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Effects of Hillslope Trenching on Surface Water Infiltration in Subalpine Forested Catchments. HYDROLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/hydrology8040147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Concerns over freshwater scarcity for agriculture, ecosystems, and human consumption are driving the construction of infiltration trenches in many mountain protected areas. This study examines the effectiveness of infiltration trenches in a subalpine forested catchment in central Mexico, where public and private organizations have been constructing trenches for ~60 years. We rely on empirical data to develop rainfall-runoff models for two scenarios: a baseline (no trenches) and a trenched scenario. Field measurements of infiltration capacities in forested and trenched soils (n = 56) and two years of meteorological data are integrated into a semi-distributed runoff model of 28 trenched sub-catchments. Sensitivity analysis and hydrographs are used to evaluate differences in total runoff and infiltration between the two scenarios. Multiple logistic regression is used to evaluate the effects of environmental and management variables on the likelihood of runoff response and trench overtopping. The findings show that soil infiltration capacity and rainfall intensity are primary drivers of runoff and trench overtopping. However, trenches provided only a 1.2% increase in total infiltration over the two-year period. This marginal benefit is discussed in relation to the potential adverse environmental impacts of trench construction. Overall, our study finds that as a means of runoff harvesting in these forested catchments, trenches provide negligible infiltration benefits. As a result, this study cautions against further construction of infiltration trenches in forested catchments without careful ex ante assessment of rainfall-runoff relationships. The results of this study have important implications for forest water management in Mexico and elsewhere, where similar earthworks are employed to enhance runoff harvesting and surface water infiltration.
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Abstract
Well-managed rangelands provide important economic, environmental, and cultural benefits. Yet, many rangelands worldwide are experiencing pressures of land-use change, overgrazing, fire, and drought, causing rapid degradation. These pressures are especially acute in the Hawaiian Islands, which we explore as a microcosm with some broadly relevant lessons. Absent stewardship, land in Hawaiʻi is typically subject to degradation through the spread and impacts of noxious invasive plant species; feral pigs, goats, deer, sheep, and cattle; and heightened fire risk. We first provide a framework, and then review the science demonstrating the benefits of well-managed rangelands, for production of food; livelihoods; watershed services; climate security; soil health; fire risk reduction; biodiversity; and a wide array of cultural values. Findings suggest that rangelands, as part of a landscape mosaic, contribute to social and ecological health and well-being in Hawaiʻi. We conclude by identifying important knowledge gaps around rangeland ecosystem services and highlight the need to recognize rangelands and their stewards as critical partners in achieving key sustainability goals, and in bridging the long-standing production-conservation divide.
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Spatial Targeting of Agricultural Support Measures: Indicator-Based Assessment of Coverages and Leakages. LAND 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/land10070740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Agricultural support programs distribute payments to farms based on a diverse set of policy objectives. Adequate targeting of this support to priority areas is key to efficient and effective policy. We evaluated the targeting strategy of a national-level program in Mexico that distributed support based on seven criteria that prioritized poor smallholder farming communities at high risk of cropland failure. We used a series of logistic models to assess the coverage and leakage rates of the program’s targeting strategy and found rates of about 80 and 20 percent, respectively. We also found significant differences between the targeting priorities specified in program rules and the observed distribution of support measures. In general, the program favored arid and semi-arid regions at high risk of soil erosion but neglected smallholder farms in high-poverty regions with elevated rates of cropland failure. Our findings highlight the continued lack of financial support for smallholder agriculture in Mexico, despite program rules and priority statements that stress the vulnerability of this sector. This study also illustrates the important role of spatial targeting in better aligning agricultural support payments with stated policy priorities. This alignment is often overlooked in ex-post assessment, but it is critical for improving targeting precision, equity, and overall policy effectiveness.
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Community Perceptions of a Payment for Ecosystem Services Project in Southwest Madagascar: A Preliminary Study. LAND 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/land10060597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Despite the popularity of Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes as a new paradigm to enhance conservation of natural resources, evidence of their benefits to people and nature is often illustrated from desk-based reviews, but rarely investigated from the local sites where they have been implemented. We investigated local perceptions of a PES scheme implemented in the Baie des Assassin’s mangroves of southwest Madagascar with particular focus on its perceived future effects. To meet our goal, we first collated socioeconomic and mangrove ecological information through extensive literature research, and key informant interviews with 35 peoples within the 10 villages surrounding the bay to be used as reference conditions. Following this, a workshop with 32 participants from local communities was conducted, using participatory scenario planning to predict the effects of the PES project, and to identify concerns surrounding its implementation. Local communities perceived the PES scheme as a potentially valuable approach for the sustainable management of their mangroves, and perceived that it would address major socioeconomic issues and mangrove management problems in the bay as a result of the carbon offsetting from their mangroves. We conclude that to achieve acceptance and good governance of a PES project by local communities, needs and concerns surrounding the implementation of the PES project need be addressed.
