Water Regulating in Kenozero Taiga: Excess or Lack of Water and Where Does It Go?
Water-regulating ecosystem services (ESs) are a key factor in water supply for the population and the economy. In recent years, these ESs have been intensively included in regional and global assessments. However, the degree of knowledge of various water-regulating ESs and the availability of models...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Earth |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4834/3/4/70 |
| _version_ | 1827640822258991104 |
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| author | Leonid Petrov Elena Bukvareva Alexey Aleinikov |
| author_facet | Leonid Petrov Elena Bukvareva Alexey Aleinikov |
| author_sort | Leonid Petrov |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Water-regulating ecosystem services (ESs) are a key factor in water supply for the population and the economy. In recent years, these ESs have been intensively included in regional and global assessments. However, the degree of knowledge of various water-regulating ESs and the availability of models for their estimation and mapping vary greatly. For example, most regional assessments currently do not take into account the ESs of moisture and precipitation recycling by forests which can lead to erroneous decisions on land use and forest management. To what extent is it possible to make adequate decisions on the basis of a partial assessment of the ESs? In this article, we discuss this problem using the example of boreal forests in the catchment of the Lake Kenozero in the north of the European part of Russia. Using the InVEST model, two ESs were quantified and mapped: water yield regulation due to evapotranspiration and water quality assurance due to prevention of soil erosion. The reduction in water yield due to evapotranspiration was estimated at 125 mm/year, and the prevention of soil erosion was estimated at 9.56 t/ha/year. Forest felling in the study area from 2007 to 2021 led to an increase in runoff and soil erosion by 6 mm/year and 0.03 t/ha/year, respectively. The hypothetical total instantaneous forest loss could lead to an increase in runoff and soil erosion by 71 mm/year and 2.44 t/ha/year, respectively. A tradeoff between these ESs was predictably identified as deforestation led to an increase in water yield and a deterioration in water quality due to soil erosion. The significance of a number of other water-regulating ESs for making regional decisions was expertly assessed. In particular, the importance of the ESs of precipitation recycling of sludge under climate change was discussed. Expanding the range of ESs under consideration increases the likelihood of choosing a protection strategy instead of a harvesting one in forest management. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:04:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d9e5d254fd4c4aa18034dfea85ebaef2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-4834 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:04:56Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Earth |
| spelling | doaj.art-d9e5d254fd4c4aa18034dfea85ebaef22023-11-24T14:25:51ZengMDPI AGEarth2673-48342022-11-01341237125710.3390/earth3040070Water Regulating in Kenozero Taiga: Excess or Lack of Water and Where Does It Go?Leonid Petrov0Elena Bukvareva1Alexey Aleinikov2Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, RussiaTEEB-Russia Project, Biodiversity Conservation Center, 117312 Moscow, RussiaCenter for Forest Ecology and Productivity of Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, RussiaWater-regulating ecosystem services (ESs) are a key factor in water supply for the population and the economy. In recent years, these ESs have been intensively included in regional and global assessments. However, the degree of knowledge of various water-regulating ESs and the availability of models for their estimation and mapping vary greatly. For example, most regional assessments currently do not take into account the ESs of moisture and precipitation recycling by forests which can lead to erroneous decisions on land use and forest management. To what extent is it possible to make adequate decisions on the basis of a partial assessment of the ESs? In this article, we discuss this problem using the example of boreal forests in the catchment of the Lake Kenozero in the north of the European part of Russia. Using the InVEST model, two ESs were quantified and mapped: water yield regulation due to evapotranspiration and water quality assurance due to prevention of soil erosion. The reduction in water yield due to evapotranspiration was estimated at 125 mm/year, and the prevention of soil erosion was estimated at 9.56 t/ha/year. Forest felling in the study area from 2007 to 2021 led to an increase in runoff and soil erosion by 6 mm/year and 0.03 t/ha/year, respectively. The hypothetical total instantaneous forest loss could lead to an increase in runoff and soil erosion by 71 mm/year and 2.44 t/ha/year, respectively. A tradeoff between these ESs was predictably identified as deforestation led to an increase in water yield and a deterioration in water quality due to soil erosion. The significance of a number of other water-regulating ESs for making regional decisions was expertly assessed. In particular, the importance of the ESs of precipitation recycling of sludge under climate change was discussed. Expanding the range of ESs under consideration increases the likelihood of choosing a protection strategy instead of a harvesting one in forest management.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4834/3/4/70ecosystem serviceswater yieldwater qualitypreventing erosionprecipitation recyclingforest management |
| spellingShingle | Leonid Petrov Elena Bukvareva Alexey Aleinikov Water Regulating in Kenozero Taiga: Excess or Lack of Water and Where Does It Go? Earth ecosystem services water yield water quality preventing erosion precipitation recycling forest management |
| title | Water Regulating in Kenozero Taiga: Excess or Lack of Water and Where Does It Go? |
| title_full | Water Regulating in Kenozero Taiga: Excess or Lack of Water and Where Does It Go? |
| title_fullStr | Water Regulating in Kenozero Taiga: Excess or Lack of Water and Where Does It Go? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Water Regulating in Kenozero Taiga: Excess or Lack of Water and Where Does It Go? |
| title_short | Water Regulating in Kenozero Taiga: Excess or Lack of Water and Where Does It Go? |
| title_sort | water regulating in kenozero taiga excess or lack of water and where does it go |
| topic | ecosystem services water yield water quality preventing erosion precipitation recycling forest management |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4834/3/4/70 |
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