how these ES are distributed across the landscape and identifying their main drivers is essential to inform policy to protect, enhance and restore these ecosystems. Besides, protected areas (PAs) are fundamental for biodiversity conservation and the provision of ES, yet their effectiveness in maintaining ES and biodiversity is still unclear. Currently, forests are increasingly under pressure from climate change, resulting in changes in disturbance regimes (e.g., wildfires, drought, insect-outbreaks and windstorms). Predicting where these natural hazards will occur in the future and to what extent forest ES will be affected are also fundamental research challenges. The general objective of this thesis is to analyze the spatial distribution of forest ES, their relevance in conservation and their vulnerability and risk to climate change hazards, especially wildfires. To do so, 1) we have analyzed the spatial distribution, relationship and drivers of forest carbon stocks and biodiversity in two regions and five subclimates; 2) we have determined the role of PAs in preserving ES and biodiversity in forests and shrublands of Catalonia; 3) we have developed a general framework of forest vulnerability and risk of losing ES due to different climate change hazards; and 4) we have assessed the spatial patterns and drivers of forest vulnerability to wildfires and the corresponding risk of losing ES in Catalonia. We have found a general positive relationship between carbon stocks and biodiversity, with the highest values in northern Spain (humid Mediterranean subclimate) and southern Quebec (temperate subclimate). High density and structural diversity have simultaneously favored carbon stocks, tree and overall biodiversity. The variables positively affecting carbon and biodiversity have been also driving their hotspots, emphasizing the viability of ‘win-win’ solutions. Regarding PAs, we have found more carbon stocks, coverage of community-interest habitats, priority-habitats and geological-interest sites in PAs than in buffer zones, but none of the biodiversity variables considered have showed differences between PAs and buffer zones. PAs with higher degree of protection have not provided higher levels of ES and biodiversity, or vice versa. Furthermore, we have proposed a general framework to assess forest vulnerability and risk based on the components of exposure, hazard magnitude, susceptibility and lack of adaptive capacity. Finally, we have applied this general framework to the particular case of wildfires in Catalonia. The results have indicated that hazard magnitude is the most important factor defining ES at risk from wildfires. Climate is the main driving factor of ES at risk under average conditions, but forest functional type - in particular non-Mediterranean conifers that have low adaptive capacity - have gained importance under extreme conditions. The highest increases in risk have been found in relatively wet forests with currently low risk, which according to climate trends will become common in the future. Overall, this thesis has gained evidence on the positive relationship between carbon stocks and biodiversity and their main drivers in five subclimates, and has showed that the conservation strategy in Catalonia is only effective at maintaining some of the ES and conservation variables considered. It has also contributed with an innovative conceptual framework of forest vulnerability and risk of losing ES due to climate change hazards, constituting a basis for a systematic operationalization of forest risk and vulnerability. The application of this framework to the case of wildfires has showed relevant implications on the future risk of losing ES due to wildfires, which could contribute to future-oriented policies by anticipating conditions associated with particularly high risks and guiding efficient forest management.
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Bangash, Rubab Fatima. "Analysis of climate change impact on hydrological ecosystem services and water allocation in water scarce mediterranean river basins." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/145256.
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The Mediterranean region appears to be particularly responsive to global and climate change, causing decrease in annual river flows and making the region most prone to an increase in drought hazard and water stress. This thesis is an approach to quantify and analyse the water quantity, hydrological ecosystem services and water supply in temperate regions under environmental changes. Hydrological flow and hydrological ecosystem services (water provisioning) models are developed for a low flow Mediterranean river (Francolí river) basin using MIKE BASIN and InVEST respectively. Changes in the delivery of regulating (erosion control) services are also assessed in the heavily humanized Llobregat River basin (NE Spain) considering drivers of climate change (temperature and precipitation). Moreover, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is adapted to solve the multi-criteria decision-making problem of alternate water supply for different sectors in Francolí river basin. Climate change have already affected some elements of hydrological ecosystem services and that some are vulnerable in the Mediterranean river basins. Together these effects determine the need of a correct approach for water allocation system and the appropriate alternate water resources at a catchment level due to water scarcity.Parece ser que la región mediterránea esuna zona particularmente vulnerable al cambio global y climático. Este hecho provoca un descenso en el caudal anual de los ríos y que la zona sea más propensa a un aumento de las sequías y el estrés hídrico. Esta tesis es una aproximación a la cuantificación y el análisis de la cantidad de aguay de los servicios ecosistémicos hidrológicos en regiones templadas bajo cambios ambientales.Se desarrollaron los modelos de caudal hidrológico y servicios ecosistémicos hidrológicos (aprovisionamiento de agua) para una cuenca de río mediterráneo de bajo caudal (río Francolí) utilizando MIKE BASIN e InVEST respectivamente. También se evaluaron los cambios en el subministro del serviciode regulación (control de la erosión) en la cuenca del río Llobregat (NE de España), la cual está fuertemente humanizada, considerando los impactos del cambio climático (temperatura y precipitación). Además, se adaptó el Proceso Jerárquico Analítco (PJA) para solucionar el problema de la alternativa de disponibilidad de agua para diferentes sectores en la cuenca del río Francolí según múltiples criterios de decisión. El cambio climático ya ha causado impactosen algunos elementos de los servicios ecosistémicos hidrológicos que son vulnerables en las cuencas de ríos mediterráneos. Todos estosimpactos determinan que, debido a la escasez de agua, sea necesario un enfoque correcto para el sistema de asignación de agua y los recursos hídricos alternativos apropiados a nivel de cuenca.
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Watson, Stephen C. L. "The impact of multiple stressors on coastal biodiversity and associated ecosystem services." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/16817.
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Marine and coastal ecosystems are subject to diverse and increasingly intensive anthropogenic activities, making understanding cumulative effects critically important. However, accurately accounting for the cumulative effects of human impacts can be difficult, with the possibility of multiple stressors interacting and having greater impacts than expected, compounding direct and indirect effects on individuals, populations, communities and ecosystems. Assessment of multiple stressors therefore requires extensive scientific research that directly tests how single or multiple ecological components are affected by stressors, both singly and when combined, and as a consequence, cumulative effects assessments are now increasingly included in environmental assessments. Currently, there is a need to assess these at larger spatial scales, with additional research also urgently needed on the responses of ecological components, processes and functions to single and cumulative stressors. As cumulative environmental impacts could be better addressed by regional stressor effects assessments that combine methods for predicting multiple pressures on ecosystem recovery alongside degradation, this study used several separate approaches that can be used in parallel to give support for local management measures. I tested four completely different methods - a range of multi-metric indices, a food web model (Ecopath), a predictive model (Ecosim) and a Bayesian Belief Network model. Each approach was tested and compared in two shallow water estuarine systems, in Scotland and England, initially concerning the impact of nutrient enrichment and subsequent recovery and was followed by an investigation of how the addition of multiple stressors (nutrient levels, temperature and river-flow rates) would impact the future state of each system. The response to stressors was highly context dependent, varying between and within geographic locations. Overall, each of the four different approaches complemented each other and gave strong support for the need to make big reductions in the pressures and to consider trade-offs between impacting pressures. The models and tools also indicate that in order to reach an improved overall environmental state of each ecosystem, a focus on nutrient reductions are likely to be the most effective of the controls on stressors explored and that cumulative effects of the management of nutrient inputs and increased water temperatures and river-flow are likely to exist.
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Trubl, Gareth. "Pioneering Soil Viromics to Elucidate Viral Impacts on Soil Ecosystem Services." The Ohio State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1543425468999981.
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Hsu, Tsung-Ta David. "Public Health Ecosystem Services and Potential Concerns of Freshwater Wetlands." The Ohio State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1439487401.
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Lin, Meimei. "Ecosystem services in a rural landscape of southwest Ohio." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1354895156.
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Comte, Adrien. "Coral reefs ecosystem services under global environmental change : interdisciplinary approaches to guide science and action." Thesis, Brest, 2018. http://www.theses.fr/2018BRES0002/document.
