Terms Of Ecosystem Services Research Articles

A Review of Forest Ecosystem Services and Their Spatial Value Characteristics

Forests provide a variety of resources and benefits, but only a few, such as timber, are traded on the markets. Ecosystem service valuation is a method for quantifying the non-market benefits of forests to understand the full costs of forest management. This review examines the forest ecosystem service valuations over the past 20 years, with a particular focus on their spatial modeling. The literature review method is designed to provide a systematic, explicit, and reproducible outcome concerning the valuations of forest ecosystem services and the contextual setting of these valuations. The findings suggest that there is a huge variation in the values reported for similar ecosystem services but that carbon sequestration, recreation in forests, and hydrological services, such as watershed protection and flood prevention, are the ecosystem services that are consistently valued highly in the reviewed studies. In the last ten years, studies have more frequently modeled ecosystem services in spatial terms.

A telepítési sűrűség és a lombkorona-borítottság vizsgálata budapesti szabadtereken

Trees in public open spaces are an important part of the urban green space system, which has to adapt to increasingly difficult conditions due to urbanisation, climate change and human activity. Green spaces are a major factor in improving the microclimate, helping to protect biodiversity and playing an important aesthetic role, so they need to be preserved and enhanced. In our country, since the 2000s, a large number of studies and civil initiatives have highlighted the importance of green spaces, but typically from a quantitative approach. However, improving the quality of planting is an equally important task. Our research assesses the canopy cover of trees in open spaces in Budapest in terms of planting density, with a focus on the planting distance of trees in certain squares and streets and the resulting cover values. In our studies, we have considered the quantitative and qualitative variation in crown canopy cover at the time of planting and in maturity, so we can formulate ideal planting suggestions based on the environment, requirements and characteristics (crown shape, growth vigour) of each taxa. In the series of case studies, we first studied the woody species of one of the most important intermodal nodes of Budapest, Móricz Zsigmond Square and Bartók Béla Street. The canopy cover of the square reaches the ideally defined minimum canopy cover of 25-30% in 5-7 years. Considering canopy cover and planting density, it was found that in 2023 the canopy cover of the trees in the Móricz Zsigmond square averages 13%, while at maturity it will cover more than 50%. This means that about half of the tree crowns will be able to have the highest potential impact in terms of ecosystem services.

Evaluation of Honey Bees within the Scope of Sustainable Development Goals and Ecosystem Services

Beekeeping is one of the significant activities that contribute to sustainability in environmental, social, and economic aspects. Honeybees provide multifaceted contributions to humanity, with 90% attributed to pollination services and 10% to bee products (honey, propolis, wax, etc.). The preservation of these services plays a key role in achieving ecological and economic sustainability, ensuring a healthy future for human life. According to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) under the United Nations, more than 80 million beehives contribute to an estimated annual honey production of 1.6 million tons. Honeybees can travel distances ranging from 600 meters to 11.3 kilometers to pollinate in bee forests. The bee products obtained from these areas provide income sources for forest communities, supporting sustainable development. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), one-third of global food production relies on pollination services by bees. Pollination services are critical for maintaining food security and increasing agricultural productivity. These services create a significant impact on biodiversity support, landscape diversification, enrichment of forest cover, and expansion of wildlife habitats, as well as erosion control—effects that are often imperceptible to humans. Bees contribute to human well-being and cultural sustainability by providing food, medicine, genetic resources, and related materials. The ecosystem services provided by bees make substantial contributions to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including No Poverty (SDG1), Zero Hunger (SDG2), Good Health and Well-being (SDG3), Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG7), Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG8), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG12), Climate Action (SDG13), and Life on Land (SDG15). This study discusses the importance of beekeeping and bee products in terms of ecosystem services for sustainable development and addresses environmental risks.

