Mapping Ecosystem Services in Colombia’s Putumayo Region to Inform a Compensation Scheme to Establish Silvopastoral Systems
Key Message
The rain and cloud forests of Colombia’s Upper Putumayo region are becoming increasingly exposed to agriculture, ranching, and infrastructure development. These activities can have adverse effects on water supply and quality, soil erosion, carbon capture and sequestration, and biodiversity. The additional impacts from climate change intensify these effects and can have serious consequences for future ecosystem services supply, development and livelihoods. InVEST was used to map the main ecosystem services to the region, in order to identify the areas providing the greatest supply of people-benefitting ecosystem services and those services most vulnerable to degradation from the effects of climate change. Areas with the greatest concentration of ecosystem services and/or highest level of degradation from the effects of climate change can then be considered as priority sites for actions targeted at conserving the benefits that these ecosystem services provide. Two such actions are: 1) the establishment of silvopastoral systems, which incorporate strategically tree or shrub productive species cover on ranchlands; and 2) compensation and rewards for ecosystem services schemes, which create incentives for better land management.
What is the problem?
The Sibundoy valley with 46,000 ha is located into the Andean Amazon piedmont, Colombia’s Upper Putumayo region (Fig 1.) endowed with a wealth of biodiversity and natural resources (Barthlott et al. 1996, Gentry 1988). However the ecosystem services around these richness area face three interlinked problems: 1) agriculture and ranching operatio...
... middle of paper ...
...ID=653.
Tallis, H., Goldman, R., Uhl, M., and Brosi, B. 2009. Integrating conservation and development in the field: implementing ecosystem services projects. Front Ecol Environ 2009; 7(1): 12–20.
Tallis, H.T., Ricketts, T., Guerry, A.D., Nelson, E, Ennaanay, D., Wolny, S, Olwero, N., Vigerstol, K., Pennington, D., Mendoza, G.,.Aukema, J., Foster, J., Forrest, J., Cameron, D, Lonsdorf, E., Kennedy, C., Verutes, G., Kim, C.K., Guannel, G., Papenfus, M., Toft, J., Marsik, M., Bernhardt, J., Wood, S., and Sharp, R. 2011. InVEST 2.1 Beta User’s Guide. The Natural Capital Project, Stanford.
WWF Colombia, Corpoamazonia. (2010). Desarrollo y validación del esquema de compensación por servicios ambientales y reconversión de sistemas ganaderos en cuencas hidrográficas abastecedoras de acueductos municipales pertenecientes a la cuenca del río Putumayo. Unpublished report.
Wright, David, Heather LaRocca, and Grant DeJongh. "Global Problems." The Amazonian Rainforest: Forest to Farmland? The University of Michigan, 2007. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
The Sustainability Project’s main objectives were to protecting natural resources and preserving habitats of both animals and wild plants. The project included two main teams: the EcoEagles team that focused on preserving the natural environment and the Monarch
He was recently appointed as editor for the On Sustainability which is one collection of 77 international journals published by Common Ground Publishing. The has served as an advisor to the World Commission on Forests and Sustainable. Development, is a member of the OpenSpace Research Centre (Open University 's (OU) Centre for Geographical and Environmental Research). The OU is a virtual campus based in Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The vast knowledge this author possesses will assist in writing a fact-based
Landscape fragmentation can impose devastating and irreversible consequences on the biodiversity of ecosystems. Because of the conflicting interests between ecology and human economic benefit, it has become increasingly important to find solutions for a harmonic balance. It is imperative for people to recognize the impacts of biodiversity loss and increased extinction of many species. These impacts must be understood in order to protect landscapes and the immense biodiversity they contain. Raising environmental consciousness through education and public cooperative efforts, as well as promoting resource conservation and changing consumptive patterns, are just a few ways that we can begin to protect biodiversity.
This policy memo addresses the development and expansion of the cattle ranching industry in Brazil, which has contributed to the mass deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon in the last 40 years. It exposes the regional and global consequences to deforestation and provides strategies for the Brazilian government to sustainably manage cattle ranching industries while protecting the future of the Amazon. The rainforest ecosystem is an immense reserve of natural recourses that is far more valuable than the beef produced on Brazilian cattle ranches. Not only does the rainforest create habitat for up to 65% of the world’s biodiversity, but when harvested sustainably, it provides humans with an abundance of spices, foods, oils, medicines and vital research areas (NEWMAN).