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Hamel P, Bremer LL, Ponette-González AG, Acosta E, Fisher JRB, Steele B, Cavassani AT, Klemz C, Blainski E, Brauman KA. The value of hydrologic information for watershed management programs: The case of Camboriú, Brazil. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 705:135871. [PMID: 31836212 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2019] [Revised: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/29/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Investments in watershed services programs hold the promise to protect and restore ecosystems and water resources. The design and implementation of such programs is often accompanied by hydrologic modeling and monitoring, although the role of hydrologic information in meeting the needs of program managers remains unclear. In the Camboriú watershed, Brazil, we explored the value of hydrologic modeling and monitoring with respect to two dimensions: scientific credibility and use of generated knowledge in the design, implementation, and evaluation of the watershed management program. We used a combination of semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and hydrologic modeling under various levels of data availability to examine when improved models and data availability might build credibility and provide more useful information for decision makers. We found that hydrologic information was not actually used for the detailed design, but rather contributed to broad-scale support of the program by increasing scientific credibility. Model sophistication and data availability improved the credibility of hydrologic information but did not affect actual decisions related to program design. Hydrologic monitoring data were critical for model calibration, and high-resolution land use and land cover data, obtained via remote sensing, affected some model outputs which were not used to design the program. Our study suggests that identifying how hydrologic data will inform decision making should guide the level of effort used in hydrologic modeling and monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Perrine Hamel
- Natural Capital Project, Stanford Woods Institute on the Environment, Stanford, CA 94305, United States.
| | - Leah L Bremer
- University of Hawai'i Economic Research Organization and Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, United States
| | - Alexandra G Ponette-González
- Department of Geography and the Environment, University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle #305279, Denton, TX 76203, United States
| | - Eileen Acosta
- Atlantic Forest and Central Savannas Program, The Nature Conservancy, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Jonathan R B Fisher
- The Nature Conservancy, 4245 N Fairfax Dr, STE 100, Arlington, VA 22203, United States
| | - Bethel Steele
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY 12545, United States
| | - André Targa Cavassani
- Latin America Region Ecosystem Services Program, The Nature Conservancy, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Claudio Klemz
- Atlantic Forest and Central Savannas Program, The Nature Conservancy, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Everton Blainski
- Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária e Extensão Rural de Santa Catarina - Epagri, Rodovia Admar Gonzaga, 1347, Itacorubi, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Kate A Brauman
- Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, United States
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Ramirez-Reyes C, Brauman KA, Chaplin-Kramer R, Galford GL, Adamo SB, Anderson CB, Anderson C, Allington GRH, Bagstad KJ, Coe MT, Cord AF, Dee LE, Gould RK, Jain M, Kowal VA, Muller-Karger FE, Norriss J, Potapov P, Qiu J, Rieb JT, Robinson BE, Samberg LH, Singh N, Szeto SH, Voigt B, Watson K, Wright TM. Reimagining the potential of Earth observations for ecosystem service assessments. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 665:1053-1063. [PMID: 30893737 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.02.150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2018] [Revised: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 02/09/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The benefits nature provides to people, called ecosystem services, are increasingly recognized and accounted for in assessments of infrastructure development, agricultural management, conservation prioritization, and sustainable sourcing. These assessments are often limited by data, however, a gap with tremendous potential to be filled through Earth observations (EO), which produce a variety of data across spatial and temporal extents and resolutions. Despite widespread recognition of this potential, in practice few ecosystem service studies use EO. Here, we identify challenges and opportunities to using EO in ecosystem service modeling and assessment. Some challenges are technical, related to data awareness, processing, and access. These challenges require systematic investment in model platforms and data management. Other challenges are more conceptual but still systemic; they are byproducts of the structure of existing ecosystem service models and addressing them requires scientific investment in solutions and tools applicable to a wide range of models and approaches. We also highlight new ways in which EO can be leveraged for ecosystem service assessments, identifying promising new areas of research. More widespread use of EO for ecosystem service assessment will only be achieved if all of these types of challenges are addressed. This will require non-traditional funding and partnering opportunities from private and public agencies to promote data exploration, sharing, and archiving. Investing in this integration will be reflected in better and more accurate ecosystem service assessments worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Ramirez-Reyes
- Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota, 325 Learning & Environmental Sciences, 1954 Buford Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA.
