Habitat Evaluation Procedure Research Articles

Ecosystem Services Valuation of Constructed Wetland as a Nature-Based Solution to Wastewater Treatment

Constructed wetlands (CWs) are nature-based solutions that utilize natural vegetation, soils, and microbes to treat domestic wastewater and industrial effluents. They are engineered treatment systems that mimic the functions of natural wetlands to capture stormwater, reduce nutrient loads, and create diverse wildlife habitats. Providing these monetary and non-monetary benefits, its implementation has grown in several applications and geographical spread. Recent studies integrate the ecosystem services of CWs in project valuation, and the critical analysis of research hotspots has not been made yet. This study employs a systematic review to analyze the literature on ecosystem services provided by CWs and how they are incorporated into the valuation of CW projects. Among the ecosystem services that have been identified are provisioning (biomass and water supply), regulating (wastewater treatment and purification, climate regulation, flood prevention, and erosion control), cultural (recreation and aesthetic, biodiversity, education, and research), and supporting (habitat formation, nutrient cycling, and hydrological cycle). In terms of valuation methods and techniques, the results identified contingent valuation, shadow pricing, cost–benefit analysis, benefits transfer, habitat evaluation procedures, replacement cost, and travel cost. The analysis results provide researchers with a concrete basis for future studies and directions for further development. This also provides policymakers and CW project planners with valuable insights on various aspects of policy support for CW adoption and project valuation.

Valuation of the environmental benefits induced by a constructed wetland

Under the Water Framework Directive, France needs to work harder to reduce water pollution and has been recommended a more frequent recourse to ecological restoration. Constructed wetlands are particularly interesting as they simultaneously improve water quality, contribute to flood protection and promote biodiversity. In this perspective, the researchers of Lyonnaise des Eaux developed the concept of “Libellule” Zone that aimed at creating a biodiversity area that facilitates the removal of residual micro pollutants from wastewater before it is released into the wild. These actions are clearly beneficial to the environment. Unfortunately, this value remains difficult to estimate even today which can constitute a significant obstacle both to the development of this type of action and to their durability. Our aim is to use the “adapted” Habitat Evaluation Procedure (HEPa) to better value these actions. The HEPa bases the evaluation of environmental costs and benefits directly on the ecological impact of the actions carried out. Our main result is that the HEPa method, initially developed to assess environmental costs, can be a useful method to evaluate the benefits stemming from the creation of an artificial wetland. We expect this evaluation to help decision makers to base their decisions on the true value of wetlands.

Biodiversity impact assessment of two large dam projects in India under long term multi-scenarios simulation

ABSTRACT As global biodiversity is facing an existential threat, integration of biodiversity concerns into decision-making tools like EIA is more urgent now. Biodiversity impact assessment of Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar dams on the river Narmada that were conducted during 1990–94 is retrospectively analyzed to demonstrate the utility of the Habitat Evaluation Procedure as a quantitative method and its capability to predict long-term trends in habitat quality. Results of a multiple scenario simulation on habitat quality change over thirty years (1991–2020) indicate that there still exists an opportunity to conserve the biodiversity in the region by enhancing the protection status of the forests surrounding the dam reservoirs and proper resettlement and rehabilitation of project affected population. Further, limitations of Indian EIA with reference to biodiversity integration into Mitigation Hierarchy, Cumulative Impacts Assessment, Governance, SEA and post-audit are addressed. Indian policy needs to integrate biodiversity into earlier stages of decision making, not only to achieve its 2030 SDG targets, but also to ensure ecological security which is essential for the long-term socio-economic development of the nation.

Fish habitat evaluation based on width-to-depth ratio and eco-environmental diversity index in small rivers

We estimated the performance of river fish habitat evaluation using width-to-depth ratio (WDR) in comparison with eco-environmental diversity (EED) to propose an inexpensive and easy-to-use habitat evaluation procedure, which is applicable to small river construction works. WDR calculation costs less than that of EED. For verification, 25 stations in eight rivers were selected and fish were captured using electrofishing. pH, electrical conductivity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen (DO), water temperature, fraction of forest, farmland, and residential area in each basin were measured to examine possible influence of water quality. Results show that there is no major water quality issue in the target rivers. Although fish habitat is classified as good when WDR is higher than 6, it cannot be evaluated by WDR when it is lower than 6. EED has positive relationship with fish habitat for any WDR value. Thus, if a river geometry design in a river work results in WDR higher than 6, no measures need to be taken regarding fish habitat condition; however, if it is less than 6, it is necessary to examine whether the construction work lowers the EED or not.