The impacts of disturbances on mountain ecosystem services: Insights from BEAST and Bayesian network

Disturbances, such as wildfire, insect outbreak, wind throw and building construction, can significantly alter ecological processes and impact the supply of mountain ecosystem services (ESs). The comprehensive impacts of vegetation-related disturbances on ESs are poorly known, as most of existing studies have been focused on the impacts of single disturbance. Using the Eastern Helan Mountain as a case study, the vegetation-related disturbances during 1989–2020 were detected and mapped through the BEAST algorithm. Then two critical regulating ESs of carbon sequestration and sand fixation were quantified using CASA model and RWEQ model, respectively. Bayesian Network (BN) was further applied to explore the impacts of disturbances on ESs and identify the “win-win” solutions of ESs in terms of disturbance. The results suggested that BEAST could effectively identify vegetation-related disturbances at various spatio-temporal scales, which was difficult to be captured by normal land use/cover products. The established BN model could simulate the spatio-temporal pattern of sand fixation and carbon sequestration with an average classification error of 13.36% and 9.83%, respectively. Forest conservation and return pasture to forest policy can reduce disturbance frequency and intensity, and improve these two ESs. Both ES generally decreased with disturbance intensity, but firstly decreased and then increased with disturbance frequency. Thus, slight disturbance is beneficial for these ESs, especially in grassland at medium elevation. The “win-win” solutions of these two ESs can be achieved under frequent disturbances with the lowest intensity. Despite the low impacts of disturbances on ESs than other nodes in the BN, their impacts should also be taken into account into ecosystem management due to their inevitability. This BN-based approach turns out to be a promising decision support tool for mountain ecosystem managers to integrate small-scale disturbances into management and provide key information for post-disturbance recovery.

The impact of policies on land cover and ecosystem services dynamics in the Poyang Lake Ecological Economic Zone, China

Understanding how land cover and ecosystem services respond to diverse policies is essential for economic development and ecological conservation. However, few efforts have been made to analyze the policies in conjunction with land cover and ecosystem services in the Poyang Lake Ecological Economic Zone (PYLEEZ), limiting the sustainable improvement of the region. Therefore, this study quantified changes in land cover and four ecosystem services, evaluated the relationships between them, and analyzed how various policies affected land cover and ecosystem services in the PYLEEZ from 2000 to 2020. The results showed that artificial surfaces expanded at the expense of cultivated land. Agricultural encroachment resulted in the loss of most woodland and wetland. Under ecological policies, 2062.19 km2 of cultivated land have been returned to natural land, leading to a net wetland area increase of 760.8 km2. In terms of ecosystem services, crop production increased significantly (+151 %) and carbon storage reduced slightly (-2.7 %) under the influence of agricultural policies and rapid urbanization. Furthermore, habitat quality and water yield increased by 252.75 km2 and 61.3 × 108 m3, respectively. Carbon storage presented a clear trade-off relationship with crop production, while habitat quality was synergistic with water yield and crop production. Given the current policies in the PYLEEZ, it is worthwhile to focus on water ecological safety and minimize the loss of natural land and ecosystem services driven by economic policies. This study is expected to help achieve the balanced development of the social economy and ecological conservation in the PYLEEZ.

Long-term terrace change and ecosystem service response in an inland mountain province of China