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Les changements environnementaux globaux (CEG) menacent les écosystèmes marins et les populations humaines qui en dépendent. Une recherche scientifique croissante tente d’évaluer les impacts des changements environnementaux sur les écosystèmes et les services écosystémiques, notamment pour guider les politiques publiques. Focalisée sur les systèmes socio-écologiques (SSE) des récifs coralliens, cette thèse analyse les approches proposées dans la littérature et conçoit de nouvelles méthodologies, évaluations et indicateurs pour guider la science et l’action publique. Nous montrons qu’une stratégie de recherche régionale doit prendre en compte la complexité et produire de meilleures projections des impacts des CEG sur les récifs coralliens et les services associés. Nous cartographions des indicateurs à l’échelle globale pour évaluer où la dépendance des sociétés aux récifs coralliens sera affectée par les menaces globales dues à un niveau de CO2 élevé. Nous analysons comment la science répond aux impacts des CEG sur les récifs coralliens et nous identifions des pistes pour la recherche. Enfin, nous opérationnalisons une facette de la vulnérabilité, la capacité d’adaptation écologique, pour servir d’outil pour évaluer l’effectivité des actions locales dans un contexte de CEG. Ce manuscrit contribue à des avancées théoriques et méthodologiques sur l’évaluation des impacts, de la vulnérabilité et de l’adaptation aux CEG. Il développe des approches interdisciplinaires pour l’étude des SSE et des services écosystémiques, ciblant les récifs coralliens comme étude de cas. Enfin, il analyse l’émergence d’un champ scientifique sur les solutions aux GEC pour les récifs coralliensGlobal environmental change (GEC) in the ocean threatens marine ecosystems and the people who depend on them. A growing scientific effort is attempting to evaluate the impacts of environmental changes on ecosystems and ecosystem services and guide policy-making to respond to this global issue. Focusing on social-ecological systems of coral reefs, this thesis critically reviews the approaches put forward in the literature to understand gaps and to design new methodologies, assessments, and indicators to guide science and policy. Our findings show that a regionally targeted strategy of research should address complexity and provide more realistic projections about the impacts of GEC on coral reefs ecosystems and ecosystem services. We map global-scale indicators to understand where human dependence on coral reef ecosystems will be affected by globally-driven threats expected in a high-CO2 world. We then analyze how science is responding to the challenge posed by GEC on coral reefs and to identify gaps in research.Finally, we attempt to operationalize an overlooked component of vulnerability assessments, ecological adaptive capacity, to serve as a tool to help assess where local actions can be effective in the context of climate change. This manuscript contributes to theoretical and methodological advances to evaluate impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to GEC. It develops interdisciplinary approaches for the study of social-ecological systems and ecosystem services, targeting coral reefs as a case study. Finally, it synthesizes critically the emergence of a scientific field on solutions to GEC for coral reef social-ecological systems
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Hedman, Astrid. "Effects of land use on wetland carbon storage and ecosystem services in the tropics : A first estimation investing rural wetlands in central and eastern Uganda." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Institutionen för ekologi, miljö och geovetenskap, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-155860.
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Wetlands provide important ecosystem services (ES) by storing large amounts of organic carbon (OC) and being of high biological, cultural, and economical value. Uganda is covered by vast wetland areas but has with a booming population rapidly been decreasing due to pressure on lands. The aim of this report was to examine important socio-ecological dynamics of rural wetlands in relation to variations of land use in central and eastern Uganda. This by assessing above- (ABG) and belowground (BG) C stocks, soil pH, and capturing provisioning ES and related impacts on soil and vegetation. The methods involved initial spatial analysis followed by two field campaigns with collection of soil samples, biomass measurements and recordings of provisioning ES, following locally developed standardized methods. Laboratory soil analyses included bulk density, loss on ignition and pH. The results shows that the permanent wetland LUC classes store the most total ecosystem C (273.5 to 356.5 t C ha-1), with the BG pool being the largest. It further brings new insights to the much less studied seasonal wetlands that also proves to be an important C stock (331.1 t C ha-1) as well as providing essential ES. In line with previous research, the total ecosystem C and the provisioning ES of wetlands decreases with changing land use management (farmlands 185 to 209; grasslands 125; woodland 120 to 284 t C ha-1). Further knowledge of socio-ecological dynamics of wetlands is needed, especially in seasonal wetlands, to increase sustainable wetland management. This being urgently needed for many communities in Uganda that are dependent on agroecologically-based economies in close relation to wetland ES and vulnerable to climate variations.
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Hoyer, Robert Wesley. "Scenario Development and Analysis of Freshwater Ecosystem Services under Land Cover and Climate Change in the Tualatin and Yamhill River Basins, Oregon." PDXScholar, 2013. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/1512.
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Humans make decisions within ecosystems to enhance their well-being, but choices can lead to unintended consequences. The ecosystem services (ES) approach supports decision-making that considers all environmental goods and services. Many challenges remain in the implementation of the ES approach like how specific ES vary through space and time. We address this research problem using the Tualatin and Yamhill river basins in northwestern Oregon as a study area. Freshwater ES are quantified and mapped with the spatially-explicit ES modeling tool, Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST). In chapter II, we develop a simple urban land cover change modeling approach with selected stakeholder input. The products of this analysis are used in part to answer the question of how the freshwater ES of water yield, nutrient retention, and sediment retention will change in the future, and how their distribution potentially will change? In chapter III, these ES are modeled in InVEST using the land cover scenarios and three downscaled global climate models. The base period is 1981 to 2010 and the future period is 2036 to 2065. The models are calibrated to empirical estimates, and display different sensitivities to inputs. Water yield increases with higher rainfall but decreases with the highest temperature scenario. Nutrient export and retention estimates are positively correlated. In the Tualatin basin, more urban lands generally lead to increases in nutrient exports and retention. The effect is reversed in the Yamhill basin from much larger agricultural exports. Sediment exports and retention increase with higher winter rainfall but are negatively spatially correlated due to topographic effects. Simulation of a landscape scale installation of riparian buffers leads to decreases in exports and increases in retention. The distribution of the provision of freshwater ES remains unchanged throughout the scenarios. With few parameters in each InVEST model, all display a high degree of sensitivity. Parameterization is subject to high uncertainty even with calibrated values. We discuss the assumptions and limitations of InVEST's freshwater models. The spatially explicit nature of InVEST is its main advantage. This work coupled with other analyses in the study area can facilitate the identification of tradeoffs amongst ES leading to better ecosystem management.
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Nassirzadeh, Yazdi Arjang. "Urban agricultural practices within Stockholm -And their contribution to increase economical and ecological sustainability." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för design (DE), 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-105585.
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The paper reports on a study of how urban gardening can be implemented in the urban planning for the area, how urban gardening can be used as a tool for a more sustainable city, as well as to understand the role of cafes in encouraging the residents of the Stockholm, both directly and indirectly, to engage in sustainable consumption practices. This project will look at how urban gardening tools can be used within Stockholm to increase sustainable consumption practices. The final outcome, of which, will be a mobile herb garden that travels to different cafes in urban areas of Stockholm, with suggestions as to what could be included in the area to maximize the environmental and economical benefits. Through participatory design approach a range of urban gardening practices has been included in the suggested plans including mobile gardens, community gardens, and growing local foods to maximize the benefits for both the residents and the planet. As a designer and discerning consumers I tried to start to look beyond the pure surface in this project and reveal the potential of urbanization especially by looking closer at “what is” in this case, the impact of cafes can play on encouraging citizens to sustainable consumption and that can be shared as surplus in an urban area in central Stockholm which can be prototyped and be read as a case study to “ what if “.
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Thellmann, Kevin [Verfasser], and Folkard [Akademischer Betreuer] Asch. "Simulating the impact of land use change and climate change on the supply of ecosystem services in a rubber-dominated watershed in Southwestern China / Kevin Thellmann ; Betreuer: Folkard Asch." Hohenheim : Kommunikations-, Informations- und Medienzentrum der Universität Hohenheim, 2021. http://d-nb.info/1225397448/34.
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Stults, Shelby A. "Quantifying Environmental Services: A Spatial Analysis of Northern Guatemala." The Ohio State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1524062954466614.
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Mortoja, MD Golam. "Investigating the implications of peri-urbanisation on climate change risk: The cases of Brisbane and Dhaka." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2022. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/228181/1/MD%20Golam_Mortoja_Thesis.pdf.
