Ecological Attributes Research Articles

Dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in grazing lands of the Neotropics: A review of patterns and research trends of taxonomic and functional diversity, and functions

Dung beetles are one of the most representative groups of insects associated with livestock, as they take advantage of the manure of livestock for food and reproduction. They have been widely used as a bio-indicator group to evaluate their responses to land-use change and other environmental disturbances by analyzing species diversity at different spatial and temporal scales. However, the impacts of livestock management practices, forms, and history on dung beetle diversity are still poorly understood. This paper is an exhaustive and systematic review of the existing peer-reviewed and indexed literature on the taxonomic diversity (species richness and composition), functional diversity, and ecological functions of dung beetles from different provinces and biogeographic domains in tropical grazing lands of the Neotropics. We analyzed the timeline of the studies conducted so far, and we detected increasing literature produced mainly in South America. We included the most frequent objectives, tendencies, software, and statistical analyses. Given the significant heterogeneity of livestock landscapes in the Neotropics, the reviewed studies have conceptualized broadly what a pasture is, and the authors have used different descriptions of other grazing lands. Additionally, management data and livestock practices vary widely among studies, and management history is poorly described. In future research, it is relevant to include as much information as possible and the consequences of different livestock management practices on additional ecological attributes of dung beetle assemblages at different landscape scales (spatial and temporal) to predict how ecological processes change in Neotropical landscapes. Considering the importance of the data to be included in future work, we propose a collection format to unify the information collected in the field when conducting ecological studies in grazing lands. Moreover, we define a classification system to homogenize the features that distinguish the multiple tropical grazing lands reported in the literature. Preserving dung beetle diversity and associated ecological functions is urgent for maintaining ecosystem services in grazing lands. The challenge for research institutions is to continue filling gaps in knowledge to help those who work in transferring knowledge, to help ranchers exercise better options for more sustainable livestock farming, and to publish results for conservation decision-making.

Genetic factors predict hybrid formation in the British flora

Natural hybridization can have a profound evolutionary impact, with consequences ranging from the extinction of rare taxa to the origin of new species. Natural hybridization is particularly common in plants; however, our understanding of the general factors that promote or prevent hybridization is hampered by the highly variable outcomes in different lineages. Here, we quantify the influence of different predictors on hybrid formation across species from an entire flora. We combine estimates of hybridization with ecological attributes and a new species-level phylogeny for over 1,100 UK flowering plant species. Our results show that genetic factors, particularly parental genetic distance, as well as phylogenetic position and ploidy, are key determinants of hybrid formation, whereas many other factors such as range overlap and genus size explain much less variation in hybrid formation. Overall, intrinsic genetic factors shape the evolutionary and ecological consequences of natural hybridization across species in a flora.

Drivers of strong isolation and small effective population size at a leading range edge of a widespread plant

Climate change has influenced species distributions worldwide with upward elevational shifts observed in many systems. Leading range edge populations, like those at upper elevation limits, are crucial for climate change responses but can exhibit low genetic diversity due to founder effects, isolation, or limited outbreeding. These factors can hamper local adaptation at range limits. Using the widespread herb, Argentina anserina, we measured ecological attributes (population density on the landscape, area of population occupancy, and plant and flower density) spanning a 1000 m elevation gradient, with high elevation populations at the range limit. We measured vegetative clonal potential in the greenhouse for populations spanning the gradient. We combined these data with a ddRAD-seq dataset to test the hypotheses that high elevation populations would exhibit ecological and genomic signatures of leading range edge populations. We found that population density on the landscape declined towards the high elevation limit, as is expected towards range edges. However, plant density was elevated within edge populations. In the greenhouse, high elevation plants exhibited stronger clonal potential than low elevation plants, likely explaining increased plant density in the field. Phylogeographic analysis supported more recent colonization of high elevation populations which were also more genetically isolated, had more extreme heterozygote excess and had smaller effective population size than low. Results support that colonization of high elevations was likely accompanied by increased asexuality, contributing to a decline in effective population size. Despite high plant density in leading edge populations, their small effective size, isolation and clonality could constrain adaptive potential.

