Hello all!
In my previous post, I have briefly talked about what ecosystem services are, and the role of water in ecosystem functions. In this post, I will talk further about the relationship between water and ecosystem services contextualised in Sub-Saharan Africa, and why we should use an ecosystem services framework for decision-making in the pursuit of development.
Sub-Saharan Africa
In the literature, Sub-Saharan Africa has been facing a high incidence of ecosystem degradation in from urbanisation, comparable to that of the 19th century industrial revolution in Europe (Wangai et al. 2016). Demand on ecosystem functions (eg. water for consumption, wood for timber) have exceeded that of supply, and this has diminished the supplies of ecosystem services through the overexploitation and fragmentation of ecosystems (Cumming et al. 2014). Current population growth of Sub-Saharan Africa at 2.7% is likely to continue inducing pressure on water resources and initiate large-scale water resource schemes in response to human needs, which may further threaten water availability (World Bank, 2017) - within urban East Africa, the 30 years elapsed between 1967 and 1997 have already seen a dramatic decline in mean per capita water use in all urban households from 98.7L to 54.9L per day (Thompson et al. 2000). There was also a tripling of average time spent collecting water for households without piped supplies, resulting from reasons such as over-strain on municipal water supplies due to urban overpopulation.
In my previous post, I have briefly talked about what ecosystem services are, and the role of water in ecosystem functions. In this post, I will talk further about the relationship between water and ecosystem services contextualised in Sub-Saharan Africa, and why we should use an ecosystem services framework for decision-making in the pursuit of development.
Sub-Saharan Africa
In the literature, Sub-Saharan Africa has been facing a high incidence of ecosystem degradation in from urbanisation, comparable to that of the 19th century industrial revolution in Europe (Wangai et al. 2016). Demand on ecosystem functions (eg. water for consumption, wood for timber) have exceeded that of supply, and this has diminished the supplies of ecosystem services through the overexploitation and fragmentation of ecosystems (Cumming et al. 2014). Current population growth of Sub-Saharan Africa at 2.7% is likely to continue inducing pressure on water resources and initiate large-scale water resource schemes in response to human needs, which may further threaten water availability (World Bank, 2017) - within urban East Africa, the 30 years elapsed between 1967 and 1997 have already seen a dramatic decline in mean per capita water use in all urban households from 98.7L to 54.9L per day (Thompson et al. 2000). There was also a tripling of average time spent collecting water for households without piped supplies, resulting from reasons such as over-strain on municipal water supplies due to urban overpopulation.
A continued desire to exploit the scarce resources for use may result in: a) resource conflicts, such as for countries along the River Nile and Okavango Delta (Hobbs, 2004) and b) continued degradation and losses of vulnerable water bodies such as wetlands. Climate change has been predicted to cause further desertification within Sub-Saharan Africa (Wangai et al. 2013), and hence it is essential to to ensure for a continued supply of ecosystem services to sustain livelihoods and safeguard agricultural productivity in our pursuit of development.
So far, ecosystem functions have been considered a "public good" where there is no excludability or rivalry from accessing an ecosystem good (Wangai et al. 2016: 227), and the abovementioned incidences of ecosystem degradation in Sub-Saharan Africa arguably stems from this undervaluation of ecosystem services in conventional policy-making (Potschin et al. 2016). Valuation of water as an ecosystem service is therefore an appealing approach to the management of water resources and establish conservation strategies for the future. In particular, the ecosystem services approach encompasses identifying, measuring, modelling the stocks and flows of ecosystems, and the synergies or trade-offs that occur from decision-making. Although this may sound unclear at present, I will elaborate more on these ideas in the following posts through the following themes:
So far, ecosystem functions have been considered a "public good" where there is no excludability or rivalry from accessing an ecosystem good (Wangai et al. 2016: 227), and the abovementioned incidences of ecosystem degradation in Sub-Saharan Africa arguably stems from this undervaluation of ecosystem services in conventional policy-making (Potschin et al. 2016). Valuation of water as an ecosystem service is therefore an appealing approach to the management of water resources and establish conservation strategies for the future. In particular, the ecosystem services approach encompasses identifying, measuring, modelling the stocks and flows of ecosystems, and the synergies or trade-offs that occur from decision-making. Although this may sound unclear at present, I will elaborate more on these ideas in the following posts through the following themes:
1. Identification of ecosystem service functions and delivery in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the differences within.
2. Application of ecosystem services approach and valuation of water in Sub-Saharan Africa through measurement of ecosystem services.
3. Modelling ecosystem services for the future (eg. threat of climate change, how to include them in conservation strategies).
3. Modelling ecosystem services for the future (eg. threat of climate change, how to include them in conservation strategies).
4. Limitations of the ecosystem services approach in the current literature, and trade-offs that may occur in decisions.
These area of interests are likely to change as I progress in my knowledge around this topic. Having also read through the past year examples (1, 2, 3), I will try my best to minimise content overlap, and ideally further my seniors’ ideas and frameworks for a more comprehensive understanding of this topic.
See you next week!
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