Mapping ecosystem services for planning and management

This study mapped the production of five ecosystem services in South Africa: surface water supply, water flow regulation, soil accumulation, soil retention, and carbon storage. The relationship and spatial congruence between services were assessed. The congruence between primary production and these...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Agriculture, ecosystems & environment ecosystems & environment, 2008-08, Vol.127 (1), p.135-140
Main Authors: Egoh, Benis, Reyers, Belinda, Rouget, Mathieu, Richardson, David M., Le Maitre, David C., van Jaarsveld, Albert S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Carbon
carbon sequestration
cartography
Conservation biogeography
Conservation planning
decision making
ecosystem services
erosion control
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General agroecology
General agroecology. Agricultural and farming systems. Agricultural development. Rural area planning. Landscaping
General agronomy. Plant production
General aspects
Generalities. Agricultural and farming systems. Agricultural development
geographical variation
land management
planning
Primary productivity
Soil
soil formation
soil organic carbon
spatial distribution
spatial variation
surface water
Synecology
Water
water flow
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Summary:This study mapped the production of five ecosystem services in South Africa: surface water supply, water flow regulation, soil accumulation, soil retention, and carbon storage. The relationship and spatial congruence between services were assessed. The congruence between primary production and these five services was tested to evaluate its value as a surrogate or proxy ecosystem service measure. This study illustrates that (1) most of South Africa's land surface is important for supplying at least one service, (2) there are low levels of congruence between the service ranges and even lower levels between the hotspots for different ecosystem services, and (3) primary production appears to show some potential as a surrogate for ecosystem service distribution. The implications of a heterogeneous landscape for the provision of ecosystem services and their management are highlighted and the potential for managing such services in a country like South Africa is discussed.
ISSN:0167-8809
1873-2305
DOI:10.1016/j.agee.2008.03.013