“Adapted” Habitat Evaluation Procedure and Choice Experiment: Substitutes or Complements?

In this paper, we assess the environmental benefits derived from a wetland restoration plan. We assume that some of these benefits are “familiar” and thus fully perceived by the population; whereas those with more complex origins are “unfamiliar” and thus poorly perceived and valued. Well perceived benefits can often be assessed from carefully constructed conventional economic approaches based on preferences. However, the biases of these approaches become too significant for poorly perceived benefits which require alternative valuation methods. The “adapted” Habitat Evaluation Procedure (HEPa) “benefit” seeks to value environmental benefits through a non-monetary metric, the habitat unit. It evaluates marginal environmental changes using ecological indicators instead of preferences. Our aim is to test the possibility of combining a conventional monetary valuation method (choice experiment) with a non-monetary alternative valuation method (HEPa) to see whether such a combination could improve the assessment of benefits stemming from positive impacts of environmental policies. By so doing, we seek to contribute to a better integration of ecosystem services into the processes of planning, management, and decision-making regarding natural areas.

Modeling habitat suitability for Yunnan Snub-nosed monkeys in Laojun Mountain National Park.

We provide new information on Yunnan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti) behavioral ecology, contributing to future conservation efforts within the Laojun Mountain National Park. Habitat evaluation procedures are used to quantify the value of land as a habitat for a species. We analyzed environmental variables hypothesized to influence habitat suitability for Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys, and mapped the distribution of suitable habitats across the study area and adjacent areas. Spatial analysis with GPS data was conducted to investigate home-range change of these monkeys. Predictor variables were generated using ArcMap and R programming language. We prepared 34 environmental variables at 30-m spatial resolution. Maxent was used to analyze environmental variables that contributed to suitability. Using satellite remote sensing and GIS, we modeled the distribution of suitable habitat for Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys in the Jinsichang area of the Laojun Mountains in China. This study did not describe the frequency or intensity of habitat use. Habitat suitability was affected by several variables, the most influential, as determined by permutation importance, being mean diurnal temperature range (31.6%), precipitation during the wettest quarter of the year (30.4%), average annual precipitation (17%), normalized difference vegetation index (5%), wetness (4.6%), and aspect (4.5%). This habitat suitability model provides information about the current distribution of Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys, which is important for appropriate implementation of conservation actions.

Application of Habitat Evaluation Procedure with Quantifying the Eco-Corridor in the Process of Environmental Impact Assessment.

In contrast to other fields, environmental protection (e.g., habitat protection) often fails to include quantitative evaluation as part of the existing environmental impact assessment (EIA) process, and therefore the EIA is often a poor forecasting tool, which makes selecting a reasonable plan of action difficult. In this study, we used the Habitat Evaluation Procedure (HEP) to quantify the long-term effects of a road construction project on an ecosystem. The water deer (Hydropotes inermis) was selected as the species of study since it uses an optimum habitat; water deer habitat data were collected on vegetation cover, stream water density, geographic contour, land use class, and road networks. The Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) and Cumulative Habitat Unit (CHU) values for the water deer were estimated to investigate the major land cover classes, the national river systems, and vegetation cover. Results showed that the environmental impact in the road construction project area would result in a net ecological loss value of 1211 without installation of an eco-corridor, which reduced to 662 with an eco-corridor, providing a 55% increase in the net value after 50 years of the mitigation plan. Comparing the 13 proposed ecological mitigation corridors, the corridor that would result in the highest net increase (with an increase of 69.5), was corridor #4, which was regarded as the most appropriate corridor to properly connect water deer habitat. In sum, the study derived the net increase in quantitative values corresponding with different mitigation methods over time for a road construction project; this procedure can be effectively utilized in the future to select the location of ecological corridors while considering the costs of constructing them.