| | - Kate A Brauman
- Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota, 325 Learning & Environmental Sciences, 1954 Buford Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA.
| | - Rebecca Chaplin-Kramer
- Natural Capital Project, Stanford University Woods Institute for the Environment, 371 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
| | - Gillian L Galford
- Gund Institute for Environment and Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, 617 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05405, USA.
| | - Susana B Adamo
- Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), The Earth Institute, Columbia University, 61 Route 9W, Palisades, NY 10964, USA.
| | | | - Clarissa Anderson
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 8880 Biological Grade, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
| | - Ginger R H Allington
- Department of Geography, The George Washington University, 2121 Eye Street NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA.
| | - Kenneth J Bagstad
- U.S. Geological Survey, Geosciences & Environmental Change Science Center, P.O. Box 25046, DFC, MS 980, Denver, CO 80225, USA.
| | - Michael T Coe
- The Woods Hole Research Center, 149 Woods Hole Rd, Falmouth, MA 02540, USA.
| | - Anna F Cord
- UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Computational Landscape Ecology, Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Laura E Dee
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, 2003 Upper Buford Circle St. Paul, MN 55108, USA.
| | - Rachelle K Gould
- Environmental Program and Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, 81 Carrigan Drive, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA.
| | - Meha Jain
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, 440 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
| | - Virginia A Kowal
- Natural Capital Project, Stanford University Woods Institute for the Environment, 371 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
| | - Frank E Muller-Karger
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, Saint Petersburg, FL 33701, USA.
| | - Jessica Norriss
- Upstream Tech, 2401 Monarch St # 23, Alameda, CA 94501, USA.
| | - Peter Potapov
- University of Maryland, 4321 Hartwick Road, Suite 400, College Park, MD 20740, USA.
| | - Jiangxiao Qiu
- University of Florida, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, 3205 College Ave, Davie, FL 33314, USA.
| | - Jesse T Rieb
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore Road, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada.
| | - Brian E Robinson
- Department of Geography, McGill University, 805 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC H3A 0B9, Canada.
| | - Leah H Samberg
- Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota, 325 Learning & Environmental Sciences, 1954 Buford Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA; Rainforest Alliance, 233 Broadway, New York, NY, 10279, USA.
| | - Nagendra Singh
- National Security Emerging Technologies Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P.O. Box 2008, MS6017, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6017, USA.
| | - Sabrina H Szeto
- Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, Yale University, 195 Prospect St, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
| | - Brian Voigt
- Gund Institute for Environment and Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, 617 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05405, USA.
| | - Keri Watson
- Sewanee, University of the South, 735 University Avenue, Sewanee, TN 37383, USA.
| | - T Maxwell Wright
- Conservation International, 2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500, Arlington, VA 22202, USA.