Halpern and his team suggest that an EBM approach may be the best solution for addressing these issues. Chuenpagdee’s research also highlights the challenges and issues surrounding the implementation of effective MPAs. The study included an in-depth look into four case studies that focused on the design stages of MPAs, and the social issues that must be taken into consideration, and how the incorporation of local communities into management efforts could lead to increases in MPA network success and sustainability. The compilation of data presented in these studies, all highlight the fact that nations are increasing the number of MPAs, in order to reach international goals of conservation, however even if the global area goals of protection are met, it is clear that the success of these protected areas will be heavily dependent upon the socioeconomic issues surrounding the impacted areas, as well as the larger-scale issues that need to be simultaneously addressed such as pollution and climate change, both of which can not be resolved by the implementation of protected zones.... ...
Over the past two centuries, the human population has become increasingly prosperous; nourishment has improved, the economy has developed and longevity has increased. From this, it is possible to conclude that man’s battle with nature is proving beneficial. However, the wellbeing and success of mankind greatly relies on ‘ecosystem services’, which comprise any benefits provided by ecosystems that contribute towards human life. These developments in wellbeing have partly been achievable because of the increased exploitation of these ecosystem services.
The destruction of this forest releases 340 million tons of carbon per year according to the World Wildlife Foundation, or WWF, which in turn causes climate changes everywhere around the world. Undiscovered species can hold the key to curing a plethora of diseases, but if those species become extinct, those keys are lost forever. If nothing is done to prevent this, the world’s treasure trove of bio-diversity will cease to exist, creating irreversible damage to not only the South American people, but also the rest of the world. Conversion of the tropical forest into cropland and pasture began a long time ago in Ecuador, before its secession from Spain. Their major crop was cocoa, which was grown along the waterways to be exported as their main source of trade.
Raven, Peter H., Linda R. Berg, and David M. Hassenzahl. "Wiley: Environment, 6th Edition." Wiley: Home. Web. 05 Feb. 2012. .
NEED AND PURPOSE FOR CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY Biodiversity conservation is about saving life on Earth in all its forms and keeping natural ecosystems functioning and healthy. Biodiversity is being depleted by the loss of habitat, fragmentation of habitat, over exploitation of resources, human sponsored ecosystems, climatic changes, pollution, invasive exotic species, diseases, shifting cultivation, poaching of wildlife etc. Since the human beings are enjoying all the benefits from biodiversity, they should take proper care for the preservation of biodiversity in all its forms and should prevent the degradation as well as the destruction of the habitats, thereby maintaining the biodiversity at its optimum level which will ultimately conserve the biodiversity for the future generation. The United Nations designated 2011-2020 as the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity. In biodiversity, each species, no matter how big or small, has an important role to play in ecosystems.
Rainforests once covered 14% of the worlds land surface, however now it only covers a mere 6%. It is estimated that all rainforests could be consumed in less than 40 years. Trees are becoming more needed and used everyday. We need them cut down for many reasons such as paper and timber, while also needing them ‘untouched’ for other reasons like oxygen, we have to ask ourselves, which is more important? At the current rate, most of the rainforests are being cut down for resources like paper and timber, but less importance is being placed on main resources like oxygen.
* Daily, Gretchen C., ed. Nature’s Services: Societal Dependence on Natural Ecosystems. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 1997.
(7) Adams, W. M. The Future of Sustainability: Re-thinking Environment and Development in the Twenty-first Century. Rep. The World Conservation Union, 22 May 2006. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.
It is known that the world relies on capital. Without it the economy would collapse leading to war, famine, and death. Wildlife is an integral part of the world's economy. The world's populatio...
(2) All the economically important organisms in protected areas should be identified and conserved as protected areas are an extremely important part of programs to conserve biodiversity and ecosystems, mainly for sensitive habitats. (3) Species in critical habitats should be identified and safeguarded. (4) Priority should be given at its outmost level to preserve ecosystems which appear to be unique. (5) There should be sustainable utilisation of natural resources. (6) International trade in wild life should be prohibited and highly regulated. (7) The poaching and hunting of wildlife should be prevented as far as practicable. For example in Assam on horned rhinos are facing extinction on account of poachers trading them at an international level for monetary gains. (8) Care should be taken for the development and improvement of reserves and protected areas. (9) Efforts should be made to reduce the level of pollutants in the environment which causes an adverse