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This thesis is a comparative study that investigates the implications of peri-urbanisation on climate change risk between developed and developing countries’ contexts by using a case study approach. The study first develops a modus operandi for demarcating peri-urban areas through unveiling the ambiguous characteristics of peri-urban areas. Afterwards, it identifies the implications of unidentified peri-urbanisation on climate change risk for developed and developing countries’ contexts. The overall findings of this doctoral study implicate that peri-urban areas have a strong significance in ensuring sustainable development and climate risk governance of metropolitan cities and regions.
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Sadauskis, Rolands. "Building resilience to climate-driven regime shifts." Thesis, Stockholms universitet, Stockholm Resilience Centre, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-64551.
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There is increasing concern about potential climate-driven regime shifts– large abrupt shifts in social-ecological systems that could have large impacts onecosystems services and human well-being. This paper aims to synthesize the potentialpathways for building resilience to such regime shifts. Ten examples from the RegimeShift Database provided the cases for analysis. Causal loop diagrams were used toanalyze feedback mechanisms at different scales and identify “leverage points” –places to intervene in the system in order to build resilience. Sixteen of these leveragepoints were identified, most of which relate to agricultural management. Mostfeedback mechanisms include at least one leverage point highlighting the potential forbuilding resilience to climate-induced regime shifts. The most common leverage pointsidentified in our analyses were vegetation cover, algae volume and atmospherictemperature. These leverage points were compared to mitigation strategies discussedby the IPCC. This comparison indicates that current climate change mitigationstrategies do not alter most of the leverage points directly. This suggests that IPCCstrategies should be broadened in order to reduce the risk of regime shifts, and theassociated impacts on human well-being.
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Zhang, Lulu. "Impact of Land Use and Climate Change on Hydrological Ecosystem Services (Water Supply) in the Dryland Area of the Middle Reaches of the Yellow River." Doctoral thesis, Saechsische Landesbibliothek- Staats- und Universitaetsbibliothek Dresden, 2015. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-qucosa-183409.
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Driven by many factors, the water supply services (streamflow and groundwater) of many rivers in the dryland area of China have declined significantly. This aggravates the inherent severe water shortages and results in increased severity in the water use conflicts that are threatening sustainable development in the region. Innovative strategies towards more water-efficient land management are vital for enhancing water quantity to ensure water supply security. A key step in the successful development and implementation of such measures is to understand the response of hydrological processes and related services to changes in land management and climate. To this end, it was decided to investigate these processes and responses in the upper reaches of the Jing River (Jinghe), an important meso-scale watershed in the middle reaches of the Yellow River on the Loess Plateau (NW China).
It has been shown that vegetation restoration efforts (planting trees and grass) are effective in controlling soil erosion on the Loess Plateau. Shifts in land cover/use lead to modifications of soil physical properties. Yet, it remains unclear if the hydraulic properties have also been improved by vegetation restoration. A better understanding of how vegetation restoration alters soil structure and related soil hydraulic properties, such as water conductivity and soil water storage capacity, is necessary. Three adjacent sites, with comparable soil texture, soil type, and topography but contrasting land cover (Black locust forest, grassland, and cropland), were investigated in a small catchment in the upstream Jinghe watershed (near Jingchuan, Gansu province). Seasonal variations of soil hydraulic properties in topsoil and subsoil were examined. Results revealed that the type of land use had a significant impact on field-saturated, near-saturated hydraulic conductivity, and soil water characteristics. Specifically, conversion from cropland to grass or forests promotes infiltration capacity as a result of increased saturated hydraulic conductivity, air capacity, and macroporosity. Moreover, conversion from cropland to forest tends to promote the formation of mesopores that increase soil water storage capacity. Tillage in cropland temporarily created well-structured topsoil, but also compacted subsoil, as indicated by low subsoil saturated hydraulic conductivity, air capacity, and plant available water capacity. An impact of land cover conversion on unsaturated hydraulic conductivities was not identified, indicating that changes in land cover do not affect functional meso- and microporosity. Changes in soil hydraulic properties and associated hydrological processes and services due to soil conservation efforts need to be considered, should soil conservation measures be implemented in water-limited regions for sustaining adequate water supply.
To differentiate between the impacts of land management and climate change on streamflow, the variation of annual streamflow, precipitation, potential evapotranspiration, and climatic water balance in a small catchment of the upstream Jinghe watershed (near Pingliang, Gansu province) was examined during the period of 1955 – 2004. During this time the relative contributions of changes in land management and climate to the reduction of streamflow were estimated. A statistically significant decreasing trend of -1.14 mm y-1 in annual streamflow was detected. Furthermore, an abrupt streamflow reduction due to afforestation and construction of terraces and check-dams was identified around 1980. Remarkably, 74% of the total reduction in mean annual streamflow can be attributed to the soil conservation measures. Among various conservation measures, streamflow could be considerably reduced by afforestation and terracing (including damland creation), due to their low contribution to water yield. In contrast, slope farmland and grassland can maintain a certain level of water supply services due to higher runoff coefficients. According to a meta-analysis of the published studies on the Loess Plateau, the impact of changes in land management on annual streamflow appears to diminish with increasing catchment size while the impact of climate change appears uniform across space. This means that there is a dependency between the catchment size and the response of hydrological processes to environmental change. At least at the local scale, it appears that well-considered land management may help to ensure the water supply services.
Due to limited surface water availability, groundwater is an essential water source for supporting ecosystem and socio-economic development in the dryland region. However, the groundwater process is susceptible and vulnerable to changes in climate and landscape (i.e., land cover and form) that in turn can result in profound adverse consequences on water supply services in water-limited regions. In addition, an improved understanding of the response of groundwater related processes to natural and artificial disturbances is likely to ensure more secure and more sustainable governance and management of such regions, as well as better options for adapting to climate change. Yet, this topic has seldom been researched, especially in areas that have already experienced large-scale alteration in landscape and are located in dryland regions, such as the Loess Plateau. Therefore, an investigation of the baseflow variation along the landscape change was conducted. The average annual baseflow has significantly decreased at catchment scale during the period of 1962 – 2002 without any obvious significant change in climate. At decadal scale, the reduction accounts for approximately 9% in the 1970s, 48% in the 1980s, and 92% in the 1990s, while the baseflow index declines averaging 5%, 16% and 67%, respectively. All of the monthly baseflow levels dropped at varying rates except in January, among which July was the most severe in terms of both magnitude (-4.17) and slope (-0.09 mm y-1). In perspective of landscape change, landform change (terrace and check-dam) tends to reduce baseflow by reallocation of surface fluxes and retention for crop growth causing limited deep drainage in other areas. Land cover change (i.e., afforestation) reduced the baseflow to a larger extent by enhanced evapotranspiration and thus hampered deep drainage as suggested by the soil moisture measurement underneath. The study indicates that knowledge about baseflow formation on catchment scale needs further improvement. Integrated soil conservation and water management for optimizing landscape structure and function in order to balance soil (erosion) and water (supply) related hydrological ecosystem services is vital.
The governing processes to the changes of water-supply-services-related hydrological process (e.g., streamflow) are assumed to be different across space. To this end, the factors controlling streamflow were investigated on both a small and large scale. Streamflow in small catchments was found to be mainly controlled by precipitation and land cover type. On a larger scale, evaporative demand was found to be another additional major driving force. Hydrological modeling is a frequently used tool for the assessment of impacts of land use and climate change on water balance and water fluxes. However, application of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model in the upstream Jinghe watershed was unsuccessful due to difficulties in calibration. The inability of the SWAT model to take the influence of terraces on steep slopes into consideration and the method how to calculate lateral flow were the main reasons for unsatisfactory calibration, at least for the current version of SWAT used in this study. Alternatively, Budyko’s frameworks were applied to predict the annual and long-term streamflow. However, the effect of changes in land management (e.g., afforestation) on streamflow could not be assessed due to a lack of vegetation factors. Therefore, an empirical analysis tool was derived based on an existing relationship for estimation. This method was found to be the most effective in reproducing the annual and long-term streamflow. The incorporation of temporal changes in land cover and form in the approach enables the estimation of the possible impact of soil conservation measures (e.g., afforestation or terracing). The importance of adaptive land management strategies for mitigating water shortage and securing the water supply services on the Loess Plateau was highlighted.
