Abstract
Ecosystem services refer to the direct and indirect benefits to humanity from an ecosystem. The ability to spatially incorporate multiple biophysical environments is crucial to ecosystem services, thus promoting cooperation between science and policy in seeking solutions to global challenges, including drought disasters. Therefore, understanding ecosystem services, for instance, from forest/vegetation in view of contributing to drought disaster risk adaptation is critical to human-nature interactions and proper sustainable conservation thereof. No known study has been done on ecosystem services and their contributions to drought management or other climate adaptation in South Africa. This study aimed at quantifying drought disaster risk adaptation based on ecosystem services in South Africa. It was identified that ecosystem services to society have been directly affected by anthropogenic and natural phenomena, thereby influencing drought severity and its impacts. These impacts and their associated risks are evident globally, including in South Africa. We found out that ecosystems in South Africa have been affected and extremely vulnerable to recurrent natural disasters, such as droughts. To achieve long-term solutions to such drought-related risks and challenges, feedback mechanisms between human-natural and related factors and ecosystem services-based drought adaptation need to be understood and planned. Timely spatiotemporal assessment, planning and management strategies need to be considered to find solutions or ways forward to South Africa in combating drought disasters.
Highlights
Intensified natural resource exploitation and intensive grazing influence the ecosystem services, including natural vegetation and other environmental components that are crucial in combating drought disaster
Natural resource conservation and preservation of natural grassland resources have been described to be more beneficial in ecosystem services, especially in climate-related adaptation, including drought events
Greening areas and forests can remove significant amounts of pollutants, increasing environmental quality and vegetation abundance, which is crucial to drought adaptation and mitigation
Summary
Adapting to climate change helps reduce the risk of water-related disasters such as droughts and floods. Droughts have a detrimental effect on ecosystems’ functions, reduce social, political, and economic stability, and can increase vulnerability to other natural disasters such as droughts, heatwaves and floods [4]. The population of the most vulnerable regions, the poorer areas where land and water supplies are already limited, need to be better prepared for potential droughts by reducing and adjusting risks and increasing resistance to droughts. Drought has been regarded as a natural hazard that society reacts to with a reactive approach. This hazard management approach only discusses the consequences of drought.
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