Location Suitability Assessment on Marine Afforestation Using Habitat Evaluation Procedure(HEP) and 3D kriging: A Case Study on Jeju, Korea

Location Suitability Assessment on Marine Afforestation Using Habitat Evaluation Procedure(HEP) and 3D kriging: A Case Study on Jeju, Korea

Landscape-scale impacts of transportation infrastructure on spatial dynamics of two vulnerable ungulate species in Ghamishloo Wildlife Refuge, Iran

Development of roads through protected areas can have deleterious effects on natural habitats containing species of conservation concern. During the past decades road construction has affected many former remote areas and led to fragmentation and isolation of wildlife populations. The present study focuses on the ecological impacts of Isfahan's West Freeway, which passes through Ghamishloo Wildlife Refuge; an IUCN category IV protected area, in Isfahan Province. The two key affected species, both classified as vulnerable by IUCN, the goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa subgutturosa) and the wild sheep (Ovis orientalis isphahanica) were subject to impact analyses. We used habitat evaluation procedure (HEP) as a habitat-based impact assessment methodology which considers habitat quality and quantity. Habitat quality was measured as habitat suitability index (HSI) for each species. By literature review and field observations, five variables defining habitat suitability were identified and suitability maps for both species generated. Habitat units (HUs) were derived from multiplying the HSI for each species by the habitat area before and after freeway construction. The results showed that due to the construction of the freeway, about 14% of the HUs for goitered gazelle and about 9% of the HUs for wild sheep were lost. In addition, for quantifying landscape pattern change due to freeway construction, various landscape metrics were calculated for the species distribution polygons for two times before and after freeway construction. Results obtained through quantifying landscape metrics showed that mean nearest neighbor (MNN) and number of patches (NP) metrics increased. On the other hand, CONTAG metric decreased in both goitered gazelle and wild sheep distribution polygons, demonstrating the negative effect of freeway on these species distribution polygons integrity. According to the results of this study, mitigation and compensation activities should be considered in Ghamishloo Wildlife Refuge. Our study demonstrated that HEP method combined with quantifying landscape metrics might provide a powerful tool for assessing ecological impact of technical infrastructures on populations of far-ranging species of conservation concern.

Using an adapted HEP to assess environmental cost

The situation regarding the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services is now critical. Consequently, environmental targets have been determined and environmental legislations at every level tend to be more demanding. The result at local scale is that land planners have to take more rigorous account of the environmental damage stemming from their infrastructure development plans. Several economic valuation methods can be used to perform a monetary valuation of losses of natural areas. However, existing valuation methods have reached their limits when dealing with land planning in complex natural areas (i.e. unfamiliar goods). We propose to use a method based on the American Habitat Evaluation Procedure (HEP) to assess the environmental cost of infrastructure development plans. The “adapted” HEP is an equivalence-based valuation method that bases the valuation of environmental cost on the environmental damage itself rather than willingness to pay. We find that compared to more conventional methods, the “adapted” HEP gives a higher value to lost environmental assets, which is rather promising.

서식지 평가 방법을 이용한 바다숲 조성 해역의 적지 선정

A habitat evaluation method was used to estimate the optimum suitability of the study area for the target algae. Habitat evaluation was carried out using an habitat evaluation procedure (HEP) so that the optimum suitability was quantitatively estimated for carrying out marine afforestation in the study area. According to the results of the suitability analysis, the variation of light and wave conditions according to depth showed the factors with the largest impact to involve the spatial distribution of suitable locations within the area. The total suitable area selected was calculated to be 18ha. The quality of the target algae (Ecklonia cava Kjellman) habitat was analyzed using an habitat suitability index (HSI) model of the HEP, which showed 0.55-0.907 (the maximum value being 1.0). This indicated that artificial reefs for afforestation should be installed to zonation type because the suitable area selected (The HSI value was 0.55~0.907) was distributed within the same depth line.