A cross-sectoral view of the multiple services offered by managed ecosystems at different spatial scales under changing environments needs to be integrated to improve adaptive land management policy. In a water limited environment, such as the Loess Plateau, multiple ecosystem services including hydrological services need to be balanced with minimum trade-offs. This can only be achieved when management is based on a holistic understanding of the interdependencies among various ecosystem services and how they might change under alternative land management.
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Sikder, Abu Hena Mustafa Kamal. "Analyzing Spatial Variability of Social Preference for the Everglades Restoration in the Face of Climate Change." FIU Digital Commons, 2016. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/2565.
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The South Florida Everglades is a unique ecosystem. Intensive water management in the system has facilitated agricultural, urban, and economic development. The Everglades offers a variety of ecosystem services (ES) to the people living in this region. Nevertheless, the ecosystem is under imminent threat of climate change, which would alter the way water is managed today and ultimately affect the ES offered by the system. On the other hand, substantial restoration is underway that aims to restore the Everglades closer to its historic condition. This research tried to map the public’s preference for Everglades restoration. Using a geocoded discrete-choice survey dataset, the study showed variation in the public’s preference by changing the levels of ES. Additionally, the general public’s attitude toward climate change risk to the Everglades and preference for mitigation were also assessed using the survey data.
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Correa, Macana Esmeralda. "Impactos potenciais da mudança climática no desenvolvimento humano : uma análise baseada na abordagem das capacitações." reponame:Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertações da UFRGS, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10183/15643.
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O objetivo principal desta dissertação é analisar como a mudança climática pode afetar o processo de desenvolvimento humano. Com esse objetivo, procurou-se identificar, caracterizar e sistematizar os impactos potenciais da mudança climática em dimensões relevantes do desenvolvimento humano, tais como: saúde, educação, meios de subsistência, segurança, valores culturais e relações sociais. O trabalho propõe uma estrutura analítica na qual se identificam relações diretas e indiretas entre os componentes climáticos e do bem-estar humano e definem-se mecanismos que interligam as duas áreas, sendo estes os recursos naturais de água, solo e biodiversidade, assim como os serviços dos ecossistemas. A análise realizada não foi restrita à realidade de um país, ao invés, foram associados elementos tendo em conta as evidências em nível global. O estudo foi baseado na abordagem de desenvolvimento humano fundamentada por Amartya Sen, a qual permitiu considerar um conjunto amplo de dimensões na avaliação do bem-estar, abrangendo as diversas formas em que as pessoas são e podem ser privadas de desfrutar uma vida que eles valoram devido à mudança climática. Através da estrutura analítica proposta neste trabalho e na investigação sistemática de dois corpos de literatura (respectivamente ambiental e de desenvolvimento humano), foi possível constatar que o processo de desenvolvimento humano está determinado pela expansão de aspectos multidimensionais, como funcionamento e capacitações, bem como meios e intitulamentos que podem aumentar ou diminuir dependendo a relação com os sistemas do meio ambiente, em especial, do sistema climático. As evidências analisadas demonstraram como as alterações do clima constituem um risco latente para o retrocesso do desenvolvimento humano e ampliação das privações humanas em todo o mundo, com desproporcionais efeitos em países pobres e em desenvolvimento. Por um lado, os choques climáticos ameaçam em diferentes caminhos (direta e indiretamente) os funcionamentos e capacitações das pessoas, como a saúde, a educação, os valores culturais e as relações sociais. Por outro lado, os choques climáticos restringem o desenvolvimento humano ao afetar e limitar os "meios e intitulamentos" necessários para o sustento das pessoas, através da redução da quantidade e qualidade da água, da produção agrícola, da alteração de atividades de pesca, redução de rendimentos econômicos, entre outras formas. Os maiores impactos são em áreas rurais, as quais concentram maior proporção de pobres. O exame de impactos levou em conta a interação com aspectos de vulnerabilidade pré-existente de cada país ou região, relacionados com a exposição definida pela localização geográfica, a sensibilidade de acordo com a dependência na agricultura e nos serviços dos ecossistemas e a capacidade de adaptação determinada por aspectos sociais, econômicos, institucionais, políticos e dotação dos recursos naturais.The main aim of this dissertation is to examine how climate change can affect the process of human development. In particular, it tries to identify, characterize and classify the potential impacts of climate change on relevant dimensions of human development, such as health, education, livelihoods, security, cultural values and social relations. The dissertation proposes an analytical structure in which it delves into direct and indirect relations between the components of the climate and well being, and set up mechanisms that link the two areas, which are the natural resources of water, soil and biodiversity as well as the ecosystem services. The analysis was not restricted to the particular realities of a given country, in contrast, it focused on evidence at a global level. This study is based on the vision of human development as characterized by the work of Amartya Sen, which enabled us to consider a wide range of dimensions in the assessment of well being, covering the various ways in which people are and can be deprived of enjoying a life that they value due to climate change. Through the analytical framework proposed in this paper and the systematic investigation of two bodies of literature (the environmental and human development), it was possible to see that the process of human development is determined by the expansion of multidimensional aspects, such as functionings and capabilities, as well as means and entitlements that may increase or decrease depending on the relation with the environment, especially the climate system. The analysis showed evidence such as that climate change is a latent risk to the setback of human development and expansion of human deprivation in the world, with disproportionate effect on poor and developing countries. The climatic shocks threaten in different ways (directly and indirectly) the functionings and capabilities of individuals, such as health, education, cultural values and social relations. Moreover, the climatic shocks restrict human development to affect and limit the "means and entitlements" necessary for the sustenance of the people, by reducing the quantity and quality of water, agricultural production, modification of fishing activities, reduction income, among other ways. The largest impacts are in rural areas, which concentrate the largest proportion of poor people. An examination of impacts took into account the interaction with aspects of pre-existing vulnerability of each country or region, associated with exposure defined by geographic location, according to the sensitivity of the dependence on agriculture and ecosystems services and the capacity of adaptation certain by social, economic, institutional, political and status of natural resources.
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Thorn, Jessica Paula Rose. "Ecosystem services, biodiversity and human wellbeing along climatic gradients in smallholder agro-ecosystems in the Terai Plains of Nepal and northern Ghana." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2016. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3319dafc-5b0c-436a-b653-a623fc3e8de4.
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Increasingly unpredictable, extreme and erratic rainfall with higher temperatures threatens to undermine the adaptive capacity of food systems and ecological resilience of smallholder landscapes. Despite growing concern, land managers still lack quantitative techniques to collect empirical data about the potential impact of climatic variability and change. This thesis aims to assess how ecosystem services and function and how this links with biodiversity and human wellbeing in smallholder agro-ecosystems in a changing climate. To this end, rather than relying on scenarios or probabilistic modelling, space was used as a proxy for time to compare states in disparate climatic conditions. Furthermore, an integrated methodological framework to assess ecosystem services at the field and landscape level was developed and operationalised, the results of which can be modelled with measures of wellbeing. Various multidisciplinary analytical tools were utilised, including ecological and socio-economic surveys, biological assessments, participatory open enquiry, and documenting ethnobotanical knowledge. The study was located within monsoon rice farms in the Terai Plains of Nepal, and dry season vegetable farms in Northern Ghana. Sites were selected that are climatically and culturally diverse to enable comparative analysis, with application to broad areas of adaptive planning. The linkages that bring about biophysical and human changes are complex and operate through social, political, economic and demographic drivers, making attribution extremely challenging. Nevertheless, it was demonstrated that within hotter and drier conditions in Ghana long-tongued pollinators and granivores, important for decomposition processes and pollination services, are more abundant in farms. Results further indicated that in cooler and drier conditions in Nepal, the taxonomic diversity of indigenous and close relative plant species growing in and around farms, important for the provisioning of ecosystem services, decreases. All other things equal, in both Nepal and Ghana findings indicate that overall human wellbeing may be adversely effected in hotter conditions, with a potentially significantly lower yields, fewer months of the year in which food is available, higher exposure to natural hazards and crop loss, unemployment, and psychological anxiety. Yet, surveys indicate smallholders continue to maintain a fair diversity of species in and around farms, which may allow them to secure basic necessities from provisioning ecosystem services. Moreover, farmers may employ adaptive strategies such as pooling labour and food sharing more frequently, and may have greater access to communication, technology, and infrastructure. Novel methodological and empirical contributions of this research offer predictive insights that could inform innovations in climate-smart agricultural practice and planning.