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Pynegar EL, Jones JPG, Gibbons JM, Asquith NM. The effectiveness of Payments for Ecosystem Services at delivering improvements in water quality: lessons for experiments at the landscape scale. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5753. [PMID: 30386694 PMCID: PMC6202973 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 09/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Randomised Control Trials (RCTs) are used in impact evaluation in a range of fields. However, despite calls for their greater use in environmental management, their use to evaluate landscape scale interventions remains rare. Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) incentivise land users to manage land to provide environmental benefits. We present the first RCT evaluation of a PES program aiming to improve water quality. Watershared is a program which incentivises landowners to avoid deforestation and exclude cattle from riparian forests. Using this unusual landscape-scale experiment we explore the efficacy of Watershared at improving water quality, and draw lessons for future RCT evaluations of landscape-scale environmental management interventions. Methods One hundred and twenty-nine communities in the Bolivian Andes were randomly allocated to treatment (offered Watershared agreements) or control (not offered agreements) following baseline data collection (including Escherichia coli contamination in most communities) in 2010. We collected end-line data in 2015. Using our end-line data, we explored the extent to which variables associated with the intervention (e.g. cattle exclusion, absence of faeces) predict water quality locally. We then investigated the efficacy of the intervention at improving water quality at the landscape scale using the RCT. This analysis was done in two ways; for the subset of communities for which we have both baseline and end-line data from identical locations we used difference-in-differences (matching on baseline water quality), for all sites we compared control and treatment at end-line controlling for selected predictors of water quality. Results The presence of cattle faeces in water adversely affected water quality suggesting excluding cattle has a positive impact on water quality locally. However, both the matched difference-in-differences analysis and the comparison between treatment and control communities at end-line suggested Watershared was not effective at reducing E. coli contamination at the landscape scale. Uptake of Watershared agreements was very low and the most important land from a water quality perspective (land around water intakes) was seldom enrolled. Discussion Although excluding cattle may have a positive local impact on water quality, higher uptake and better targeting would be required to achieve a significant impact on the quality of water consumed in the communities. Although RCTs potentially have an important role to play in building the evidence base for approaches such as PES, they are far from straightforward to implement. In this case, the randomised trial was not central to concluding that Watershared had not produced a landscape scale impact. We suggest that this RCT provides valuable lessons for future use of randomised experiments to evaluate landscape-scale environmental management interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin L Pynegar
- School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom.,School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, United Kingdom
| | - Julia P G Jones
- School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - James M Gibbons
- School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Nigel M Asquith
- Harvard Forest, Harvard University, Petersham, United States of America.,Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States of America
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Nahuelhual L, Benra F, Laterra P, Marin S, Arriagada R, Jullian C. Patterns of ecosystem services supply across farm properties: Implications for ecosystem services-based policy incentives. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 634:941-950. [PMID: 29660888 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2018] [Revised: 04/04/2018] [Accepted: 04/04/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In developing countries, the protection of biodiversity and ecosystem services (ES) rests on the hands of millions of small landowners that coexist with large properties, in a reality of highly unequal land distribution. Guiding the effective allocation of ES-based incentives in such contexts requires researchers and practitioners to tackle a largely overlooked question: for a given targeted area, will single large farms or several small ones provide the most ES supply? The answer to this question has important implications for conservation planning and rural development alike, which transcend efficiency to involve equity issues. We address this question by proposing and testing ES supply-area relations (ESSARs) around three basic hypothesized models, characterized by constant (model 1), increasing (model 2), and decreasing increments (model 3) of ES supply per unit of area or ES "productivity". Data to explore ESSARs came from 3384 private landholdings located in southern Chile ranging from 0.5ha to over 30,000ha and indicators of four ES (forage, timber, recreation opportunities, and water supply). Forage provision best fit model 3, which suggests that targeting several small farms to provide this ES should be a preferred choice, as compared to a single large farm. Timber provision best fit model 2, suggesting that in this case targeting a single large farm would be a more effective choice. Recreation opportunities best fit model 1, which indicates that several small or a single large farm of a comparable size would be equally effective in delivering this ES. Water provision fit model 1 or model 2 depending on the study site. The results corroborate that ES provision is not independent from property area and therefore understanding ESSARs is a necessary condition for setting conservation incentives that are both efficient (deliver the highest conservation outcome at the least cost) and fair for landowners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Nahuelhual
- Instituto de Economía Agraria, Universidad Austral de Chile, Independencia 631, 5110566 Valdivia, Chile; Centro de Investigación en Dinámica de Ecosistemas Marinos de Altas Latitudes (IDEAL); Universidad Austral de Chile, Independencia 631, 5110566 Valdivia, Chile.