環境アセスメントにおける日本初のＨＥＰ適用事例

Japan's Environmental Impact Assessment Law was enacted in 1997. However, there are still many problems in Japan's ecological impact assessments. Among these problems, we turned our attention to problems stemming from 1. The system of Japan's EIA ; 2. The team of EIAs ; and 3. Technical methodologies. We applied the Habitat Evaluation Procedure for the first time to an EIA in Japan. Through this experience, we reviewed effectiveness of HEP as a solution to the above problems in Japan's EIAs. The proposed project was a residential development in Yokohama. The site was located in one of the largest remaining natural suburban areas in the city,consisting of densely vegetated hills and creeks which provide quality habitats to wildlife including fireflies and brown frogs, selected as evaluation species in this HEP. Some modifications of original HEP were introduced, including technical revision for the fragmented natural area which has a peculiar land use in Japan. As a result, HEP contributed to formation of substantial mitigation measures for habitats conservation through analyses and discussions among HEP team members.

Fuzzy neural network model for habitat prediction and HEP for habitat quality estimation focusing on Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) in agricultural canals

In the field of agriculture, development of evaluation techniques for environmental changes is urgently required for the purpose of finding a balance between growth in agricultural productivity and environmental considerations. The habitat evaluation procedures (HEP) constitute one technique for habitat assessment. While HEP is widely applied to estimate both habitat quality and quantity in an environment, it appears to be necessary to develop an accurate habitat prediction model in order to evaluate environments precisely. In fact, habitat selection by fish is affected by complicated interaction between multiple environmental factors, which makes it difficult to relate physical environments to habitat preference. In the present study, we utilize artificial neural networks (ANNs), which are commonly applied to model complex systems, to predict the habitat selection of Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) in agricultural canals. Considering the essential vagueness of fish behavior, fuzzy membership functions are introduced into the input layer, which advances ANN to fuzzy neural network (FNN). In addition, symmetric triangular fuzzy numbers are employed to account for uncertainty in measurement errors and dispersions of physical environment. The FNN model precisely predicts the habitat preference of Japanese medaka in an agricultural canal, and the results show a good agreement between the calculated and observed habitat suitability indices (HSI). Finally, the habitat quality of two different reaches at the same point in time is compared using HEP, with a view of suitable habitat for Japanese medaka.

Implementing river water quality modelling issues in mesoscale watershed models for water policy demands––an overview on current concepts, deficits, and future tasks

The political awareness of river water quality issues has increased substantially in the US and the EU during the last decade. New or enhanced environmental policies (e.g. European Union Water Framework Directive, US Total Maximum Daily Load Concept) require improved methods for investigation and evaluation of river water quality as well as derivation and assessment of management practices. Policy makers consider mesoscale watershed models as important support tools in this process if they provide the required functionality, i.e. they show capable of deriving reliable indicators for biological, hydromorphological and physico-chemical water quality. The aim of this study is to give an overview of the current state of integration of water quality issues in watershed models and the application experience with the approaches. It is pointed out that the suitability of current models for the projected tasks is limited. Some of the models do not have water quality routines, and for those that have respective routines integrated there often exists minor application experience and the range of available water quality parameters is insufficient. Increasing efforts regarding the integration of river water quality issues in watershed models and more contributions to the application experience of these models are therefore recommended. In particular, watershed modellers will have to develop tools capable of linking physico-chemical variables already predicted by present watershed models with additional hydromorphological and biological quality elements demanded by policy programs such as EU-WFD. It is outlined that the derivation of expert systems instead of process-based model routines should be considered for the purpose of relating abiotic and biotic quality elements. Expert systems are expected to limit the increase of model complexity, which inevitably occurs in the course of model extension. Habitat evaluation procedures used in impact assessment and current river assessment methods provide directions and a sound database for establishing biotic–abiotic relationships.

Application of habitat evaluation procedure for impact assessment studies in Laguna de Bay, Philippines

The assessment of the Laguna de Bay's changing ecological status is imperative in order to address the growing concern of its possible impact on the suitability of the lake to the various user functions and future demands. The innovative use of a water quality evaluation method through the application of the Habitat Evaluation Procedure (HEP) can support ecological impact studies in Laguna de Bay. The scenarios studied included among others: waste load inputs, saltwater intrusion, deepening of the Pasig River, sea level rise and the impact of a special project on the development of large polder islands in the lake. Comparisons of the present condition, with autonomous development and with management intervention were made. The results of the study on the scenarios with autonomous development revealed that the lake, particularly at the western part of the West Bay, will continue to deteriorate if no measures are undertaken to control pollution due to a projected increase in human population and industrial expansion. Assessment results with management intervention indicated that a projected polder island scenario with a sewage plan expanded from two municipalities to four municipalities and with channel deepening seems to be the best management alternative that would significantly improve the suitability of the lake for various user functions.