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Wagner, Sven, Susanna Nocentini, Franka Huth, and Marjanke Hoogstra-Klein. "Forest Management Approaches for Coping with the Uncertainty of Climate Change: Trade-Offs in Service Provisioning and Adaptability." Saechsische Landesbibliothek- Staats- und Universitaetsbibliothek Dresden, 2014. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-qucosa-147145.
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The issue of rapid change in environmental conditions under which ecosystem processes and human interventions will take place in the future is relatively new to forestry, whereas the provision of ecosystem services, e.g., timber or fresh water, is at the very heart of the original concept of forest management. Forest managers have developed ambitious deterministic approaches to provide the services demanded, and thus the use of deterministic approaches for adapting to climate change seem to be a logical continuation. However, as uncertainty about the intensity of climate change is high, forest managers need to answer this uncertainty conceptually. One may envision an indeterministic approach to cope with this uncertainty; but how the services will be provided in such a concept remains unclear. This article aims to explore the fundamental aspects of both deterministic and indeterministic approaches used in forestry to cope with climate change, and thereby point out trade-offs in service provisioning and adaptability. A forest owner needs to be able to anticipate these trade-offs in order to make decisions towards sustainable forest management under climate change.
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Handiso, Bisrat Woldemichael. "The challenges and Opportunities of the Grand Renaissance Dam for sustainable Energy - Water - Food - Ecosystem services Nexus in Ethiopia." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-360827.
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Ethiopia has been challenged by multidimensional poverty. However, it has the potential to minimize the threat through an integrated multipurpose development process. In this regard, hydropower has a significant role to reduce energy poverty and enhance the multipurpose use of natural resources efficiency. Hydropower is a source of clean, sustainable and renewable energy. It has a contribution to reducing carbon emission and maintaining environmental sustainability. In Ethiopia, it is the major source of electricity. The country is rich in natural resources, including water to produce energy, however, electricity supply is still uncertain. The data shows that the country has the potential to produce 50,000 MW energy from water resources. Yet, it exploited 3,822 MW in 2018, approximately 7.6 % of its potential. Moreover, the country faces issues with energy security. Additionally, water and food supply also face an uncertain future. In this case, the country has planned the growth and transformation plan I and II for 2015 and 2020 to increase the energy production to 10,000 MW and 17,000 MW energy respectively. Consequently, the government launched different multipurpose hydropower plant projects. This project focuses on the multipurpose use of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, particularly for the sustainable energy-water-food-ecosystem service nexus at the national level. I applied the combination of methods such as the energy-water-food-ecosystem nexus, the SWOT analysis and the sustainability assessment as they are suitable for the complexity of such a project. Indeed, the GERD has benefits for the country in producing renewable and clean energy, generating income and increasing the water storage capacity at the national level. However, the project neglected the values of ecosystem services integration with the dam and its sectors. As a result, the dam affected the existed terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystem. Therefore, the GERD had not been the well-prepared plan that considers institutional cooperation and sectoral integration to use for multipurpose function and its sustainability. In these regards, unless the dam to take proper management of the project and natural resources, the hydropower plant would not have been generating sustainable energy production.The paper shows that how to use the reservoir hydropower plant for multipurpose, such as for energy, water, food, ecosystem services integration at local level
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Beichler, Simone [Verfasser], and Jörg [Akademischer Betreuer] Knieling. "Understanding social-ecological systems under climate change – Exploring the ecosystem service concept towards an integrated vulnerability assessment / Simone Beichler ; Betreuer: Jörg Knieling." Hamburg : HafenCity Universität Hamburg, 2017. http://d-nb.info/1144955548/34.
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Heubes, Jonathan [Verfasser], Rüdiger Akademischer Betreuer] Wittig, and Georg [Akademischer Betreuer] [Zizka. "Modelling the impact of future climate and land use change on vegetation patterns, plant diversity and provisioning ecosystem services in West Africa / Jonathan Heubes. Gutachter: Rüdiger Wittig ; Georg Zizka." Frankfurt am Main : Univ.-Bibliothek Frankfurt am Main, 2012. http://d-nb.info/1044093838/34.
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Tashev, Azamat. "Understanding Ecosystem Services through Organizational Analysis: Application to the Truckee-Carson River System." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1515072255449453.
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Dejan, Stojanović. "Uticaj klimatskih promena na vezivanje ugljenika, rast i biodiverzitet bukovih šuma u Srbiji." Phd thesis, Univerzitet u Novom Sadu, Prirodno-matematički fakultet u Novom Sadu, 2014. https://www.cris.uns.ac.rs/record.jsf?recordId=86412&source=NDLTD&language=en.
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Prognoze Međuvladinog panela o klimatskim promenama govore da će prostor Jugoistočne Evrope biti pod snažnim uticajem izmenjenih klimatskih uslova u 21. veku. Očekuje se da će leta biti toplija i suvlja sa više ekstremnih događaja i temperaturama koje mogu u proseku porasti i za čak 3,8°C, što predstavlja veliki izazov za šumarstvo. Da bi se odgovorilo na taj izazov neophodno je načiniti i sprovesti adekvatne mere adaptacije, što bi značilo prilagođavanje mera gazdovanja šumama novonastlim ekološkim uslovima. Jedan od značajnih alata u tom prilagođavanju predstavljaju različiti modelarski pristupi. U ovoj disertaciji su upotrebljene najsavremenije metode modeliranja uticaja klimatskih promena na šume. Radi se o pionirskom istraživanje koje je prvo takve vrste u regionu. Dva različita metodska pristupa, vezanih za distribuciju, rast, adaptivno i multifunkcionalno gazdovanja bukovim šumama u Srbiji u klimatskim uslovima 21. veka su uputila na nekoliko najbitnijih rezultata i zaključaka. Izmenjeni klimatski uslovi će imati uticaj na rast i distribuciju bukovih šuma u 21. veku na osnovu simulacija sa 4C modelom i predikcija pomoću Elenbergovog koeficijenta. Na kraju simuliranog perioda 2001-2030 pomoću 4C modela zabeležene su veće zapremine za devet sastojina monodominantnih bukovih šuma u odnosu na referentni period 1961-1990, dok su zapremine na kraju perioda 2071-2100 po pravilu bile veće ili slične referentnom period. Simulacije u period 2001-2030 su proseku imale najveće godišnje priraste i najviše mrtvog drveta, a one u period 1961-1990 najmanje. Najbolje rezultate za vezivanje ugljenika i očuvanje biodiverziteta je pokazao scenario gazdovanja u kojem nije bilo intervencija. Suprotno tome, najviše prinosa drveta je zabeleženo u scenarijima sa najintenzivnijim intervencijama. U adaptivnom multifunkcionalnom gazdovanju bukovim šumama za scenarija preferencija koje su kreirale tri grupe zainteresovanih strana (Uprava za šume, sektor zaštite prirode i JP „Srbijašume“) pokazalo se da gazdovanje koje podrazumeva češće zahvate (pet godina između seča) daje bolje rezultate u odnosu scenarija koji podrazumevaju desetogodišnje intervale. Scenariji gazdovanja u kojima su posečena visoka stabla su pokazale bolje rezultate u multifunkcionalnom gazdovanju u odnosu na scenarija gde su sečena niža stabla u istom zapreminskom odnosu za sva scenarija preferencija zainteresovanih strana. Elenbergov koeficijent je pokazao dobru prediktivnu sposobnost za određivanje donje granice distribucije bukovih šuma u Srbiji. Do kraja 21. veka okvirno 90% današnjih bukovih šuma će se naći izvan bioklimatske ekološke niše u kojoj su bili u 20. veku, dok će se 50% naći u zoni u kojoj je zabeležen njen masovni mortalitet u Mađarskoj. Izračunate granice EQ su bile nešto niže od dobijenih u sličnim studijama u region što implicira striktan regionalni i lokalni pristup problem. Poređenje rezultata simulacija sa 4C modelom i EQ za posmatranih devet sastojina je pokazalo različite trendove vezano za rast (distribuciju) bukovih šuma u Srbiji do kraja 21. veka. 4C model je predvideo poboljšanje uslova, dok je EQ predvideo pogoršanje uslova. Iz tog razloga potrebna su dalja kontinuirana dugoročna istraživanja bukovih šuma kako bi smo dobili pouzdaniju osnovu za procenu budućeg rasprostranjenja, rasta i planiranja gazdovanja ovim šumama u budućnosti.Predictions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change suggest that the region of Southeast Europe will be strongly influenced by the altered climate conditions in 21 century. It is expected that the summers will be hotter and drier with more extreme events and temperatures that can rise on average as much as 3.8 °C. That is a big challenge for forestry. To respond to this challenge it is necessary to make and implement appropriate adaptation measures which would mean adapting forest management practice to changed environmental conditions. Different models are one of the important tools which can be used in this purpose. In this dissertation state-of-the art methods for calculating the impact of climate change on forests have been applied. This is a pioneering work and the first of its kind in the region. Two different methodological approaches, related to the distribution, growth, adaptive and multifunctional management of European beech forests in Serbia has been performed and provided