Making the ecosystem services approach operational: A case study application to the Aarhus River, Denmark

A real-time simulation model of water quality with the impact of internal pollution for water source reservoir

The water source reservoirs are the important urban water source in northern China. Although external pollution has been greatly improved, the internal pollutants in reservoirs continue to accumulate with the complex deposition and release processes, resulting in potential risks to water supply safety. To address the aforementioned issue, this paper proposed a simulation model of water quality named ECOlab EU1-WSR to simulate the spatio-temporal changes of water quality under the influence of internal pollution for the water source reservoirs. Based on the analysis of the water quality characteristics and the distribution of benthic vegetation in the reservoir, a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model was established based on MIKE3, the corresponding parameters and the related state variables were set, the ECOlab EU1-WSR model was established by secondly developing the original ECOlab EU1 template, and the real-time dynamic outputs of pollutant content in sediment were added to link the water quality index with sediment nutrition index for better revealing the impact of the internal pollution on the water quality. The performance of the model was evaluated by the case application on the water quality simulation of Daye reservoir and the optimization of the connection project between Daye reservoir and Xueye reservoir in Shandong Province China. The results showed that the model can accurately and simultaneously simulate the pollution in water and sediment by the comparative verification of hydrodynamics, water temperature, and water quality. Moreover, the model can effectively reflect the influence of the accumulation, deposition, and release of internal pollution on water quality by analyzing the correlation between the content of various pollution in water body and those in sediment, such as the total nitrogen and total phosphorus in the water body at the bottom of the water intake, were negatively correlated with the total nitrogen and total phosphorus in the sediments with correlation coefficients of 0.538 and 0.917, respectively. In addition, the optimal water inlet position and water flow rate of the connection project can be optimized and determined by using the model to effectively control water quality. The established model will be a useful tool for the design and management of a reservoir, the interconnection projects, and other water bodies by adaptively recoded.

Analysis of the Spatial Relationship between Ecosystem Regulation Services and Rural Tourism

In the context of China's implementation of the rural revitalization strategy and establishment of a mechanism to realize the value of ecological products, rural tourism as an eco-friendly industry promotes regional social and economic development with high-quality natural and ecological conditions in rural areas and is one of the key patterns to realize regional green development. Existing studies in the field focus on the spatial relationship between rural tourism and traditional factors such as economy, population, and transportation and ignore to some extent the relationship between ecosystem services and rural tourism. However, from the perspective of distribution, rural tourism is popular mainly in areas with high ecological quality, so it can be inferred that there is a relationship between ecosystem services and rural tourism. Therefore, this paper targets the key problem-the spatial relationship between ecosystem regulation services and rural tourism, taking rural tourist spots in six districts and counties in the Wuling Mountains in southeastern Chongqing as the subjects, and using the geo-econometric analysis method and geographic detector model to analyze the spatial-driving and development-support roles of ecosystem services on rural tourism. The results show that: (1) the nearest neighbor index of the distribution of rural tourist spots in the regions of study is 0.28, showing a significant clustering trend as a whole; (2) there are obviously high-value areas among the six types of ecosystem regulation services, which are mainly distributed in forest ecosystems; (3) the driving effects of dual factors are more significant, and the combined driving effects of climate regulation and anion supply services are the most significant, with the q value of these driving effects being 0.1962; (4) from the perspective of the supply-demand relationship of industrial development, ecosystem services play an important role in supporting the development of rural tourism. Based on these results, it is proposed in this paper that, in the next step, a comprehensive analysis of the impact of ecosystem regulation services should be conducted during the special planning of rural tourism and the rational layout of industries should be guided on the premise of compliance with space-use control, as well as economical and intensive land use, to support the scientific formulation of regional rural tourism development strategies with new ideas based on basic analysis and better realize the value of ecological products and boost rural revitalization.

Use and perception of ecosystem services on an urban river: a case from lower Gangatic plain, Eastern India

