Opportunities for investment in the societal values provided by Sanjay Gandhi National Park, India

Abstract

Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), surrounded by the megacity of Mumbai, India, is subject to high anthropogenic pressures. However, it constitutes an important ‘green lung’ and water source, supporting biodiversity, tourism, recreation and additional benefits both locally and remotely. To safeguard and enhance the Park ecosystem, there is a need to recognise and demonstrate the diversity of values associated with these multiple benefits, potential conflicts, and management measures necessary to protect them. This study explores outcomes from SGNP across a systemically connected range of ecosystem services, and the geographical scales over which service benefits accrue. This informs potential novel ‘payment for ecosystem services’ (PES) opportunities. The protected status of the landscape is reflected in low values from provisioning services (material or energy exploitation), but substantial values from supporting (such as habitat for wildlife), regulating (including global climate, microclimate and hydrological regulation) and cultural (particularly tourism) services. However, direct resource exploitation by communities inhabiting the Park is limited. Some ecosystem services were identified as ready for PES implementation (for example water supply), others require further development (including contributions to peripheral urban microclimate), through many services have no or limited PES potential (such as wood or aggregate extraction, prohibited under Park regulations).