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Past years have witnessed the transformation of land use at a high frequency and a warmer and drier climate in the Eastern Tibetan Plateau region
. To fully understand the spatial-temporal variation of ecosystem services against the changing global backdrop and to provide scientific ecosystem management measures for decision-making, a study was conducted to investigate the major ecosystem services: water yield, soil conservation and crop production from 1990 to 2015 in the Eastern Tibetan Plateau region. Three scenarios—climate change only, land use change only and both land use and climate change—were included in this study to analyze the response of ES to the above-mentioned global changes. The results show that (1) the total quantity of ES reduced in all the three scenarios, the annual ES change was scenarioII < scenarioIII < scenarioI and the periodical characteristics are present in this region; (2) the ES change in spatial distribution varied with different climate change patterns and land use transfer directions; (3) the ES composition of each ecosystem varied with different driving scenarios and different responses of the forest and wetland on climate change and land use changes were observed. Moreover, the trade-off under land use change and climate change respectively was observed in this study. Based on the results, we recommend that the local government take this trade-off and climate change into account when making decisions, continue with desertification control and improve the quality of grassland as well as forests—these efforts should enable us to achieve sustainable development of human beings and the natural ecosystem
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Biological invasion is a major component of global environmental change and it has negative impacts on native biodiversity, ecosystem services, infrastructures, agriculture production, and human and animal health
. Direct and indirect economic costs of biological invasions amount to several hundred billions of dollars annually. Lowlands with high urbanization, industrialization, and other economic activities are adversely affected by biological invasions, whereas mountain regions were considered to be relatively less affected by this phenomenon. However, recent research and meta-analyses have revealed that biological invasions are occurring in mountain regions at an alarming rate. Management of invasive alien species (IAS) is more challenging in mountains due to the rugged topography
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Ismail, I.; Muhammad, S.; Hammad, G.; Anwar, A.; Kiramat, H.; Kamran, H.; Singh, K. B.; Mueen, Q. F.; Waqas, Q.; Wu, N.; Rajan, K.
Purpose The purpose of the study is to analyse the occurrence and distribution of different tree species in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, as a baseline for further inventories, and estimate the biomass per species and plot
. Furthermore, it aims to measure forest biodiversity using established formulae for tree species diversity index, richness, evenness and accumulative curve. Design/methodology/approach Field data were collected, including stratification of forest sample plots. Statistical analysis of the data was carried out, and locally appropriate allometric equations were applied for biomass estimation. Findings Representative circular 556 forest sample plots of 1,000 m2 contained 13,135 trees belonging to nine tree species with a total aboveground biomass of 12,887 tonnes. Sixty-eight per cent of the trees were found between 2,600 and 3,400 masl; approximately 63 per cent had a diameter at breast height equal to 30 cm, and 45 per cent were less than 12 m in height. The Shannon diversity index was 1.82, and Simpson’s index of diversity was 0.813. Research limitations/implications Rough terrain, long distances, harsh weather conditions and location of forest in steep narrow valleys presented challenges for the field crews, and meant that fieldwork took longer than planned. Practical implications Estimating biomass in Gilgit-Baltistan’s forests using locally developed allometric equations will provide transparency in estimates of forest reference levels, National Forest Monitoring System in Pakistan and devising Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation national strategies and for effective implementation. Originality/value This paper presents the first detailed forest inventory carried out for the dry temperate and semi-arid cold region of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
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Wetlands cover 5–10% of the earth’s terrestrial surface
. They are important ecosystems that supply goods and services for human wellbeing. Despite their rich biodiversity, social and economic values, wetlands are in immense pressure, and are undergoing constant degradation due to several anthropogenic forces, such as urban development, expansion of agricultural land and industrial pollution. The global extent of wetlands in the 20th century is estimated to have declined by 64–71%, and losses and degradation of wetlands continue worldwide, which will eventually have significant impacts on the supply of ecosystem services and affect the livelihoods of people [Ramsar Secretariat 2015: State of the World’s Wetlands and their Services (Task No. 18)]. In Asia alone, about 5,000 km2 of wetlands vanish each year, with substantial impacts on ecosystem services, biodiversity and the livelihoods of people. In the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region, there is only limited information available on the overall status of wetlands and resource exploitation because of the difficult geographic terrain and harsh climatic conditions. Thus, to generate a better understanding of wetlands in the region, a common platform was sought to exchange information, learnings and research findings. ICIMOD, in collaboration with the Kunming Institute of Botany (KIB) and the Chengdu Institute of Biology (CIB) under Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and the Yunnan Institute of Environmental Science (YIES), organized a Regional Expert Consultative Symposium on ‘Managing Wetland Ecosystem in the Hindu Kush Himalaya: Securing Services for Livelihoods’ in Dali, Yunnan Province of China
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Bubb, P.; Soesbergen, A. V.; Bisht, N.; Singh, G.; Joshi, S.; Aryal, K.; Danks, F. S.; Rawat, G. S.; Bhuchar, S.; Wu, N.; Kotru, R.; Yi, S.