Rapid urbanisation and climate change have emerged as serious threats to ecosystem services (ES), and the deterioration of ES is affecting the quality of life. The research on ES was long performed from monetary perspectives and neglected evaluation of ES from social perspectives. This study proposes a social appraisal approach for evaluating urban river ES on Mahananda River in English Bazar Urban Agglomeration (EBUA), Eastern India, through the social perception and preference (SPP) approach. SPP approach was performed using the importance-performance analysis (IPA) model and satisfaction index (SI). Mann-Whitney U test, correlation analysis, and a median regression were performed to better understand the overall scenario on the perception and preference for ES. The findings of the study showed that (i) the stakeholder residing along the left bank of the river were highly dependent on provisioning ES; (ii) there was limited access to cultural ES provided by the river; (iii) the stakeholders residing along the left bank and slum stakeholders residing along the right bank of the river were more dependent on rive ES; (iv) relatively higher discrepancy was reported from recreation, aesthetic, and bio-diversity; (v) satisfaction level on ES was relatively low to the stakeholder residing along the left bank (50%); and (vi) as per improvement index (II), recreation, aesthetic value, bio-diversity, and purification of water must be prioritised to meet the societal needs. Thus, the study's findings can be very effective in implementing actions for sustainable holistic river ES management through the SPP approach.

Considering ecological flow in multi-objective operation of cascade reservoir systems under climate variability with different hydrological periods

The trade-off between ecological and socioeconomic benefits in the reservoir operation has become a focus issue in the watershed water resource management. However, finding a suitable reservoir ecological operation scheme in the multi-objective cascade reservoir systems remains unclear. At present, most ecological operation models are designed on the basis of water quantity balance, neglecting the dynamic variability of the hydrological process. This study proposed a multi-objective ecological operation system, which coupled a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model with a rainfall-runoff model, and integrated the ecological operation scheme into the hydrodynamic simulation system considering ecological flow. Moreover, the applicability of the operation scheme under climate variability with different hydrological periods was evaluated. Results indicated that multi-reservoir joint operation had the largest effect in normal years; the variation in the monthly hydrological magnitude, extreme events and their duration, temporal change and frequency of streamflow were significantly reduced after reservoir ecological operation. The SAM0-UNICON model performed better than the two other climate models, the ecological deficit (ED) under the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 climate change scenario was larger than other scenarios with different operation schemes. Future climate change will have a larger impact on discharge change in the wet season than in other hydrological periods. This study emphasises the comprehensive application of the hydrological and hydrodynamic methods, which is of considerable importance for decision-making in basin water resource management and reservoir regulation.

Adaptation of a freshwater evaluation framework to a coastal system: The case of Kamari, Santorini

The erosion of sandy beaches creates a significant impact on the local society, the economy and the environment. The present study is an attempt to adapt the innovative DESSIN (Demonstrate Ecosystem Services Enabling Innovation in the Water Sector) framework that specializes in freshwater applications, to urban coastal systems. The framework is applied in the case of Kamari beach, Santorini (Greece), to assess the sustainability of all possible anti-erosion measures. To identify the most vulnerable parts of the coastline, the study used two sensitivity indices: the Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI), and the Socioeconomic Index (SocCVI). A supply-demand model was applied for the integration of all three aspects that characterize the system: social, economic, and environmental. To project the impact of erosion in the future, the system's state was analyzed in three steps a) the present, b) after the installation of the coastal protection measures and c) a scenario where no protection actions were taken (RCP4.5 scenario). In the current situation the most susceptible part of the coastline due to anthropogenic and environmental pressures is the central one, which does not immediately affect the socio-economic activities of the urban area. In contrast, future changes brought about by climate change will endanger the system's equilibrium and anti-erosion actions are necessary. With the application of the adapted DESSIN framework, the combined installation of submerged breakwaters with sediment replacement is the most sustainable action, promoting socio-economic growth and the protection of essential ecosystem services.

Nature-Based Solutions for Water Management in Peri-Urban Areas: Barriers and Lessons Learned from Implementation Experiences

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are defined by the European Commission as “actions that are inspired by, supported by, or copied from nature…” and that solve societal challenges and multiple benefits. As a result, NBS are often promoted as alternative responses that solve complex societal challenges such as watershed management, while delivering a systemic approach of multiple benefits for well-being, human health, and sustainable use of resources. Despite rising interest in NBS, further identification of experiences implementing NBS could advance our understanding of the operationalization of this comprehensive concept. For this purpose, we analyzed 35 peer-reviewed articles on implementation experiences of NBS for water management in peri-urban areas, on aspects related to (i) NBS problem–solution: water challenges, ecosystem services, scales, and types; (ii) NBS governance and management. From the insights of the analysis, this paper asks what lessons are learned, and which barriers are identified, from implementing NBS for water management in peri-urban areas? As a result, this study presents a detailed analysis of each aspect. We conclude by highlighting accountancy, monitoring, and communication as potential success factors for integration and development while diminishing the overall barrier of complexity, which leads to technical, institutional, economic, and social uncertainty.