following results and conclusions. Changed climatic conditions will have an impact on the growth and distribution of beech forests in 21st century based on simulations with the 4C model and predictions of Ellenberg’s climate quotient (EQ). At the end of the simulated period 2001-2030 higher volumes were recorded for the nine beech stands in comparison to the reference period 1961 to 1990, while the volume at the end of the period 2071-2100 were higher or similar to the reference period. Simulations in the period 2001-2030 have had the greatest average annual increment and the biggest amount of dead wood. The best results for carbon sequestration and biodiversity were provided by management scenario in which there were no management measures. In contrast, the highest yield of timber is recorded in the scenarios with the most intensive management measures. The adaptive multifunctional management of beech forests including three scenarios of preferences’ (Forest Directorate , Nature Protection Sector and Public Enterprise "Srbijašume" ) suggested that management measures that involved more frequent interventions (five years between felling) givesbetter results than scenario which include a ten-year periods. Scenarios in which higher trees are cut provide better results than scenario where the lower trees are cut. EQ showed good predictive capability for determining the lower (xeric) limit of the distribution of beech forests in Serbia. By the end of 21st century, approximately 90 % of today's beech forests will be found outside the bioclimatic niches in which they were in the 20th century, while the 50 % of them will be in the zone in which their mass mortality is observed in Hungary. Calculated EQ beech threshold distribution for Serbia were slightly lower than in similar studies in the region (Hungary) , which implies strict regional and local approach to the problem. Comparison of simulated results with the 4C model and EQ for nine stands showed different trends related to growth (distribution) of beech forests in Serbia by the end of 21st century. 4C model predicted improvement of environmental conditions, while the EQ predicted their worsening. For this reason, continuing long-term studies of beech forests are needed in order to get a more reliable basis for estimating future distribution, growth and planning of forest management in the future.
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Gomez, Maria. "Modeling Coastal Vulnerability for Insight into Mangrove and Coral Reef Conservation Efforts in Cuba." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2018. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/7562.
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Cuba’s expansive coral reefs and mangrove habitats provide a variety of ecosystem services to coastal communities including nursery grounds for fisheries, shoreline stability, and storm and flood protection. While Cuba’s coastal habitats are some of the most preserved in the Caribbean, they are under increasing threat of degradation from the impacts of climate change, increased tourism, and coastal development. With the goal of sustainable development, Cubans need to assess the storm and flood protection benefits these coastal habitats provide, and integrate this information into future expansion and management plans within the National Protected Areas System (SNAP). Using the open source software, Integrated Valuation on Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST), a national-scale coastal vulnerability model was developed to provide quantitative estimates of coastal exposure and the protective role of coastal habitats during storm events. This model integrates storm information with bathymetry and coastline geomorphology, coupled with coastal habitat data to estimate the influence of these habitats in reducing vulnerability to storms and flooding. By combining these results with human population data, the model identifies where coastal communities are most vulnerable to wave energy and storm surge, and where coral reefs and mangroves provide the most protection by reducing impacts to these communities. We classify these regions as areas of conservation priority. We observed that fifty percent of the areas identified as areas of conservation priority lack any form of environmental protection. We recommend including these key habitats within the National System of Protected Areas. This will permit decision makers to more effectively concentrate restoration and conservation efforts in areas where people and natural resources will experience greater benefit from valuable ecological services.
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Grönlund, Müller Molly. "The Price of Protecting Forests : Assessing REDD+ Performance in Collaborative Governance in Vietnam." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Statsvetenskapliga institutionen, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-162524.
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The UNFCCC initiated mechanism Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) is an important policy instrument for combating climate change, using payments to create economic incentives for developing countries to preserve their forests. However, there is a need for closer scrutiny of whether the mechanism is able to generate its intended outputs and outcomes. The study assessed REDD+ productivity performance in collaborative governance using an instrumental case study of a Collaborative Governance Regime (CGR), the CarBi project in Vietnam. The assessment was based on Emerson and Nabatchi’s productivity performance matrix encompassing three units of analysis - the Participant Organisations, the CGR and the Target Goals. The study was conducted as a Minor Field Study (MFS) using in-depth interviews, complemented with official documents. The findings showed that progress was made in achieving target goals such as forest restoration and enhanced biodiversity, but that REDD+ was not adapted to suit the CGR’s need for stable payments and was not financially feasible to implement in a conservation focused project. Instead, outputs and outcomes were sustained as a result of the transition to the national Payment for Forest Ecosystem Services (PFES). However, the REDD+ safeguards, supporting the inclusion of local communities and indigenous peoples, were lost in the transition and PFES reliance on funding from hydropower dams posed both environmental and social challenges to CGR sustainability.
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Kleemann, Janina [Verfasser]. "An expert‐based ecosystem services assessment under land use and land cover changes and different climate scenarios in northern Ghana, West Africa : [kumulative Dissertation] / Janina Kleemann." Halle, 2018. http://d-nb.info/117316331X/34.
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William, Apollinaire. "Smallholder Farmers, Environmental Change and Adaptation in a Human-Dominated Landscape in the Northern Highlands of Rwanda." Antioch University / OhioLINK, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1527182117011253.
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Baier, Camilla. "Integration of ecosystem-based adaptation measures in urban planning : Insights from Copenhagen and Malmö." Thesis, KTH, Hållbar utveckling, miljövetenskap och teknik, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-284343.
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A key challenge for sustainable urban development is to deal with the effects of climate change. To approach this issue, ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA), i.e. the use of ecosystem services for climate adaptation, has been promoted by both scholars and practitioners. In this context, the thesis addresses two research questions: how EbA is included in strategic climate adaptation planning and how EbA is implemented in practice. To tackle these topics, the study uses a multiple case study design, where the process from strategic planning to its implementation is investigated in two Northern European cities: Copenhagen and Malmö. To collect in-depth data, qualitative methods were used: a document analysis and semi-structured interviews with planning officials were conducted. The findings of the study show that there is a high degree of awareness of the different EbA measures, their potential role to address climate change effects and their co-benefits in climate adaptation plans. However, the practical implementation of the plans was executed only at a project-based scale to address some climate change impacts rather than holistically and on a regional level. The main EbA measure that was used was the expansion and transformation of public green space. The thesis concludes that a more comprehensive approach concerning the use of EbA is needed and further mainstreaming is highly required.En viktig utmaning för hållbar stadsutveckling är att adressera effekterna av de stundande klimatförändringar. För att ta sig an denna fråga har användningen av ekosystembaserad anpassning (EbA), dvs. användningen av ekosystemtjänster för klimatanpassning, främjats av både forskare och utövare. I detta sammanhang behandlar studien två forskningsfrågor: hur EbA ingår i strategisk klimatanpassningsplanering och hur EbA implementeras i praktiken. Studien innehåller en fallstudie- design, där processen från strategisk planering till dess genomförande undersöks i två nordeuropeiska städer: Köpenhamn och Malmö. För att samla in data användes två kvalitativa metoder: en dokumentanalys och semistrukturerade intervjuer med tjänstepersoner på kommuner. Resultaten från studien visar att det finns en hög grad av medvetenhet om de olika EbA åtgärderna, deras potentiella roll för att hantera klimatförändringseffekter och deras synergier i klimatanpassningsplaner. Det praktiska genomförandet av planerna utfördes endast i en projektbaserad skala för att ta med vissa klimatförändringseffekter snarare än på ett holistiskt vis och på en större regional nivå. Den viktigaste EbA åtgärden som användes var utbyggnaden eller omvandlingen av de offentliga grönytorna. Sammanfattningsvis har studien visat på att det finns behov av ett mer heltäckande tillvägagångssätt och ytterligare integrering beträffande användandet av EbA krävs.
