Quantifying Ecosystem Services of High Mountain Lakes across Different Socio-Ecological Contexts

Uta Schirpke,Manuel Ebner,Veronika Fontana,Hanna Pritsch,Rainer Kurmayer

doi:10.3390/su13116051

Abstract

Mountain lakes are highly sensitive to global change, requiring sustainable management strategies that support crucial ecosystem services (ES). However, small mountain lakes are rarely in the focus of ES assessments, and indicators are potentially lacking. Therefore, this study aimed at comprehensively assessing key ES of 15 study lakes located in two regions in the European Alps. We involved local stakeholders and experts to identify important ES. We quantified eight ES in non-monetary terms, using 29 indicators based on limnological, spatial and socio-economic data. Finally, we evaluated ES in relation to the socio-ecological context of the study lakes. The most important ES included surface water for non-drinking purposes, maintaining populations and habitats, outdoor recreation, aesthetic value, entertainment and representation, scientific research, education as well as existence, option, or bequest value. Quantitative results indicate varying levels of ES across the study lakes. Based on 12 different socio-ecological variables, we identified four groups of lakes differing also in five ES. Maintaining populations and habitats, aesthetic value as well as existence, option or bequest value were rather independent from the socio-ecological context. Our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of ES of mountain lakes, also supporting the development of sustainable management strategies in mountain regions.

Highlights

Freshwater lakes and ponds greatly contribute to human well-being by providing crucial ecosystem services (ES), such as water supply for domestic, agricultural, and industrial use, hydropower production, flood control, climate regulation, and outdoor recreation [1,2,3,4]
To examine whether differences in ES occur in different study lakes, we collected various socio-ecological context variables (Table 3)
[3,4,17], our results indicate that key of natural high mountain lakes lakes include mostly cultural ES, which is probably due to several factors

Summary

Introduction

Freshwater lakes and ponds greatly contribute to human well-being by providing crucial ecosystem services (ES), such as water supply for domestic, agricultural, and industrial use, hydropower production, flood control, climate regulation, and outdoor recreation [1,2,3,4]. ES can be broadly defined as the contributions of ecosystems to human well-being [5,6,7]. Based on ecological functions and processes that represent the capacity of ecosystems to provide goods and services (natural capital), ES are generated by human interactions (human-derived capital) with nature to satisfy human needs [7,8,9,10]. Since ES provision strongly depends on ecological functions and processes, such stressors may severely affect individual or multiple ES [13,15]

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Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion