Socioeconomic and Environmental Proxies for Comparing Freshwater Ecosystem Service Threats across International Sites: A Diagnostic Approach
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Authors
Harmon, Thomas C.
Smyth, Robyn L.
Chandra, Sudeep
Conde, Daniel
Dhungel, Ramesh
Escobar, Jaime
Hoyos, Natalia
Lozoya, Juan P.
Juan
Nin, Mariana
Issue Date
2018
Type
Article
Language
Keywords
socio-environmental systems , ecosystem services , risk analysis , anthropogenic pressure , human pressure , experimental design
Alternative Title
Abstract
In this work, we develop and test proxy-based diagnostic tools for comparing freshwater ecosystem services (FWES) risks across an international array of freshwater ecosystems. FWES threats are increasing rapidly under pressure from population, climate change, pollution, land use change, and other factors. We identified spatially explicit FWES threats estimates (referred to as threat benchmarks) and extracted watershed-specific values for an array of aquatic ecosystems in the Western Hemisphere (Ramsar sites). We compared these benchmark values to values extracted for sites associated with an international FWES threat investigation. The resulting benchmark threats appeared to provide a meaningful context for the diagnostic assessment of study site selection by revealing gaps in coverage of the underlying socio-environmental problem. In an effort to simplify the method, we tested regularly updated environmental and socioeconomic metrics as potential proxies for the benchmark threats using regression analysis. Three category proxies, aggregated from (i) external (global to regional, climate-related), (ii) internal (watershed management-related), and (iii) socioeconomic and governance related proxies produced strong relationships with water supply threat benchmarks, but only weak relationships with biodiversity-related and nutrient regulation benchmark threats. Our results demonstrate the utility of advancing global FWES status and threat benchmarks for organizing coordinated research efforts and prioritizing decisions with regard to international socio-environmental problems.
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Citation
Harmon, T. C., Smyth, R. L., Chandra, S., Conde, D., Dhungel, R., Escobar, J., … Zilio, M. (2018). Socioeconomic and Environmental Proxies for Comparing Freshwater Ecosystem Service Threats across International Sites: A Diagnostic Approach. Water, 10(11), 1578. doi:10.3390/w10111578
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License
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
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Volume
Issue
PubMed ID
ISSN
2073-4441