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Zhang, Lulu [Verfasser], Karl-Heinz [Akademischer Betreuer] Feger, Yanhui [Akademischer Betreuer] Wang, and Kai [Akademischer Betreuer] Schwärzel. "Impact of Land Use and Climate Change on Hydrological Ecosystem Services (Water Supply) in the Dryland Area of the Middle Reaches of the Yellow River / Lulu Zhang. Betreuer: Karl-Heinz Feger ; Yanhui Wang. Gutachter: Karl-Heinz Feger ; Yanhui Wang ; Kai Schwärzel." Dresden : Saechsische Landesbibliothek- Staats- und Universitaetsbibliothek Dresden, 2015. http://d-nb.info/1078839859/34.
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Fox, John Tyler. "Spatiotemporal Patterns and Drivers of Surface Water Quality and Landscape Change in a Semi-Arid, Southern African Savanna." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/81462.
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The savannas of southern Africa are a highly variable and globally-important biome supporting rapidly-expanding human populations, along with one of the greatest concentrations of wildlife on the continent. Savannas occupy a fifth of the earth's land surface, yet despite their ecological and economic significance, understanding of the complex couplings and feedbacks that drive spatiotemporal patterns of change are lacking. In Chapter 1 of my dissertation, I discuss some of the different theoretical frameworks used to understand complex and dynamic changes in savanna structure and composition. In Chapter 2, I evaluate spatial drivers of water quality declines in the Chobe River using spatiotemporal and geostatistical modeling of time series data collected along a transect spanning a mosaic of protected, urban, and developing urban land use. Chapter 3 explores the complex couplings and feedbacks that drive spatiotemporal patterns of land cover (LC) change across the Chobe District, with a particular focus on climate, fire, herbivory, and anthropogenic disturbance. In Chapter 4, I evaluated the utility of Distance sampling methods to: 1) derive seasonal fecal loading estimates in national park and unprotected land; 2) provide a simple, standardized method to estimate riparian fecal loading for use in distributed hydrological water quality models; 3) answer questions about complex drivers and patterns of water quality variability in a semi-arid southern African river system. Together, these findings have important implications to land use planning and water conservation in southern Africa's dryland savanna ecosystems.Ph. D.
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Meeteren, Maartje Johanna Maria van. "Heathland ecosystem functioning under climate change." [S.l. : Amsterdam : s.n.] ; Universiteit van Amsterdam [Host], 2005. http://dare.uva.nl/document/78861.
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Bubendorfer, Alwin. "Adoption of effective improved cookstoves in sub-Sahara Africa: case study in the Arua District." Thesis, KTH, Energi och klimatstudier, ECS, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-104461.
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In rural areas of least developed countries, the preparation of meals remains the predominant energy consuming activity. Cooking is mostly performed with firewood – using the ancient “technology” of the 3-stone fire. This practice results in numerous challenges that hinder the transformation envisioned by the Millennium Development Goals and it therefore contributes towards slowing the development of rural areas. Activities focussing on amending this status-quo can be termed insufficient in scope- and sustainability. The main deficiencies of most projects are that the prime focus of the mainstream of these endeavours has been on demand side management, mainly performed by disseminating cookstoves, and that there has been little innovation in respect to raising stove adoption rates. As the strict efficiency focus obviously only captures one side of the problem – merely focussing on treating symptoms rather than providing an effective solution, this thesis stresses the need for a paradigm shift towards more holistic interventions. This work very much focuses on the topic of stove adoption. This is a complex topic - very much linked to attaining behavioural change. Deliberations concluded that the identification of enabling factors for adoption, which can be termed a prerequisite for developing sustainable methods for stove projects, requires a mix of instruments. To suffice the required data demand the initial literature review was complemented by a thorough assessment of the kitchen environment and the cooking behaviour of stove owners. The fieldwork concentrated on 210 beneficiaries of an efficient cookstove project. The applied methods included interviews, observations and pictorial documentation. As a remedy to the challenges and current shortcomings identified during field work and literature review, the author herein develops a novel and more holistic implementation strategy for stove projects – the so- called 3-Step approach. This is based on the simultaneous implementation of availing cookstoves, building capacity in respect to kitchen management, as well as performing small-scale household level tree planting. The research, which further encompassed the piloting of the 3-Step approach, led to the overall conclusion that the proposed increase in project scope holds a multitude of opportunities for improving the livelihoods of the rural target groups. The main impact of this innovative strategy lies in a decrease of average transaction costs as well as in a considerable increase in project sustainability. As will be extensively elaborated, the former is achieved by a more effective utilisation of the extensive infrastructure of trained artisans. The latter refers to the expected income increase on household level, as well as to improvements in environmental- and human health. In combination these enable rural communities to better adapt to climate change.
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A'Bear, Andrew Donald. "Climate change, fungus-invertebrate interactions and ecosystem processes." Thesis, Cardiff University, 2014. http://orca.cf.ac.uk/58513/.
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Saprotrophic fungi are the main agents of primary decomposition and nutrient cycling in woodland ecosystems. Powerful enzymatic capabilities enable then to break down the most recalcitrant components of wood and leaf litter, such as lignin and cellulose. Nutrients are retained by dynamic networks of mycelium, which are vulnerable to grazing by soil invertebrates. The studies reported in this thesis employed laboratory microcosm, mesocosm and field manipulations to further mechanistic understanding of climate change effects on basidiomycete fungal-dominated woodland decomposer community dynamics and ecosystem processes. Increased mycelial growth at elevated temperature can be prevented by collembola grazing in soil microcosms. The strength of this top-down effect varied with fungal palatability, which had a bottom-up effect on collembola populations and their responses to warming. A mesocosm multispecies collembola population was more strongly regulated by the bottom-up effect of inoculation with cord-forming fungi than climate change (warming, in combination with soil wetting or drying). Collembola can graze fungal cords, but thickness and chemical defences make them less palatable than soil microfungi, which are outcompeted by basidiomycete mycelia. In the absence of fungal biomass limitation by collembola, abiotic conditions regulated microbial community functioning. Warming stimulated fungal-mediated wood decomposition, particularly in drier soils. Moisture was the most important determinant of enzyme activity and displayed an interaction with temperature analogous to that for wood decay. Macro-invertebrates, such as woodlice, are better able to exploit nutritious, but thick and defensive, fungal cords. The consequences of macro-invertebrate grazing for fungal-dominated microbial community function were tested in a field manipulation of woodlouse (Oniscus asellus, Isopoda) population densities, predicted to increase due to climate warming. This provides the first evidence for bottom-up effects of fungal palatability on woodlouse populations. Body lipid analysis revealed fungi as a major component of the generalist woodlouse diet. Despite low population densities at the site, altered O. asellus abundance influenced aspects of microbial community functioning. The importance of biotic effects on decomposition may be more heterogeneous than abiotic influences, depending on microbial community dominance and the abundance of key macro-invertebrate taxa.
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Villa, Betancur Jorge Andres. "Carbon Dynamics of Subtropical Wetland Communities in South Florida." The Ohio State University, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1395368389.
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Fortune, Faeeza. "The impact of climate change and climate variability on coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics." University of the Western Cape, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/6666.
