TITLE:
A Composite Index-Based Approach for Mapping Ecosystem Service Production Hotspots and Coldspots for Priority Setting in Integrated Watershed Management Programs
AUTHORS:
Duncan Kikoyo, Srinivasulu Ale, Patricia Smith
KEYWORDS:
HAWQS, InVEST, Multi-Criteria Analysis, Spatial Analysis, Sustainability
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.10 No.4,
April
19,
2022
ABSTRACT: Despite the potential synergism, integrated watershed management and
ecosystem services frameworks are rarely used jointly to address the myriad of
current water-related issues. The two frameworks are used in this study to
spatially identify ecosystem hotspots and coldspots for priority setting in
natural resource management programs. Inferred proxies of carbon storage,
groundwater supply, surface water supply, and soil retention ecosystem service production
potentials were quantified for Texas, U.S., using two complimentary
hydro-ecological models, and valued using a non-monetary multi-criteria
valuation approach. Maps of individual and composite ecosystem service values
showed that several services were co-located and unevenly distributed with most
of the high-value hotspots clustered in the eastern part of the state.
Individual impacts of land use, climatic and soil properties on the
distribution and value of ecosystem services across space were discernable. The
study underscored the need for holistic management of landscapes to take
advantage of the multiplicity of benefits provided by nature. The approach can
readily be incorporated into resource management programs to identify
high-value ecosystem service production areas that need conservation, low-value
areas that may need restoration, and anthropogenic activities influencing the
distribution of ecosystem services.