An economic evaluation of changes in selected ecosystem services as a result of changes in land-use/cover : a case study in the Sundarbans Mangrove Forest, Bangladesh | |
| Author | Rahman, Md. Anishur |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.NR-15-13 |
| Subject(s) | Land use--Bangladesh Mangrove ecology--Bangladesh Mangrove--Forest Ecosystem management--Bangladesh |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requireme nts for the d egree of Master of Science in Natural Resource Management, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. NR-15-13 |
| Abstract | Identification and valuation of ecosystem services have created increased attention for efficient allocation of resources. The aim of this study is to assess the spatial and temporal variability of ecos ystem services in Sundarbans mangrove of Bangladesh. It included identification of key land uses both from land use data and focus group discussions, identification and prioritization of ecosystem goods and services based on the socioeconomic and environme ntal benefits of the local people from each land use , assessment of land use changes over 10 years and its impact on ecosystem services value. Identification of land use based on vegetation and non - vegetated land cover and provided ecosystem services were carried out through focus group discussions of mixed occupational status. Then information on prioritization of ecosystem services were collected from the individual survey based on pairwise comparisons. The land use change was studied using GIS tools and valuation of priority ecosystem was assessed based on benefit transfer method. Three major land uses were identified from the study area including Sundri ( Heritiera fomes) dominated, Gewa ( Exoecarea agallocha ) dominated and waterbody. First two were base d on the dominance of species and waterbody refers to the rivers, creeks, canals , estuary etc. There were around 17 ecosystem goods and services were identified from these three land uses under provisioning, cultural, regulatory and supporting category. Am ong the four categories, regulatory services got the highest rank (52.2%) followed by provisioning (28.3%), supporting (13.8%) and cultural (5.7%) services. The socio - economically and environmentally important ecosystem services were identified among all i s CO 2 sequestration (33.6%) followed by fish (15.5%), safeguarding the environments (14.5%), habitat for wild animals and plants (10.3%), crab (8.2%), maintenance of livable climate (4.2%) and educational value (3.6%). The preferences rank of land uses in terms of all the services are Sundri dominated (49.8%), Gewa dominated (32.3%) and waterbody (29.3%). The study also reveals that area of land use changes from 2001 to 2011 is - 2.42% for Sundri dominated, - 3.28% for Gewa dominated and 5.2 9 % for waterbody , although the total area remained same. The possible reasons for such changes can be encroachment, hydrological shifts, chemical spills, clear cutting, and global climate change. The ultimate economic loss from three selected socio - economically and en vironmentally important ecosystem services was around 2.50% due to land - use/cover change over 10 years of Sundarbans, Khulna range. From the economic valuation results, it can be concluded that the value changes in ecosystem services as a result of changes in land - use/cover from 2001 to 2001 is not much significant. But the scenario may be different in case of economic evaluation of all the identified services for whole mangrove forest. A comprehensive research on site - specific valuation of all potential e cosystem services of the Sundarbans under socio - economic and environmental wellbeing would be effective to foster sustainable management. |
| Year | 2015 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. NR-15-13 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development |
| Department | Department of Development and Sustainability (DDS) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Natural Resources Management (NRM) |
| Chairperson(s) | Jourdain, Damien;Shrestha, Rajendra Prasad; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Grunbuhel, Clemens; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Thailand (HM Queen); |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2015 |