This Operations Manual provides a practical method for including ecosystem management in sustainable development planning and implementation at the site and landscape levels and present’s six steps for planning management for ecosystem services
. It is primarily designed to support the work of ICIMOD and its partners in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), but is of use in most terrestrial environments of the world. Currently, there is a lack of operational guidance for development practitioners, natural resources managers, and conservation professionals to put ‘managing for ecosystem services’ into practice. As a result, many natural resources management activities that are intended to work with ecosystem services are still ‘old wine in new bottles’. This publication aims to reduce the gap in understanding, planning, and managing the environment for ecosystem goods and services, thereby strengthening existing development and livelihood activities by using established knowledge on ecology and ecosystem sciences. For more information and training in the use of the Manual please contact Yi Shaoliang, Yi.Shaoliang@icimod.org and Philip Bubb philip.bubb@unep-wcmc.org
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Yi, S.; Rawat, G. S.; Wu, N.; Bubb, P.; Chettri, N.; Kotru, R.; Sharma, E.; Bhatta, L. D.; Bisht, N.; Aryal, K.; Gurung, J.; Joshi, S.; Adhikari, B. S.; Rawal, R. S.; Ghate, R.; Gurung, K.; Goodrich, C. G.; Chitale, V. S.; Shakya, B.; Ismail, M.; Chaudhary, R. P.; Yan, Z.; Wang, J.
This framework document has been prepared by the team at ICIMOD working on various aspects of ecosystem management in collaboration with the United Nations Environment – World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP–WCMC), with technical inputs from eminent ecologists, gender and governance specialists, sociologists and economists from the region
. The document provides basic background, principles and key terms for ecosystem management, major considerations in the context of the HKH and the process and practical steps required for the management of ecosystems
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Methane fluxes from a shallow peatland lake (3450 m a
.s.l., 1.6 km2 in area, maximum depth < 1 m) on eastern Tibetan Plateau were measured with floating chamber method during May to August, 2009. The overall average of methane emission rate during the study period was 34.71 ± 29.15 mg CH4 m− 2 h− 1. The occurrence of ebullition among the overall methane flux from Lake Medo was about 74%. The average rate of ebullition was 32.45 ± 28.31 mg CH4 m− 2 h− 1, which accounted for 93% of the overall average of methane emission. Significant seasonal variation was found for occurrence (P < 0.05) and rate (P < 0.01) of ebullition, both peaking synchronously in mid-summer. Both the occurrence and rate of ebullition were found positively related to sediment temperature but negatively related to lake water depth. The high methane production in the lake sediment was likely fueled by organic carbon loaded from surrounding peatlands to the lake. The shallowness of the water column could be another important favorable factor for methane-containing bubble formation in the sediment and their transportation to the atmosphere. The methane ebullition must have been enhanced by the low atmospheric pressure (ca. 672 hPa) in the high-altitude environment. For a better understanding on the mechanism of methane emission from alpine lakes, more lakes on the Tibetan Plateau should be studied in the future for their methane ebullition
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We measured nitrous oxide (N2O) emission from the infralittoral zone and pelagic zone in a shallow lake on the Tibetan Plateau during the growing season of 2009, prior to the lake restoration project aiming to raise the lake water by 0