Context matters: An insider’s view on freshwater ecosystem research in Latin America

Freshwater science has grown and evolved extensively since its inception in the late 1800s. Many of the models and conceptual frameworks developed for and used in freshwater research were originally proposed by researchers in the Global North to explain patterns and processes in temperate streams. This view of freshwater ecosystems has extended to research in Latin America, potentially limiting our ability to understand unique ecological and socioeconomic attributes of the watersheds found in our region. Recently, there has been an increase in freshwater research being conducted by Latin American scientists, who may be able to apply and validate more suitable models and conceptual frameworks given their personal experiences and insights about local realities. In this BRIDGES cluster, we feature the work of early career Latin American researchers who are addressing environmental concerns pertinent to the region through research that challenges some of the ideas developed for river networks in the Global North.

Assessing Ecological and Socio-Economic Attributes in Sustainable Management of Solid Medical Waste in Urban Environment

Assessing Ecological and Socio-Economic Attributes in Sustainable Management of Solid Medical Waste in Urban Environment

How much wilderness is left? A roadless approach under the Global and the European Biodiversity Strategy focusing on Greece

Preserving ecosystems of high ecological integrity is a crucial target in Biodiversity Strategies, also serving the 10 % target of strict land protection in the European Union (EU). We recommend roadless mapping to delineate wilderness and monitor progress against loss in natural areas. We mapped Greece's roadless land and assessed its ecological attributes. It accounted for 6.1 % of Greece and comprised 451 roadless sites of size over 1 km2: 389 roadless areas and 62 fully roadless islands. Roadless sites occurred in mountains and islands, were undeveloped (no artificial land), undisturbed (no major pressures, <1 % agricultural activity, low Human Influence Index), and natural (>99 % of natural and seminatural vegetation cover, 68 % of their extent in the Natura 2000 network). They also lay in a wilderness continuum of low landscape fragmentation index. Most roadless sites (302) were larger than 10 km2. Larger roadless areas occurred more in higher mountains and steeper terrains, had a lower Human Influence Index and a better Natura 2000 coverage. Roadless sites demonstrated a buffering capacity against naturalness loss and fires (2.5 times lower percentage of burnt land than the national average) but were vulnerable to Renewable Energy Sources deployment, particularly wind farms (33 % of roadless areas might be affected). In support of a roadless policy we suggest using roadless sites to delimit the strictly protected zones in the EU (and Greece), to map primary-old-growth forests, and pinpoint new candidate protected areas. We strongly recommend revisiting the REPowerEU plan to define roadless sites as non-go-to areas for relevant infrastructure deployments.

Accounting of public preferences and valuation of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem services restoration: Evidence from Northwestern China

The emphasis of current study is on the assessment of households’ willingness to pay (WTP) and preference heterogeneity for the upgradation of degraded terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem services across sub-basins of Heihe River. A sum of 1679 households were interviewed through choice experiment, and random parameter logit model is applied for welfare estimation. The estimated results signified the importance of selected terrestrial and aquatic ecological attributes. Sampled respondents of upper and middle basins placed highest WTP for reducing the emission of greenhouse gases among all other attributes and the WTP amount was 99.27 and 66.49 Yuan/Year respectively. Whereas in lower basin, improvement in landscape of farmland was highly valued, i.e., 107 Yuan/Year. In terrestrial ecosystem services the lowest WTP was recorded for Ejinaqi oasis size in all sub basins. In aquatic ecosystem services, improving water quality was the most valued attribute in all sub basins, and the corresponding WTP values are 122.81, 99.87 and 177.43 Yuan/Year in upper, middle and lower basins respectively, which ensure the significance of water quality in the entire basin. In aquatic ecosystem services the lowest WTP amount was recorded for leisure and entertainment conditions in each sub basin.

Trade-off between microbial ecophysiological features regulated by soil fertility governs plant residue decomposition

