A Composite Index-Based Approach for Mapping Ecosystem Service Production Hotspots and Coldspots for Priority Setting in Integrated Watershed Management Programs

Abstract

Despite the potential synergism, integrated watershed management and ecosystem services frameworks are rarely used jointly to address the myriad of current water-related issues. The two frameworks are used in this study to spatially identify ecosystem hotspots and coldspots for priority setting in natural resource management programs. Inferred proxies of carbon storage, groundwater supply, surface water supply, and soil retention ecosystem service production potentials were quantified for Texas, U.S., using two complimentary hydro-ecological models, and valued using a non-monetary multi-criteria valuation approach. Maps of individual and composite ecosystem service values showed that several services were co-located and unevenly distributed with most of the high-value hotspots clustered in the eastern part of the state. Individual impacts of land use, climatic and soil properties on the distribution and value of ecosystem services across space were discernable. The study underscored the need for holistic management of landscapes to take advantage of the multiplicity of benefits provided by nature. The approach can readily be incorporated into resource management programs to identify high-value ecosystem service production areas that need conservation, low-value areas that may need restoration, and anthropogenic activities influencing the distribution of ecosystem services.