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Tschikof M, Stammel B, Weigelhofer G, Bondar-Kunze E, Costea G, Pusch M, Srdević Z, Benka P, Vizi DB, Borgs T, Hein T. Cross-scale and integrative prioritization of multi-functionality in large river floodplains. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 358:120899. [PMID: 38636421 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
Floodplains provide an extraordinary quantity and quality of ecosystem services (ES) but are among the most threatened ecosystems worldwide. The uses and transformations of floodplains differ widely within and between regions. In recent decades, the diverse pressures and requirements for flood protection, drinking water resource protection, biodiversity, and adaptation to climate change have shown that multi-functional floodplain management is necessary. Such an integrative approach has been hampered by the various interests of different sectors of society, as represented by multiple stakeholders and legal principles. We present an innovative framework for integrated floodplain management building up on ES multi-functionality and stakeholder involvement, forming a scientifically based decision-support to prioritize adaptive management measures responding at the basin and local scales. To demonstrate its potential and limitations, we applied this cross-scaled approach in the world's most international and culturally diverse basin, the Danube River Basin in Europe. We conducted large-scale evaluations of anthropogenic pressures and ES capacities on the one hand and participatory modelling of the local socio-ecohydrological systems on the other hand. Based on our assessments of 14 ES and 8 pressures, we recommend conservation measures along the lower and middle Danube, restoration measures along the upper-middle Danube and Sava, and mitigation measures in wide parts of the Yantra, Tisza and upper Danube rivers. In three case study areas across the basin, stakeholder perceptions were generally in line with the large-scale evaluations on ES and pressures. The positive outcomes of jointly modelled local measures and large-scale synergistic ES relationships suggest that multi-functionality can be enhanced across scales. Trade-offs were mainly present with terrestrial provisioning ES at the basin scale and locally with recreational activities. Utilizing the commonalities between top-down prioritizations and bottom-up participatory approaches and learning from their discrepancies could make ecosystem-based management more effective and inclusive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Tschikof
- Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Barbara Stammel
- Floodplain Institute Neuburg, Catholic University Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Schloss Grünau, 86633 Neuburg/Donau, Germany; University of Applied Science Erfurt, Leipziger Straße 77, 99085 Erfurt, Germany
| | - Gabriele Weigelhofer
- Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria; WasserCluster Lunz, Dr. Kupelwieser-Promenade 5, 3293 Lunz am See, Austria
| | - Elisabeth Bondar-Kunze
- Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria; Christian Doppler Laboratory for Meta Ecosystem Dynamics in Riverine Landscapes - Research for Sustainable River Management, Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
| | - Gabriela Costea
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Department of Community and Ecosystem Ecology, Müggelseedamm 301, 12587 Berlin, Germany
| | - Martin Pusch
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Department of Community and Ecosystem Ecology, Müggelseedamm 301, 12587 Berlin, Germany
| | - Zorica Srdević
- Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Pavel Benka
- Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - David Bela Vizi
- Middle Tisza District Water Directorate, Boldog Sándor István krt. 4, 5000 Szolnok, Hungary
| | - Tim Borgs
- Floodplain Institute Neuburg, Catholic University Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Schloss Grünau, 86633 Neuburg/Donau, Germany
| | - Thomas Hein
- Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria; Christian Doppler Laboratory for Meta Ecosystem Dynamics in Riverine Landscapes - Research for Sustainable River Management, Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
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Andráško I, Duží B, Martinát S. A dam or a polder? Stakeholders' dispute over the "right" flood-protection measure in the Czech Republic. AMBIO 2024:10.1007/s13280-024-02022-7. [PMID: 38671180 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-024-02022-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 03/31/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
This study focuses on the Skalička Waterwork (SWW), a largely debated and media-covered water-related/flood-protection project in the Czech Republic. Relying primarily on stakeholder interviews, we traced back and reconstructed the project's development, including its key tipping points reflecting the changing societal preferences for particular measures, yet also the involvement of individual actors/stakeholders, and their differing views. The case eventually crystallized into the "dam versus polder" dispute; concerned by the repercussions for the local landscape, a joint initiative of NGOs, local activists, and politicians not only opposed the dam variant proposed by the state river basin administration but also succeeded in pushing through the alternative scheme of side dry polder. While in many ways specific (e.g. not entailing local resistance), the case exemplifies recent shifts (and respective struggles) within flood risk management, including the increasing importance attributed to complex, catchment-wide perspectives, joint local and scientific knowledge, participatory decision-making processes, or implementation of nature-based and hybrid solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Andráško