Soil fertility influences microbial-driven plant residue decomposition, thus further affecting soil organic carbon (C) formation. Both ecological and physiological features of microbial communities change with soil fertilities, however, the mechanism of how soil fertility influences microbial ecophysiological features (both the taxonomic and functional profiles) driving plant residue decomposition is unclear. Here, four series of microcosms were set up, inoculated with two distinct soils, each with low and high fertility levels as a result of contrasting long-term fertilization regimes, and incubated with 13C-labeled rice straw amendments. DNA stable-isotope probing (DNA-SIP) based amplicon sequencing and shotgun metagenomic sequencing were conducted. We found that both bacterial community composition (including the relative abundance, α- and β-diversities, and taxonomic composition) and carbohydrate metabolic efficiency were significantly changed under different soil fertilities. High fertile soils gave rise to greater increases in bacterial populations and straw decomposition than low fertile soils, yet DNA-SIP-based shotgun metagenomic sequencing showed that the bacterial average carbohydrate metabolic efficiency, characterized by the average carbohydrate-active enzyme (CAZyme) abundance within each bacterial phylum was significantly lower. Linear regressions between bacterial ribosomal RNA operon (rrn) copy number and bacterial carbohydrate metabolic efficiency under contrasting soil fertilities suggested that high fertile soils select for fast-but-inefficient bacteria to degrade rice straw while low fertile soils select for slow-but-efficient ones. Collectively, the data demonstrate a fundamental trade-off between the ecological and physiological attributes of straw-degrading microbial communities. The trade-off is regulated by soil fertility and in turn governs plant residue decomposition. This work provides novel insights for better understanding the ecological and physiological roles of microbes in organic matter decomposition and global terrestrial C cycling, especially in the context of crop straw degradation under contrasting soil fertilities.

Concordant Spatial Gradients in Predation Intensity and Productivity Archived in Surficial Mollusk Shell Accumulations in Seagrass Meadows Along the Gulf Coast of Florida

Seagrass meadows are highly structured habitats of great socioeconomic value but are declining globally due to human impacts. The northern Gulf Coast of Florida contains one of the largest relatively unaltered seagrass habitats (~3,000 km2), making it a model system for acquiring baselines to better manage and monitor seagrass meadows. This project investigated spatial gradients in ecological and taphonomic attributes of surficial seagrass-associated benthic mollusk death assemblages. An updated analysis of water parameters (based on project COAST data) indicated that total dissolved phosphorous (TDP) and chlorophyll-a (CHL-a) concentrations increased steadily northward. To analyze the historical ecology of local seagrass meadows, mollusk assemblages were bulk sampled at 12 stations across multiple estuaries along the gradient. Radiocarbon dating of valves (n = 90) from several estuaries indicated that the assemblages represented a multi-millennial accumulation with a median shell age of 1760 AD. Focusing on two abundant bivalves found within all estuaries, Transennella spp and Crassostrea virginica, the study evaluated spatial trends in body size, traces of predation, and post-mortem shell alterations. The results, primarily focused on Transennella spp., indicated that ecological and taphonomic characteristics varied notably, both among and within estuaries. Relative abundance, body size, and taphonomic attributes did not appear to correlate significantly with productivity or drilling frequency. However, drilling frequency correlated significantly with TDP and CHL-a, suggesting that predator-prey interactions may co-vary tightly with productivity. These results suggest that spatial gradients in predation can be archived by drilling frequencies in death assemblages. Moreover, the consistency between the long-term record of predation and modern gradient conditions suggests that long-term spatial dynamics of predator-prey interactions may be hydrologically controlled.

Modified skulls but conservative brains? The palaeoneurology and endocranial anatomy of baryonychine dinosaurs (Theropoda: Spinosauridae).

The digital reconstruction of neurocranial endocasts has elucidated the gross brain structure and potential ecological attributes of many fossil taxa, including Irritator, a spinosaurine spinosaurid from the "mid" Cretaceous (Aptian) of Brazil. With unexceptional hearing capabilities, this taxon was inferred to integrate rapid and controlled pitch-down movements of the head that perhaps aided in the predation of small and agile prey such as fish. However, the neuroanatomy of baryonychine spinosaurids remains to be described, and potentially informs on the condition of early spinosaurids. Using micro-computed tomographic scanning (μCT), we reconstruct the braincase endocasts of Baryonyx walkeri and Ceratosuchops inferodios from the Wealden Supergroup (Lower Cretaceous) of England. We show that the gross endocranial morphology is similar to other non-maniraptoriform theropods, and corroborates previous observations of overall endocranial conservatism amongst more basal theropods. Several differences of unknown taxonomic utility are noted between the pair. Baryonychine neurosensory capabilities include low-frequency hearing and unexceptional olfaction, whilst the differing morphology of the floccular lobe tentatively suggests less developed gaze stabilisation mechanisms relative to spinosaurines. Given the morphological similarities observed with other basal tetanurans, baryonychines likely possessed comparable behavioural sophistication, suggesting that the transition from terrestrial hypercarnivorous ancestors to semi-aquatic "generalists" during the evolution of Spinosauridae did not require substantial modification of the brain and sensory systems.