The exploration of terrace change and its associated ecosystem services (ESs) provides invaluable insights into the intricate interplay between engineering initiatives and environmental conditions. This understanding is crucial in designing strategic plans for environmental management. However, how terraced fields area change and influence ESs over an extended period at a regional scale remain relatively unknown. To bridge this knowledge gap, this study focused on terraces in Gansu Province (a typical inland mountain province), Northwestern China, by dividing the study area into seven regions, the quality and value benefits of unit area, the overall and cumulative of terraces were calculated for each region in Gansu province based on remote-sensing data, meteorological data, terraced area and benefits data. In this regard, the distribution, spatiotemporal changes and ESs associated with terraced fields in Gansu were examined from 1990 to 2020. The results show that: (i) terraces with the area of 2.20 × 104 km2 accounts for 81.34 % of counties(districts) of Gansu province in 2020, mainly located in the loess hilly and gully region (82.72 %). (ii) From 1990 to 2020, the terrace area in Gansu expanded from 8.13 × 103 to 2.20 × 104 km2, peaking at 636.73 km2/yr during 1990–2000, with notable spatial heterogeneity. (iii) In terms of ESs’ quality benefits, soil conservation benefits of terraces were the most significant, reaching 91.30–98.32 % per unit area, the cumulative benefits (1990–2020) were 1.82 × 109 t, followed by water conservation benefits (42.12–89.20 % and 2.36 × 1010 m3). (iv) Terraces expansion have increased the ecosystem service value by 815.10 million Dollar ($), with regulating services and habitat services accounting for 34.92 % and 31.92 %, respectively. These results indicate that the enormous potential value of terraces in ecological environment governance and ecological economic benefits, and provide a scientific support for understanding terraces and leveraging their ecosystem functions, while also offering valuable insights for the conservation of global mountain ecosystems and the improvement of human well-being.

Opportunities and gaps in conservation incentive programs on California agricultural land

Agricultural incentive programs promote ecosystem health and biodiversity on California working lands and encourage a multitude of conservation goals. The various objectives, environmental impacts, and financial costs of conservation incentive programs are challenging to assess. The ecosystem services framework is a useful tool for identifying tradeoffs between conservation management options. Here, 52 active incentive programs were reviewed to determine the ecosystem services prioritized by each program in California. Next, the top 20 highest funded federal conservation practices were assessed in terms of their ecosystem service impacts. We found that there is a gap between California’s ecosystem services goals and the ecosystem services that are impacted by federal programs, and that the top funded practices are not necessarily the ones that deliver the best benefits in terms of ecosystem services. This study highlights the gaps between conservation goals and outcomes on California agricultural land, as well as the need for regional conservation monitoring to determine the impacts of incentive programs.

Distribution, threats and protection of selected karst groundwater-dependent ecosystems in the Mediterranean region

Karst groundwater-dependent ecosystems (KGDEs) in the Mediterranean region are important in terms of ecosystem services and biodiversity but are increasingly under anthropogenic pressures and climate-change constraints. For this study, the ecohydrological characteristics, threats, and protection status of 112 selected KGDEs around the Mediterranean Sea, including caves, springs, rivers and wetlands, were evaluated, based on local expert knowledge and scientific literature. Results demonstrate that KGDEs contribute considerably to regional biodiversity. The diversity of karst landscapes, combined with the groundwater emergence at springs, leads to exceptional habitat diversity, particularly in arid climates, where KGDEs serve as a refuge for species that could not thrive in the surrounding environment. The most common threats identified among the selected sites are direct human disturbances, such as mass tourism or overfishing, water-quality deterioration and water shortage from aquifer overdraft and/or climate change. Although most of the selected sites are under protection, conservation measures are frequently insufficient. Such shortcomings are often caused by poor data availability, little knowledge on conservation needs of invertebrate species, and conflicts of interest with the local population. For this purpose, it is necessary to raise environmental awareness and promote interdisciplinary research, in order to monitor water quality and quantity in addition to the status of the biocenoses.

Plant functional traits explain long-term differences in ecosystem services between artificial forests and natural grasslands