.5–1 m. Mean flux rates of N2O were 0.054 ± 0.094 mg N2O m−2 h−1 and 0.009 ± 0.072 mg N2O m−2 h−1 from infralittoral zone and pelagic zone respectively. Submerged plant biomass index (SPBI) (R = 0.43, P < 0.01, n = 16), nitrate content in surface sediment (R = 0.22, P < 0.05, n = 16) and surface sediment temperature (R = 0.79, P = 0.000, n = 16) were found to significantly correlated to the spatial pattern of N2O flux. Nitrates loading gradient across (sub) zones along with the enhancing effect of plant on nitrate removal were thought to be responsible for this spatial pattern of N2O flux, while temperature act as a regulator on denitrification. Infralittoral zone had the greatest relative contribution (62.2%) of N2O emission to the whole lake budget among various (sub) zones, indicating infralittoral zone a vital component of N2O emission from shallow lakes. As the consequence of the lake restoration project, the response of N2O flux to the raised water depth might vary from different (sub) zones, therefore further study should be conducted so as to have a better understanding on the effect of restoration project on the overall N2O flux from the lake
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Zhu, D.; Wu, N.; Bhattarai, N.; Oli, K. P.; Tsering, K.; Rawat, G. S.; Chen, H.; Yang, G.; He, Y.; Joshi, S.; Rana, P.; Ismail, M.
Natural wetlands constitute one of the major sources of methane emission to the atmosphere
. Data on methane emission from wetlands on southern slopes of the Himalaya (SSH) have not been reported so far. Such data are very valuable for filling the gap and generating the whole emission patterns at regional or even global scale. We selected two wetlands at different altitudinal locations in Nepal, i.e. Beeshazar Lake (286 m a.s.l.) and Dhaap Lake (2089 m a.s.l.), to monitor the daytime methane emissions in monsoon season and dry season separately. Daytime methane emission varied between monsoon and dry seasons and also across different plant communities. The daytime methane emission variations were stronger in dry season than in monsoon season. The source/sink strengths of the two selected plant communities in each wetland were significantly different, presenting the strong spatial variation of methane emission within wetland. The methane emissions recorded in monsoon season were significantly higher (7.74 ± 6.49 mg CH4 m−2 h−1 and 1.00 ± 1.23 mg CH4 m−2 h−1 in low and high altitude wetlands, respectively) than those in dry season (1.84 ± 4.57 mg CH4 m−2 h−1 and 0.27 ± 0.71 mg CH4 m−2 h−1 in low and high altitude wetlands, respectively). Methane emissions from the low altitude wetland were significantly higher than those from the high altitude wetland in both of the seasons. Plant community height, standing water depth and soil temperature correlated to the methane emission from wetlands in this region
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Wang, M.; Yang, G.; Gao, Y.; Chen, H.; Wu, N.; Peng, C.; Zhu, Q.; Zhu, D.; Wu, J.; He, Y.; Tian, J.; Zhao, X.; Zhang, Y.
In order to understand the carbon fate of alpine peatlands under climate change, this study aimed to measure carbon accumulation in recent decades and that during the Holocene at seven representative peat sites on the Zoige Plateau using empirical peat core data (14C and 137CS) and modeling approaches
. The observed apparent carbon accumulation rate over the past 50 years was 75 (35–123) g C m−2 yr−1, nearly four times that of 19 (7–30) g C m−2 yr−1over the whole Holocene. With decomposition history included in consideration by using modeling approaches, the average expected peat carbon accumulation rate was still nearly 1.6 times that of the modeled net carbon uptake rate of peats accumulated over the whole Holocene, though exceptions were found for Denahequ and Hongyuan peat cores with extremely low water table levels. The newly accumulated peat carbon of the Zoige Plateau amounted to 0.4 Tg C yr−1 (1 Tg = 1012 g) during recent decades. Overall, the effect of climate warming on recent C accumulation of peatlands on the Zoige Plateau is dependent on their water conditions. The peat C storage on the alpine Plateau is threatened by human activities (drainage) and continuous climate change with increasing temperature and decreasing precipitation which cause dryness of peatlands
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