Predicting the potential suitable distribution area of Emeia pseudosauteri in Zhejiang Province based on the MaxEnt model

Human activities, including urbanization, industrialization, agricultural pollution, and land use, have contributed to the increased fragmentation of natural habitats and decreased biodiversity in Zhejiang Province as a result of socioeconomic development. Numerous studies have demonstrated that the protection of ecologically significant species can play a crucial role in restoring biodiversity. Emeia pseudosauteri is regarded as an excellent environmental indicator, umbrella and flagship species because of its unique ecological attributes and strong public appeal. Assessing and predicting the potential suitable distribution area of this species in Zhejiang Province can help in the widespread conservation of biodiversity. We used the MaxEnt ecological niche model to evaluate the habitat suitability of E. pseudosauteri in Zhejiang Province to understand the potential distribution pattern and environmental characteristics of suitable habitats for this species, and used the AUC (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve) and TSS (true skill statistics) to evaluate the model performance. The results showed that the mean AUC value was 0.985, the standard deviation was 0.011, the TSS average value was 0.81, and the model prediction results were excellent. Among the 11 environmental variables used for modeling, temperature seasonality (Bio_4), altitude (Alt) and distance to rivers (Riv_dis) were the key variables affecting the distribution area of E. pseudosauteri, with contributions of 33.5%, 30% and 15.9%, respectively. Its main suitable distribution area is in southern Zhejiang Province and near rivers, at an altitude of 50–300 m, with a seasonal variation in temperature of 7.7–8 °C. Examples include the Ou River, Nanxi River, Wuxi River, and their tributary watersheds. This study can provide a theoretical basis for determining the scope of E. pseudosauteri habitat protection, population restoration, resource management and industrial development in local areas.

Impacts of small dams on the phytoplankton and invertebrates in an Amazonian river

AbstractThe construction of small hydroelectric plants (SHPs) has increased greatly worldwide, and the impacts of these impoundments can cause changes in the aquatic biota. Here, we investigated the ecological attributes (abundance, richness, and species diversity) of three communities (phytoplankton, invertebrates in the water column, and benthos) and the functional groups of phytoplankton, before and after the construction of five SHPs in an Amazonian river. The communities were sampled at two sites, one upstream and another downstream of each dam or construction site, before the dam closure. The dam did not change the limnological factors, and the acid waters and low electrical conductivity, typical of “cerrado” rivers, were characteristic of both the pre‐ and post‐dam phases. For aquatic communities, the phytoplankton abundance increased and the diversity of groups decreased in the post‐dam phase. Regarding the morphology‐based functional groups (MBFG), there was an increase in groups I (small algae with a high surface/volume ratio) and V (phytoflagellates), with a reduction in groups VI (diatoms) and VII (large mucilaginous colonies) in the post‐dam phase. The relative abundance of zooplankton species increased in the post‐dam phase, and the opposite was observed for the benthic community, with reductions in abundance, richness, and group diversity in the post‐dam phase. The structure of the three communities differed between the pre‐ and post‐dam phases, but no difference in communities' similarity was observed between the upstream and downstream sites in both phases. The results show that the change in hydrodynamics, from lotic to semi‐lentic, in the reservoirs of the SHPs, was the main driving force for the alterations in the three communities. For phytoplankton, SHPs are favorable in the sense of decreasing the incidence of algal blooms, particularly of cyanobacteria.

Country Level Social Aggression Using Computational Modelling

Computational modelling is emerging field to model the cognitive as well as social interactions between individual and society. Aggression is social evil which is instance response and its impact last for long time. Different societies have different norms and values based on ecological, environmental and cultural attributes so aggression level also varies among individuals and societies. Current study is based on psychological and temporal aggressive behaviour different individuals and societies in same habitat. In this paper we have proposed a frame work to model human social and psychological behaviors. Results are based on simulation which are according to our assumptions.

