Staging stewards of agro-ecosystems in the ecosystem services framework

Abstract

Ecosystems provide services which are central to human well-being. However, they are undergoing rapid change due to human interferences. In times of globalization and cosmopolitan citizenship, boundaries (fringe) between rural and urban landscapes are blurring which make agro-ecosystems vulnerable. Critical understanding of societal transformation driving ecological change across different scales, especially fringe landscapes is necessary for operationalizing a holistic growth model in developing nations. Ecosystem services provided by agro-ecosystems and their value to stakeholders are often overlooked in the conservation and resource management actions in India. An evaluation framework was designed, considering stakeholders with direct and indirect access to services for agro-ecosystem management. Users’ demand for ecosystem services and their environmental behavior was assessed, using a combination of ES valuation tools and methods. Results highlight that direct users are the potential landscape stewards of agro-ecosystems. Being custodians of the ecosystem, there is a need for engagement of direct users in the present management interventions to ensure sustainable social-ecological systems in future. The study puts forward that the application of landscape stewardship concept can contribute to sustainable management of ecosystems, while considering the nested multi-scale dynamics of social-ecological systems in developing nations.