- Department of Environmental Geography, Institute of Geonics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Drobného 28, 602 00, Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Barbora Duží
- Department of Environmental Geography, Institute of Geonics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Drobného 28, 602 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Stanislav Martinát
- Department of Environmental Geography, Institute of Geonics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Drobného 28, 602 00, Brno, Czech Republic
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Zheng H, Wu T, Ouyang Z, Polasky S, Ruckelshaus M, Wang L, Xiao Y, Gao X, Li C, Daily GC. Gross ecosystem product (GEP): Quantifying nature for environmental and economic policy innovation. AMBIO 2023; 52:1952-1967. [PMID: 37943417 PMCID: PMC10654296 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-023-01948-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
The large-scale loss of ecosystem assets around the world, and the resultant reduction in the provision of nature's benefits to people, underscores the urgent need for better metrics of ecological performance as well as their integration into decision-making. Gross ecosystem product (GEP) is a measure of the aggregate monetary value of final ecosystem-related goods and services in a specific area and for a given accounting period. GEP accounting captures the use of many ecosystem services in production processes across the economy, which are then valued in terms of their benefits to society. GEP has five key elements that make it transparent, trackable, and readily understandable: (1) a focus on nature's contributions to people; (2) the measurement of ecosystem assets as stocks and ecosystem services as flows; (3) the quantification of ecosystem service use; (4) an understanding of ecosystem service supply chains through value realization; and (5) the disaggregation of benefits across groups. Correspondingly, a series of innovative policies based on GEP have been designed and implemented in China. The theoretical and practical lessons provided by these experiences can support continued policy innovation for green and inclusive development around the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100085, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Tong Wu
- Natural Capital Project, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Zhiyun Ouyang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100085, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Stephen Polasky
- Department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota, 1994 Buford Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
- Natural Capital Project, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Mary Ruckelshaus
- Natural Capital Project, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Lijuan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100085, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yi Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100085, China
| | - Xiaolong Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100085, China
| | - Cong Li
- School of Economics and Finance, Xi'an Jiaotong University, No.74 West Yanta Road, Yanta District, Xi'an, 710061, China
| | - Gretchen C Daily
- Natural Capital Project, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences and Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
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Tian J, Zeng S, Zeng J, Jiang F. Assessment of Supply and Demand of Regional Flood Regulation Ecosystem Services and Zoning Management in Response to Flood Disasters: A Case Study of Fujian Delta. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 20:ijerph20010589. [PMID: 36612913 PMCID: PMC9819482 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20010589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Global climate change has led to flood disasters increasing in terms of frequency and damage caused, which seriously threatens urban and rural security. The flood regulation (FR) service function of the ecosystem plays an important role in mitigating flood disaster risk. Previous studies on flood regulation ecosystem services (FRES) are still lacking in a cross-scale assessment of supply and demand, refined simulation of regional complex hydrology, and application of spatial zoning management. Taking the Fujian Delta as an example, this study established a cross-scale research framework based on the social-ecosystem principle. The SWAT model was used to simulate the regional hydrological runoff and calculate the macro-scale supply of FRES. Taking patches of land as units, a flood risk assessment model was constructed to calculate the micro-scale demand for FRES for urban and rural society. Through a comparison of supply and demand across spatial scales, a zoning management scheme to deal with flood disaster risk was proposed. The results showed that: (1) The supply of FRES differed greatly among the sub-basins, and the sub-basins with low supply were mostly distributed in the lower reaches of Jiulong River and the coastal areas. (2) The demand for FRES was concentrated in high-density urban built-up areas. (3) By comparing the supply and demand of FRES in sub-basin units, 2153 km2 ecological space was identified as the primary ecological protection area, and 914 km2 cultivated land and bare land were identified as the primary ecological restoration area. (4) By comparing the supply and demand of FRES of land patch units, 65.42 km2 of construction land was identified as the primary intervention area. This study provides a decision-making basis for regional flood disaster management from the perspective of FRES.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Tian
- School of Architecture, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
- School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
- Correspondence: (J.T.); (S.Z.); Tel.: +86-138-1193-8006 (J.T.); +86-152-2210-8886 (S.Z.)
| | - Suiping Zeng
- School of Architecture, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin 300384, China
- Correspondence: (J.T.); (S.Z.); Tel.: +86-138-1193-8006 (J.T.); +86-152-2210-8886 (S.Z.)
| | - Jian Zeng
- School of Architecture, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Feiyang Jiang
- School of Architecture, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
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Generalized Additive Model Reveals Nonlinear Trade-Offs/Synergies between Relationships of Ecosystem Services for Mountainous Areas of Southwest China. REMOTE SENSING 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/rs14122733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Ecosystem services (ESs) are an essential link between ecosystems and human well-being, and trade-offs/synergies happen in ESs at different temporal and spatial scales. It is crucial to explore patterns of trade-offs/synergies among ESs, and their nonlinear relationships with changes in ESs. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate five ESs in 2000 and 2018: namely, water yield, food production, carbon sequestration, soil conservation, and habitat quality in mountainous regions of Southwest China. The mean values of the five ESs increased by 365.8 m3/ha, 13.92 t/hm2, 497.09 TgC/yr2, 138.48 t/km2, and 0.002, respectively. Using spatial statistics and analysis, an ES trade-off synergy model (ESTD) was constructed for the five ESs change values. Overall, soil conservation has a trade-off with all five ESs, except habitat quality; this trade-off is increasing slightly. Water yield is in synergy with all ESs except soil conservation, with decreasing synergy; habitat quality is in synergy with all ESs except food production, with increasing synergy. Finally, the nonlinear relationship between the value of the change in the ES and ESTD was analyzed using a generalized additive model. Changes in water yield showed the greatest impact on ESTD except for food production, wherein changes in all three ESs had minimal impacts on ESTD. Food production dominates its trade-offs/synergies relationship with soil conservation; carbon sequestration is the dominant player in its trade-offs/synergies relationship with soil conservation. Habitat quality has a secondary position of influence, except in the trade-offs/synergies involving food production. By exploring the drivers of trade-offs/synergies among ESs, this study can provide guidance for the effective implementation of policies related to ecological protection and restoration.
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Tanács E, Bede-Fazekas Á, Csecserits A, Kisné Fodor L, Pásztor L, Somodi I, Standovár T, Zlinszky A, Zsembery Z, Vári Á. Assessing ecosystem condition at the national level in Hungary - indicators, approaches, challenges. ONE ECOSYSTEM 2022. [DOI: 10.3897/oneeco.7.e81543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
The availability of robust and reliable spatial information on ecosystem condition is of increasing importance in informing conservation policy. Recent policy requirements have sparked a renewed interest in conceptual questions related to ecosystem condition and practical aspects like indicator selection, resulting in the emergence of conceptual frameworks, such as the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting - Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EA) and its Ecosystem Condition Typology (ECT). However, while such frameworks are essential to ensure that condition assessments are comprehensive and comparable, large-scale practical implementation often poses challenges that need to be tackled within stringent time and cost frames.
We present methods and experiences of the national-level mapping and assessment of ecosystem condition in Hungary. The assessments covered the whole country, including all major ecosystem types present. The methodology constitutes four approaches of quantifying and mapping condition, based on different interpretations of naturalness and hemeroby, complemented by two more using properties that ‘overarch’ ecosystem types, such as soil and landscape attributes. In order to highlight their strengths and drawbacks, as well as to help reconcile aspects of conceptual relevance with practical limitations, we retrospectively evaluated the six mapping approaches (and the resulting indicators) against the indicator selection criteria suggested in the SEEA-EA. The results show that the various approaches have different strengths and weaknesses and, thus, their joint application has a higher potential to address the specific challenges related to large-scale ecosystem condition mapping.
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