Sobreviventes do concreto: a herpetofauna de uma áreaverde urbana ao longo de 100 anos de urbanização

Abstract Low biodiversity in urban areas is associated with habitat loss. However, the effects of urbanization on biodiversity should also consider the historical background of land-use, explored herein. Our goal was to evaluate changes in the assemblage of reptiles in an urban habitat over 100 years, aiming to identify which ecological attributes allowed the persistence of species that can be found in the area today. We accessed historical records in scientific collections and carried out fieldwork to access reptile assemblage in an urban green area, in São Paulo, Brazil. Considering land-use changes in the area, we defined three-time intervals between 1901 and 2020. We established species richness for each time interval, categorizing them into three ecological attributes: habitat preference, substrate use, and food habits. We recorded 27 reptile species from 1901 until 2020, 14 resulting from historical data, eight from both historical and fieldwork, and five species exclusively in fieldwork. Amphibians were also sampled during fieldwork, but not used in historical comparison. Reptile’s species richness decreased 59% regardless of ecological attributes, and snakes were the group with most species’ loss. Fossorial reptiles were the least affected group. We concluded that habitat loss culminated in a species richness decline, and the reptiles that remain until today were likely present since the fragment isolation. Ecological attributes of the remaining taxa include species that use terrestrial substrates and feed on prey commonly found in urban environments.

Compositional responses of aquatic bacterial communities and their network interactions to phytoplankton-derived dissolved organic matter from freshwater ponds

Bacteria play a central role in the degradation of phytoplankton-derived dissolved organic matter (P-DOM) particularly in algal-blooming aquatic systems; yet our understanding of the interaction between bacteria and P-DOM is still poor. We supplied differential P-DOM that varied in concentration and molecular weight (released from distinct phytoplankton collected from blue-green algal-blooming grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idellus farming ponds) to similar aquatic bacterial communities (isolated from non-blooming grass carp ponds), to explore how P-DOM affects bacterial community dynamics and to identify the most responsive degrading taxa using UV-visible absorption spectroscopy and high-throughput sequencing. Bacterial cultures all had similar degradation effects upon P-DOM, causing decreases in its concentration but increases in its molecular weight and aromaticity. In contrast, bacterial compositional changes varied primarily depending on P-DOM molecular weight, and Bacteroidia taxa were mostly affected, appearing more adapted to metabolize high-molecular-weight P-DOM. Nevertheless, most of the degrading taxa were recurrent and typically members within Gammaproteobacteria and Bacilli, indicating substrate-controlled bacterial responses induced by P-DOM. Network analysis revealed that bacterial communities harbored relatively low-abundant degrading members rather than dominant ones as keystone taxa, which presented simultaneously crucial microbial connections within communities and strong associations with environments and therefore played an over proportional role in maintaining community stability and functioning. Moreover, the keystone taxa may be generalists, and their ecological attributes can be described by oligotrophs that correspond to the K-strategists. Generally, this study implied a pivotal role of Gammaproteobacteria, particularly Pseudomonas, in P-DOM biodegradation, most probably in algal-blooming aquatic environments.

Consumer perception of “Green” and Sustainable Development Goals (the case of fashion product design and charm attributes)

This study aims to explore the impact of consumers’ perception of green and sustainable development goals (SDGs) image in fashion brands on their value perception and the attractiveness of product design. Fashion brands do not only strive for fashion, innovation, avant-garde, comfort, quality, and reasonable prices, but also placing increasing emphasis on sustainability, environmental friendliness, and social responsibility. As SDGs have become a shared vision and value perception among consumers, clothing with SDGs attributes is becoming fundamental for blue ocean strategies and competitive differentiation. Using the example of fashion brand SDGs image design, this study applies the “two-way questionnaire” method of the Kano quality model to investigate the correlation between quality evaluation of product cultural and ecological attributes and consumer satisfaction. Through the two-dimensional quality of the Kano model, consumers’ attitudes towards clothing with SDGs attributes are clarified more accurately. This study provides specific improvement plans to enhance the quality of green and sustainable fashion with SDGs attributes and emphasizes the incorporation of SDGs into the decision-making of fashion brands, which will have a significant impact on brand image.

ANALYSIS of the creation of rural ecological architecture from the perspective of landscape aesthetics--the case of Diaojiao Building in Xijiang Qianhu Miaozhai

In the context of rural revitalization, the establishment of eco-architecture plays a crucial role in promoting the sustainable development of rural landscapes. Eco-architecture that encompasses aesthetic features serves as an ideal option for rural development. The Xijiang Qianhu Miaozhai stands as the largest Miao settlement in China. Its Diaojiao Building, situated on the mountain, seamlessly integrates ecological, aesthetic, and ethnic cultural elements. It exemplifies the successful merging of ecological architecture and landscape aesthetics. This paper thoroughly examines the Diaojiao Building from the standpoint of landscape aesthetics and ecological architecture. Extensive exploration is conducted to uncover the aesthetic characteristics and landscape value with this unique architectural style. Through comparisons with other prevalent architectural types, this research identifies the ecological architectural attributes specific to the timber-frame building. Ultimately, the study concludes by offering insights into the methodology of rural ecological architecture, grounded in the perspective of landscape aesthetics.