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Magister Artium - MAThis thesis investigates the influence of climate change and climatic variability on wetland ecosystems (coastal and inland wetlands) on the Agulhas coastal plain. Firstly, this research examines coastal wetland ecosystem resilience to sea level rise by modelling sea level rise trajectories for the Droё River wetland. The rate of sediment accretion was modelled relative to IPCC sea level rise estimates for multiple RCP scenarios. For each scenario, inundation by neap and spring tide and the 2-, 4- and 8-year recurrence interval water level was modelled over a period of 200 years. When tidal variation is considered, the rate of sediment accretion exceeds rising sea levels associated with climate change, resulting in no major changes in terms of inundation. When sea level rise scenarios were modelled in conjunction with the recurrence interval water levels, flooding of the coastal wetland was much greater than current levels for the 1 in 4 and 1 in 8 year events. The study suggests that for this wetland, variability of flows may be a key factor contributing to wetland resilience. Secondly, the thesis examines the variability of open wetland water surface areas and their relation to rainfall to determine wetland hydrological inputs for the Nuwejaars wetland system and respective wetlands. A remote sensing approach was adopted, Landsat 5 TM and 8 OLI multispectral imagery were used to detect changes of water surfaces for the period 1989 to 2017. Water surfaces were enhanced and extracted using the Modified Normalized Difference Water Index of Xu (2006). The coefficient of variation of wetland water surface area was determined. The variability ranges from low to high for respective wetlands. A correlation analysis of wetland water surfaces and local and catchment rainfall for the preceding 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 24 months was undertaken. The preceding month and associated inputs explains the annual variability of surface waters. The study suggests that, the variability of wetland water surface area are related to variations to water inputs and groundwater, as well as variations in water outputs such as evapotranspiration and an outlet channel.
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Lauria, Valentina. "Impacts of climate change and fisheries on the Celtic Sea ecosystem." Thesis, University of Plymouth, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/1166.
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Climate change and fisheries have affected marine environments worldwide leading to impacts on ecosystem structure and functioning. However there is clear evidence of spatial variability in the response of these impacts both within and among marine ecosystems. Although several studies have tried to explain the effect of these impacts on marine food webs, it is unclear how they interact, and how they may affect marine ecosystems remains an important unanswered question. This suggests the urgent need for multiple-trophic level and ecosystem-based management approaches to account for both fisheries and climate change impacts at ocean basins across the globe. Marine apex predators, such as seabirds, are vulnerable to the effects of both climate and fishing impacts, and can be used as reliable and sensitive bio-indicators of the status of the marine ecosystem. The Celtic Sea ecosystem is a productive shelf region in the Northeast Atlantic. It is characterized by high fish and invertebrate biodiversity. In addition, internationally important numbers of seabirds, such as Northern gannet Morus bassanus (L.), Manx shearwater Puffinus puffinus (B.), Common guillemot Uria aalge (P.) and Black-legged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla (L.), breed along the Celtic Sea coasts. In recent years, fisheries from across Europe have intensively exploited the Celtic Sea, leading to changes in stock structure. Moreover, the increase in annual average Sea Surface Temperature by 0.67 oC over the past two decades has altered the composition of plankton communities. These impacts, independently and in tandem, are likely to have had dramatic effects upon the Celtic Sea food web emphasizing the need to enhance our understanding of this important marine ecosystem. In this thesis the effects of climate change and fisheries on the Celtic Sea pelagic food web are evaluated, in particular focussing on the response of seabird populations. This is in part because of recent declines in the breeding success of many seabird colonies in the northeast Atlantic, particularly around the North Sea. Long-term data across four trophic levels (phytoplankton, zooplankton, mid-trophic level fish and seabirds) and different modelling approaches are used to determine factors influencing seabird productivity at different geographical scales. First, I review the direct and indirect effects of climate change and fisheries upon marine ecosystems, as well as their impacts upon marine birds. Second, I use data collected during 1986-2007 from a single seabird colony, across four trophic levels, to investigate long-term direct and indirect climate effects. The results suggest only a weak climate signal in the Celtic Sea, and this is only evident between mid-trophic level fish and certain species of seabird. Third, a similar multi-trophic level approach across three nearby regions in the southwest UK (Irish Sea, Celtic Sea, and English Channel) reveal no evidence of a bottom-up signal during the period 1991-2007. These findings are in contrast with the nearby North Sea region, where a strong bottom-up effect was found to affect seabird populations, highlighting the importance of regional-based studies across multiple trophic levels. Finally, to provide a more complete picture of the Celtic Sea, and how it might respond to changes in fisheries management and climatic variation, I use the complex tropho-dynamic ecosystem model Ecopath with Ecosim. The main focus is on how seabird biomass changes in response to the application of different fisheries regimes likely to be implemented under forthcoming reforms to the Common Fisheries Policy (e.g. the application of quotas and discard bans), as well as future climate change scenarios, in order to provide guideline support for resource management and seabird conservation in the Celtic Sea. The results suggest that some seabird guilds (gulls and some other scavengers) may be negatively affected by a reduction in discards, while other species (offshore divers) will benefit from a decrease in the fishing of pelagic fish species. Climate change is likely to have a negative impact across all trophic levels with a strong negative impact upon seabird populations. Therefore seabirds are likely to show species-specific responses to both climate variation (bottom-up effect) and changes in fishing practices, in particular our findings suggest that for some species climate may outweigh the fisheries impacts even when fisheries pressure is reduced by 50%. In summary, this study suggests that despite the generally negative impact of climate described for some regions in the Northeast Atlantic, the Celtic Sea ecosystem seems to be more resilient. However, both climate and fisheries and the interactions between these factors should be taken into account in the formulation of future management plans for the Celtic Sea ecosystem. The use of multiple-trophic level and ecosystem-based approaches over multiple spatial and temporal scales has helped to elucidate possible trophic mechanisms that are the response to future fishing and climate impacts in the Celtic Sea. The results of this study could have implications for both management plans and conservation policy.
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Iacob, Oana. "Natural flood management : an ecosystem based adaptation response for climate change." Thesis, University of Dundee, 2015. https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/d0a9eb21-dbcb-40a0-ab5f-b36ca2e94041.
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Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing civil society. Scientific evidence indicates the likelihood of greater variability and more frequent extremes of temperature and precipitation which will result in increased flood risk and corresponding social, economic and environmental impacts. Complementing more traditional structurally-based engineering interventions, an important additionaladaptation strategy is through natural flood management (NFM). NFM seeks to utilise natural processes (i.e. by promoting higher infiltration through land management practices) to attenuate flood peaks. Such measures have wider significance in the context of Ecosystem based Adaptation (EbA), to deliver highly beneficial solutions as they provide important benefits in relation to runoff rates but also in terms of wider environmental aspects (e.g. water quality, biodiversity). The present study used a holistic approach to evaluate the effectiveness of NFM options in reducing the flood risk for the current and future climate with a consideration also for the wider delivery of ecosystem services. Tarland Burn catchment (NE Scotland) was used as a platform to explore individual adaptation options through woodland expansion (distinguishing between coniferous and deciduous) and drainage schemes, together with land use scenarios that explore emergent socio-economic contexts. The distributed hydrological model WaSiM-ETH was utilised for the analysis linking land management options with climate projections obtained from UK Climate Projections (UKCP09). Modelling results showed that the magnitude of extreme weather events is expected to increase up to the end of the century with important implications for climate adaptation strategies. Woodland expansion could help attenuate the high flows, with the benefit for flood protection significantly higher for coniferous woodland compared to deciduous woodland and up to 1.5 more if woodland is located in lowland areas. However, modelling results suggested that there are potential negative impacts of afforestation on low flows (and hence water quality) which could exacerbate existing vulnerabilities. This may become an even greater issue in the future as summers are predicted to be drier and warmer. Improving the efficiency of the drainage network was seen to reduce the high flows, though the results are marginal for the winter when most floods occur. Modelling results suggested that climate change will eventually exceed the capacity of beneficial land use change by itself (through NFM measures) to avoid significant changes on catchment hydrology. This has important implications as other complementary engineered solutions may therefore be required to counteract the adverse impacts of climate change on flood risk. Moreover, the EbA assessments results indicated that NFM options may not always be ‘win-win’ solutions as commonly advertised (McShane et al., 2011). Instead trade-offs between the delivery of different services may be required and decisions should be aimed at maximizing benefits whilst minimizing the disbenefits. This novel approach highlighted that land use change should be carefully managed and the choices about land use and flood risk should always have at their core an enhancement of landscape resilience, particularly at the catchment scale.