| | - Felipe Benra
- Instituto de Economía Agraria, Universidad Austral de Chile, Independencia 631, 5110566 Valdivia, Chile
| | - Pedro Laterra
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Fundación Bariloche, Av. Bustillo 9500, 8400 San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina
| | - Sandra Marin
- Centro de Investigación en Dinámica de Ecosistemas Marinos de Altas Latitudes (IDEAL); Universidad Austral de Chile, Independencia 631, 5110566 Valdivia, Chile; Instituto de Acuicultura, Universidad Austral de Chile Sede Puerto Montt, Los Pinos s/n Balneario Pelluco, 5480000 Puerto Montt, Chile
| | - Rodrigo Arriagada
- Departamento de Ecosistemas y Medioambiente, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Avenida Vicuña Mackenna 4860, 7820436 Macul, Santiago, Chile; Núcleo Milenio Centro para el Impacto Socioeconómico de Políticas Ambientales (CESIEP); Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Avenida Vicuña Mackenna 4860, 7820436 Macul, Santiago, Chile; Center for Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Alameda 340, 8331150 Santiago, Chile
| | - Cristobal Jullian
- Programa de Magister en Ciencias Forestales Mención Bosques y Sociedad, Facultad de Ciencias Forestales y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Austral de Chile, Independencia 631, 5110566 Valdivia, Chile
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Mokondoko P, Manson RH, Ricketts TH, Geissert D. Spatial analysis of ecosystem service relationships to improve targeting of payments for hydrological services. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0192560. [PMID: 29462205 PMCID: PMC5819813 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2017] [Accepted: 01/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Payment for hydrological services (PHS) are popular tools for conserving ecosystems and their water-related services. However, improving the spatial targeting and impacts of PHS, as well as their ability to foster synergies with other ecosystem services (ES), remain challenging. We aimed at using spatial analyses to evaluate the targeting performance of México's National PHS program in central Veracruz. We quantified the effectiveness of areas targeted for PHS in actually covering areas of high HS provision and social priority during 2003-2013. First, we quantified provisioning and spatial distributions of two target (water yield and soil retention), and one non-target ES (carbon storage) using InVEST. Subsequently, pairwise relationships among ES were quantified by using spatial correlation and overlap analyses. Finally, we evaluated targeting by: (i) prioritizing areas of individual and overlapping ES; (ii) quantifying spatial co-occurrences of these priority areas with those targeted by PHS; (iii) evaluating the extent to which PHS directly contribute to HS delivery; and (iv), testing if PHS targeted areas disproportionately covered areas with high ecological and social priority. We found that modelled priority areas exhibited non-random distributions and distinct spatial patterns. Our results show significant pairwise correlations between all ES suggesting synergistic relationships. However, our analysis showed a significantly lower overlap than expected and thus significant mismatches between PHS targeted areas and all types of priority areas. These findings suggest that the targeting of areas with high HS provisioning and social priority by Mexico's PHS program could be improved significantly. This study underscores: (1) the importance of using maps of HS provisioning as main targeting criteria in PHS design to channel payments towards areas that require future conservation, and (2) the need for future research that helps balance ecological and socioeconomic targeting criteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Mokondoko
- Postgraduate Division, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa, Veracruz, México
- Functional Ecology Netwrok, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa, Veracruz, México
| | - Robert H. Manson
- Functional Ecology Netwrok, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa, Veracruz, México
| | - Taylor H. Ricketts
- Rubenstein School for Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, United States of America
- Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, United States of America
| | - Daniel Geissert
- Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, United States of America
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Impacts of forest restoration on water yield: A systematic review. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0183210. [PMID: 28817639 PMCID: PMC5560669 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0183210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2016] [Accepted: 08/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Enhancing water provision services is a common target in forest restoration projects worldwide due to growing concerns over freshwater scarcity. However, whether or not forest cover expansion or restoration can improve water provision services is still unclear and highly disputed. Purpose The goal of this review is to provide a balanced and impartial assessment of the impacts of forest restoration and forest cover expansion on water yields as informed by the scientific literature. Potential sources of bias on the results of papers published are also examined. Data sources English, Spanish and Portuguese peer-review articles in Agricola, CAB Abstracts, ISI Web of Science, JSTOR, Google Scholar, and SciELO. Databases were searched through 2015. Search terms Intervention terms included forest restoration, regeneration/regrowth, forest second-growth, forestation/afforestation, and forestry. Target terms included water yield/quantity, streamflow, discharge, channel runoff, and annual flow. Study selection and eligibility criteria Articles were pre-selected based on key words in the title, abstract or text. Eligible articles addressed relevant interventions and targets and included quantitative information. Results Most studies reported decreases in water yields following the intervention, while other hydrological benefits have been observed. However, relatively few studies focused specifically on forest restoration, especially with native species, and/or on projects done at large spatial or temporal scales. Information is especially limited for the humid tropics and subtropics. Conclusions and implications of key findings While most studies reported a decrease in water yields, meta-analyses from a sub-set of studies suggest the potential influence of temporal and/or spatial scales on the outcomes of forest cover expansion or restoration projects. Given the many other benefits of forest restoration, improving our understanding of when and why forest restoration can lead to recovery of water yields is crucial to help improve positive outcomes and prevent unintended consequences. Our study identifies the critical types of studies and associated measurements needed.
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