The bivalves (Mollusca) from Priority Marine Regions in the centre-south of the Mexican Transitional Pacific, associated with the rocky intertidal zone

In Mexico, due to its high biological diversity, use of its resources, and a lack of knowledge about its biodiversity, Priority Marine Regions have been designated. The classification of these regions has served as an instrument for the large-scale conservation because the species composition is relatively homogeneous in these regions. This study reports some ecological attributes of bivalves from the Priority Marine Regions located in the Mexican Transitional Pacific ecoregion. Three samplings have been carried out in 2016–2018 in the rocky intertidal zone. In each sample per site, an area of 10 m2 was covered, and the sampling unit was 1 m2. A total of 4119 specimens were recorded, by identifying 53 species (35 genera, 18 families, and two specimens identified to genus). The richness of the species expected was calculated using non-parametric estimators, by showing acceptable completeness of the inventory. The highest species richness and diversity were recorded in the Copala-Punta Maldonado region (33 species), whereas the highest abundance and density were found in the Colola-Maruata region (30.9 individuals/m2). The best-represented species in abundance and distribution were Chama coralloides, Brachidontes adamsianus, Isognomon janus, and Choromytilus palliopunctatus. By considering their life form and degree of occurrence, studied bivalves attached to a hard substrate (epifaunal species) and restricted to habitats with particular characteristics (occasional species) were the most commonly found. The information provided here is directed to eight Marine Regions designated as a priority for conservation in Mexico, which is important for planning, decision-making, and formulating initiatives aimed at helping to co-ordinate management practice through outreach efforts to the conservation and sustainable use of bivalves as marine resources.

A preliminary survey of moss flora of Chail Wildlife Sanctuary, Himachal Pradesh, India

The present study aims to account for the moss flora of Chail Wildlife Sanctuary, district Solan, Himachal Pradesh (HP). Frequent field visits were made in different seasons to collect moss samples. Ecological data like temperature, humidity, and habitat preferences were also recorded at the time of collection. A total of 31 moss species belonging to 22 genera and 15 families were recorded so far. The family Pottiaceae (7 spp.) was the most dominant one, followed by Brachytheciaceae (4 spp.), Polytrichaceae, Fissidentaceae, and Entodontaceae with (3 spp.) each. In the acrocarpous mosses, family Pottiaceae was highly dominant, whereas, among the pleurocarpous mosses family, Brachytheciaceae was dominant. Among the genera, Atrichum P. Beauv. (Acrocarpous), Fissidens Hedw. (Acrocarpous), and Entodon C. Muell. (Pluerocarpous) were dominantly present, represented by three species each. This study provides baseline data of moss diversity and their ecological attributes in Chail Wildlife Sanctuary, which may prove beneficial in establishing policies for future exploration of bryodiversity with proper management and conservation in the sanctuary area.

Valuation and effective management of the Dal Lake's diverse ecosystem using choice experiment method

AbstractThis study estimates economic values of changes in variegated ecological, social and economic attributes of dominant environmental resource (viz., Dal Lake), proffers to its key stakeholders through choice experiment design selecting relevant attributes for better management. In addition to the conditional logit model, the random logit model and the random logit model with interactions are calculated to account for the heterogeneity of the public prospects for the different purposes of the wetland. Willingness to pay for the selected attributes like preservation of wetland biodiversity turned out to be ₹18.47 ($0.26), improvement in wetland area ₹13.62 ($0.19) and enhancement of research and development estimated to be ₹15.87 ($0.23) per month in the form of increased monthly water rates. Aggregate willingness to pay for the improvement in all the selected attributes turned out to be ₹104,957,309 ($1,490,870). The findings of this study will guide the environmentalists and policymakers to formulate economically optimal strategies for the sustainable maintenance of Dal Lake, with future consequences for other related wetlands in India and the rest of South Asia.