Declining ecosystem services have prompted numerous studies aiming at developing more sustainable management practices for vegetation restoration. Advances in functional ecology indicate that the sustainable management of afforestation ecosystems should be performed based on plant functional traits, which provides pivotal knowledge for long-term sustainable vegetation restoration. Currently, the mechanism of how plant functional traits affect long term ecosystem services in restored areas is still unclear. This study investigates plant functional traits and the associated ecosystem services from artificial forestlands (Robinia pseudoacacia, Caragana korshinskii) and natural grasslands following different durations of vegetation restoration (10, 20, 30 and 40 years) in the Danangou watershed, a loess hilly-gully region in the Loess Plateau, China. The results showed that 1) the water conservation services of artificial forestlands first decreased and then increased over time, whereas the soil conservation service had an opposite trend; in turn, natural grassland led to a consistent increase in soil conservation and carbon sequestration services over time. 2) Artificial forestlands had greater soil conservation and carbon sequestration services than natural grassland but had lower water conservation services. 3) Leaves had a greater impact on carbon sequestration and water conservation services than did root length and root biomass density. 4) Root biomass density had a greater effect on soil conservation services than did leaf carbon content and soil organic matter. 5) Leaf carbon content, specific root length, and root biomass density had significant effects on the trade-off value between any two ecosystem services with increasing time after restoration of artificial forestland. 6) Specific leaf area had a greater effect on the trade-off values among the three services than did the other functional traits in the natural grassland. In arid ecosystems, natural grasslands are the best restoration strategy given their higher water conservation services. However, in soil erosion-affected areas, restoration through artificial forestlands is more appropriate. To mitigate the trade-offs between ecosystem services, it is recommended that artificial forestlands be thinned before the leaf carbon content, specific root length, and root biomass density reach a maximum (i.e., mature forestland).

Impact of War on the Natural Preserve Fund: Challenges for the Development of Ecological Tourism and Environmental Protection

The global deterioration of the quality of the natural environment causes an increase in the importance of ecological tourism, primarily at the sites of the nature reserve fund. This paper is one of the first attempts to fill the existing gaps in the question of the impact of war on protected natural areas. The article determines the development trends, current state, and problems of the objects of the nature reserve fund in Ukraine in the conditions of unjustified full-scale russian military aggression and makes an approximate calculation of the damages caused as a result of hostilities. It was established that during 2012–2020, the number of objects of the nature reserve fund in Ukraine increased by 605 units or by 7.5 %; the area of these objects increased by 562,460.6 hectares or by 14.3 %. Due to russian military aggression, danger threatens 900 protected areas, which is 1.2 million hectares or about 30 % of the area of all protected areas of Ukraine. The damage calculation was carried out on the example of the Feldman EcoPark regional landscape park in the Dergachy district of the Kharkiv region. It was established that the approximate estimate of damages from the loss of ecosystem services of this landscape park as of 20.05.2022 was 16,979.5 thousand USD, including in terms of ecosystem services: (i) recreation and ecotourism – 13,846.2 thousand USD; (ii) air purification from solid fine particles and harmful gases – 272.1 thousand USD; (iii) biodiversity habitat – 2,861.3 thousand USD. In addition, the amount of damage caused to the regional landscape park due to the loss of animals, calculated based on special fees for calculating the amount of damage to the nature reserve fund, amounts to 63,350 USD. The determined damage estimates are preliminary and need to be clarified after the end of the war.

Ecosystem services provided by striped hyenas in the human-dominated landscape of Rajasthan, India

In human-dominated landscapes, quantifying ecosystem services in terms of economic benefits could contribute to establishing peaceful coexistence between humans and large carnivores. In this study, we estimated the monetary value of scavenging benefits provided by striped hyenas (Hyaena hyaena) in an anthropogenic landscape in the semi-arid region of Rajasthan, India. We converted the value of domestic livestock carcasses consumed by striped hyenas from opportunity costs to quantify the value of this important ecosystem service to local people. We determined the monetary value of carcass disposals using two methods, including (1) electric cremation, and (2) pyre burning of animal carcasses. To determine the minimum number of striped hyenas, present in the study area, we employed a photo-capture approach, and we used scat analysis to determine the livestock consumed by striped hyenas. We estimated that striped hyenas removed 23.13 tons (4.4 %) of livestock carcass waste from the total of 525.68 tons of waste generated per year in the Intensive Study Area (ISA). The annual monetary value of livestock carcass waste removal by striped hyenas in the ISA was estimated to be ~US$ 7095 for electric cremation and US$ 49,665 for pyre burning. Our study demonstrates the economic benefit of scavenging services provided by striped hyenas in areas where anthropogenic food is abundant. In such areas, as hyenas scavenge anthropogenic food, local communities benefit from waste management. Using alternative carcass disposal methods without striped hyenas would be expensive and likely environmentally damaging.

Community perceptions and attitudes towards the management of protected areas in Seychelles with Morne Seychellois National Park as case study

Designated as a protected area (PA) in 1979, the Morne Seychellois National Park (MSNP) hosts one of the three Ramsar sites in Seychelles – the Mare Aux Cochon (MAC). The park occurs partly in an area with private land ownership suffering from development pressure. Understanding community perceptions and attitudes towards the MSNP can improve the park's role in addressing climate change and biodiversity loss. This study used a stratified random sampling of 130 households to (i) determine socio-demographic factors that influence local communities' attitudes toward biodiversity conservation in the MSNP, (ii) pereceived importance of the MSNP, (iii) to assess what activities are (un)acceptable in the MAC and the rest of the park, and (iv) who has rights to access, land ownership and land-use decision making in the park. The findings indicated that the positive behavior of local communities towards biodiversity conservation is influenced by the frequency of visits and benefits derived in terms of ecosystem services at the 5% significance level. Chief among the importance of the MSNP as viewed by community members included ecotourism (93.5%), biodiversity conservation (84.6%), and environmental protection (66.7%). Respondents generally perceived that low-impact activities should occur at the MAC and the rest of the park. However, the impact from activities such as camping and picnic, hiking, and nature walks, and the harvesting of non-timber forest products, a non-tourism activity, was of greater concern in the MAC. On the other hand, high-impact activities, such as logging and infrastructural development, received over 70% disagreement in the MAC and the rest of the park. Our findings have implications for Seychelles’ land acquisition in the public interest Act 1996, which is silent about land within PAs.

Complementary ecosystem services from multiple land uses highlight the importance of tropical mosaic landscapes

Tropical agricultural landscapes often consist of a mosaic of different land uses, yet little is known about the spectrum of ecosystem service bundles and materials they provide to rural households. We interviewed 320 households on the different benefits received from prevalent land-use types in north-eastern Madagascar (old-growth forests, forest fragments, vanilla agroforests, woody fallows, herbaceous fallows, and rice paddies) in terms of ecosystem services and plant uses. Old-growth forests and forest fragments were reported as important for regulating services (e.g. water regulation), whilst fallow lands and vanilla agroforests as important for provisioning services (food, medicine, fodder). Households reported the usage of 285 plant species (56% non-endemics) and collected plants from woody fallows for varying purposes, whilst plants from forest fragments, predominantly endemics, were used for construction and weaving. Multiple land-use types are thus complementary for providing ecosystem services, with fallow lands being particularly important. Hence, balancing societal needs and conservation goals should be based on diversified and comprehensive land management.

Assessment and quantification of some short term ecosystem services in garden pea field

It is necessary to classify, quantify, and evaluate ecosystem services (ES) for understanding related ecosystem value. Garden pea (Pisums ativum L.), also called pea, herbaceous annual plant in the family leguminous, grown nearly worldwide for edible seeds. It contributes to the sustainability of the agricultural ecosystems. However, there is no information about the provision and consumption of ES in garden pea fields. The main objective of this study was to provide a first evidence base from ES provided by garden pea fields. Therefore, we developed a quantitative framework for assessing and quantifying ES of four different varieties of garden pea. For this purpose, a field experiment was carried out in the research farm of Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (northeast of Iran), during 2019–2020. In this study, we developed a framework for quantifying of ES based on the modified Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA). The results showed that garden pea cultivation increased microbial respiration, soil organic matter, and carbon accumulation. Based on the results, varieties had significant effects on soil carbon accumulation. Peas Wolf and Pea Wolf cultivars with 1206.6 kg/ha carbon accumulation had the highest amount, and Reyna cultivar with −1876.9 kg/ha carbon accumulation had the lowest value. In this experiment, Peas Wolf and Utrillo cultivars provided more ES in terms of dry weight, the number of nodule, and root volume as nitrogen biofixation potential. In general, Peas Wolf compared to Utrillo cultivar was more successful in providing regulating services. However, Utrillo cultivar provided more provision services (14,520 kg/ha green yield, 23,680 kg/ha green biomass and 23,62% protein). In addition, different cultivars of garden pea had positive effects on the transfer of carbon from the atmosphere to the soil.

Simulating with a combination of RUSLE GIS and sediment delivery ratio for soil restoration.

Erosion by water is the main cause of land degradation. Landscapes degraded by erosion need to be restored in many respects, and particularly in terms of ecosystem services. From an economic and management perspective, care is needed to select priority areas and determine the means to be applied to restore them. Globally, the model most commonly used to produce scenarios for the prevention of soil losses is the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). This study of the subbasin of the Sulakyurt Dam Basin in Turkey aims (1) to identify the distribution of soil losses over time and by location, and (2) to grade the priority areas for the prevention of soil losses by means of a simulation. The average potential soil losses in the area under study are estimated at 42.35 t ha-1year-1, and the average actual losses at 39.49 t ha-1year-1. According to the simulation, 27.61% of the study area (2782ha) is of the highest priority for soil restoration. In our study, forests have the highest soil losses, which is contrary to the natural protection that forests provide against erosion. The high rates are due to the slope, the forest area is very steep. So it is the slope factor that outweighs the vegetation cover factor. Of the forest areas, 41.74% (1766ha) falls within the areas of highest priority. The study serves as a guide for landscape planning and the determination of erosion risk in restoration efforts, and for identifying the methods to be adopted during the restoration work to reduce the loss of soil.

Land–Sea Interactions and Ecosystem Services: Research Gaps and Future Challenges

The land–sea interface is essential for understanding the interconnectedness of terrestrial and marine ecosystems and provides ecosystem services to people. Although research has been conducted on both ecosystems, knowledge about their interactions remains limited. While there has been growing research interest on land–sea interactions over the last decade, other types of knowledge system such as local or indigenous knowledge have not yet been included. The goal of this study is to review the literature related to land–sea interactions using an ecosystem services framework to help classify existing research. A systematic review of the literature was employed by searching peer-reviewed publications in Web of Science using land–sea interaction keywords. The synthesis identified 166 publications. The findings indicate that the primary disciplines that have investigated land–sea interactions were biogeochemistry and ecology, with a focus on nutrients and interactions. In terms of ecosystem services, supporting and regulating services were the most researched, with urbanization and agricultural and forestry effluents as main studied drivers. Results reveal a need for a more comprehensive view of land–sea interactions that recognizes the critical role that social factors play in shaping the sustainability of these systems. Therefore, a future challenge involves using a more holistic approach to the study and management of land–sea interactions.

Restoring Asia’s roar: Opportunities for tiger recovery across the historic range

Wildlife conservation in the Anthropocene requires bold conservation solutions including restoration of ecosystems and species. The recovery of large carnivore populations is a conservation goal which can generate significant benefits in terms of ecosystem services, ecological functionality, and human well-being. Tigers Panthera tigris, Asia’s most iconic species, are currently restricted to less than 10% of their historic range with recent national extinctions from a number of countries in mainland Southeast Asia. Tiger recovery through range expansion requires suitable habitat, a robust prey base, and high levels of institutional support for conservation. We explored government support for conservation to produce a ranking of the political opportunities for tiger restoration across current and former tiger range countries. We used this analysis, in combination with globally remotely sensed data-sets on human impact, to show that there is potential for significant tiger range expansion. We identified large expanses of currently unoccupied, but potentially suitable, habitat in at least 14 countries including all extant tiger range countries and four countries with extirpated tiger populations – Cambodia, Lao PDR, Viet Nam, and Kazakhstan. Thirty-two percent of expansion areas were within 50-km, and 50% within 100-km, of current tiger populations highlighting that in many landscapes range expansion could be driven by the natural dispersal of tigers provided connectivity is maintained or enhanced. The proportion of potential range within existing protected areas varied between <5% in India, Indonesia, and China, to >60% in Thailand and Cambodia. As such socially appropriate conservation approaches, in collaboration with local communities, will be necessary to support tiger recovery in many areas. We recommend that some of the areas which we have identified should be highlighted as significant for future tiger conservation by tiger range country governments. Whilst the landscapes and sites which we identify will require detailed ground-truthing, and all tiger reintroductions need extensive planning and feasibility assessments, safeguarding these areas for human-carnivore coexistence could provide significant planetary benefits and support both tiger recovery and Global Sustainable Development Goals.

Possible but rare: Safe and just satisfaction of national human needs in terms of ecosystem services

Possible but rare: Safe and just satisfaction of national human needs in terms of ecosystem services

Functional Restoration of Desertified, Water-Limited Ecosystems: The Israel Desert Experience

Ecological restoration has recognized explicitly the recovery of ecosystem functions. The emphasis on ecosystem functions in restoration efforts can be defined as functional restoration. Functional restoration, i.e., rehabilitation of ecosystem functions, is particularly applicable to highly degraded landscapes such as desertified areas, where restoration to the original state is impossible. This review paper produced a general conceptual model of the fundamental processes that regulate ecosystem functions in water-limited ecosystems. The Israeli Negev Desert was used as a case study to test the model results in the field. We developed general guiding principles for functional restoration of degraded landscapes that integrate functional restoration methods and include four successive steps: (1) identifying the fundamental processes that regulate ecosystem functions in alternative states; (2) detecting drivers leading to degraded states; (3) functional restoration: changing the state of the degraded landscape; and (4) monitoring the impact of the restoration effort and assessing its success in terms of ecosystem services. Our case study, the Negev, provided us with insights on how to reverse desertification in water-limited systems by restoring source–sink networks as a subset of functional restoration. The four suggested steps of functional restoration are essential for ecosystem recovery in the Anthropocene.

Juvenile fish communities in coastal soft-bottom and shallow water habitats at the Tolo Harbour and Channel in Hong Kong, South China

Coastal soft-bottom and shallow water habitats are often key nursery grounds for marine fishes, which are important not only in supporting a rich biodiversity, but also of social-economic importance in terms of ecosystem services and fishery resources provided by these habitats. Tolo Harbour and Channel (the Tolo Area) at north-eastern Hong Kong in South China has been previously recognised as a nursery ground of marine fish species, including those that are commercially important. However, marine biodiversity and fisheries resources in this area have been jeopardized by various anthropogenic threats such as coastal development and pollution. This study aimed at providing up-to-date ecological information of juvenile marine fishes in the Tolo Area, and identifying locations with a high conservation priority. A three-year study, using beach and purse seining, was carried out to assess the current status of the juvenile fish community in coastal soft-bottom and shallow water habitats throughout the Tolo Area. A total of 171 species/taxa were recorded, including the IUCN-red-listed vulnerable species of seahorse Hippocampus kuda. Juvenile individuals were found in 155 of the recorded species/taxa. Juvenile fishes were dominated by small and/or fast-growing species. Significant spatial and seasonal variations in juvenile fish assemblages were recorded in the Tolo Area. Diel differences in juvenile fish assemblages were also recorded in sites where additional night-time surveys were conducted. Species richness was generally higher in outer Tolo Harbour and inner Tolo Channel, and priority should be given to the coastal soft-bottom and shallow water habitats in these areas to protect the species diversity and fishery resources. The results of this systematic study provide an ecological baseline of juvenile fishes in the Tolo Area for future monitoring and conservation of the marine fish communities.