Abstract
Abstract. Ecosystem accounting is an emerging field that aims to provide a consistent approach to analysing environment–economy interactions. One of the specific features of ecosystem accounting is the distinction between the capacity and the flow of ecosystem services. Ecohydrological modelling to support ecosystem accounting requires considering among others physical and mathematical representation of ecohydrological processes, spatial heterogeneity of the ecosystem, temporal resolution, and required model accuracy. This study examines how a spatially explicit ecohydrological model can be used to analyse multiple hydrological ecosystem services in line with the ecosystem accounting framework. We use the Upper Ouémé watershed in Benin as a test case to demonstrate our approach. The Soil Water and Assessment Tool (SWAT), which has been configured with a grid-based landscape discretization and further enhanced to simulate water flow across the discretized landscape units, is used to simulate the ecohydrology of the Upper Ouémé watershed. Indicators consistent with the ecosystem accounting framework are used to map and quantify the capacities and the flows of multiple hydrological ecosystem services based on the model outputs. Biophysical ecosystem accounts are subsequently set up based on the spatial estimates of hydrological ecosystem services. In addition, we conduct trend analysis statistical tests on biophysical ecosystem accounts to identify trends in changes in the capacity of the watershed ecosystems to provide service flows. We show that the integration of hydrological ecosystem services into an ecosystem accounting framework provides relevant information on ecosystems and hydrological ecosystem services at appropriate scales suitable for decision-making.
Highlights
Ecosystem accounting provides a systematic framework to link ecosystems to economic activities (Boyd and Banzhaf, 2007; Maler et al, 2008; EC et al, 2013; Edens and Hein, 2013; Obst et al, 2013)
We use the Soil Water and Assessment Tool (SWAT), which has been configured with a grid-based landscape discretization and further enhanced to simulate water flow across the discretized landscape units, to simulate the watershed ecohydrology
We have shown that despite the non-linear complex interactions among several ecohydrological processes, it is empirically feasible to distinguish between service capacity and service flow of hydrological ecosystem services
Summary
Ecosystem accounting provides a systematic framework to link ecosystems to economic activities (Boyd and Banzhaf, 2007; Maler et al, 2008; EC et al, 2013; Edens and Hein, 2013; Obst et al, 2013). The recently released System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA)–Experimental Ecosystem Accounting guideline (EC et al, 2013) provides guidelines for setting up both biophysical and monetary ecosystem accounts. Biophysical accounting for ecosystem services forms the basis for monetary accounting. Ecosystem services are the contributions of ecosystems to human welfare (TEEB, 2010; EC et al, 2013). Hydrological ecosystem services, are the contributions to human benefits produced by the effects of terrestrial ecosystem components on freshwater as it moves through the landscape. Terrestrial ecosystem components directly modify different attributes (such as quantity, quality, location and timing) of various ecohydrological processes, resulting in augmentation or degradation of these processes
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