What can be success criteria for ecological restoration?

Currently, ecological restoration activities including “biotope creation/restoration projects, ”“compensatory mitigation projects” have been popular in Japan. However, success criteria on these activities were not clearly defined. Ecological restoration activities must have clear success criteria that directly relates to their goals/objectives.This paper reviewed mechanisms of Habitat Evaluation Procedures (HEP) that are very popular in the U.S. to identify possible success criteria on ecological restoration projects. The study showed there were three basic parameters such as “quality, ”“space, ”“time, ” that were used in HEP, In conclusion, such basic ideas of HEP will fit for ecological restoration projects to establish their goals/success criteria as well as to evaluate impacts on ecosystems both of development site and of compensatory mitigation site in Japan.

HABITAT EVALUATION MODEL FOR GENUS UCA IN SHIKOKU ISLAND

The purpose of this study is to use HEP (Habitat Evaluation Procedure) for studying rare species on tidal flats and to evaluate the value of tidal flats themselves. In this study, based on the results both of field observations and numerical simulations, SI (Suitability Index) curves for each mud property and physical factors such as friction velocity were plotted. Then, HSI (Habitat Suitability Index) for each tidal flat was calculated by multiplying each SI curves score and comparing the HSI value among the tidal flats. The following results were obtained: 1) The Yoshino River mouth, which is the largest habitat of genus Uca in Shikoku Lsland, had the highest SI score. 2) The suitability of habitation for other kinds of tidal-living crabs may be estimated as the Yoshino River also had the highest score. Using this method, the value of tidal flats could be discussed indirectly, that is, as the HSI score becomes larger, the necessity of tidal flats becomes great.

A Test of a Habitat Evaluation Procedure for Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep

AbstractHabitat analysis is an important component of animal population restoration. We tested a habitat evaluation procedure for Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis) using a geographic information system (GIS). We applied the model to eight bighorn sheep translocation sites in Colorado and compared the model's habitat suitability assessments with translocation results. The model considered the habitat unsuitable for four failed translocations, and did not recognize suitable habitat for four successful translocations. We performed a sensitivity analysis to determine how individual parameters affected model suitability assessments. To improve the model's ability to distinguish between suitable and unsuitable habitat, we relaxed the suitability criteria for four parameters: barriers created by dense vegetation, barriers created by fences, buffer zones on human use areas, and horizontal visibility. The refined model can be useful to bighorn sheep restoration efforts by facilitating evaluation of large areas of potential habitat, but numerical thresholds for required amounts of suitable habitat must consider the scale of data used for analysis.

The Applicability of Habitat Evaluation Methodologies in Ecological Risk Assessment

Traditionally, ecological risk assessments (ERAs) have emphasized risks to individual organisms or populations of species. Although habitats may be a potential target for chemical stressors, and are considered in the framework for ERAs, the actual use of habitat evaluation methods in this process is limited. Habitats obviously represent an important entity to protect since damaged aquatic and wildlife habitats may be totally irretrievable over a human life span compared to deleterious biochemical and physiological changes which may be reversible within the life cycle of an organism, if exposure is terminated. Habitat methods have been largely used as management tools to evaluate impacts of planned water and land development projects. Habitat evaluation methods represent a structured, systematic and logical approach to determine changes to habitats because they consider important life requisites and environmental variables limiting to species. Their use in the ERA process will provide a means to differentiate habitat changes resulting from physical, chemical and/or biological factors or a combination of such factors. In addition, minimal and optimum habitat suitability can be determined for different habitat variables under different chemical exposure scenarios. The objectives of this paper are to review several available habitat evaluation methods and discuss their use in risk assessment. Particular emphasis is given to USFWS's Habitat Evaluation Procedures (HEPs) and the Instream Flow Incremental Method (IFIM).

The prospect on accuracy and universality of the river ecology environmental assessment method in IFIM

Recently, the purposes of river improvement works have became not only the protection for flood but also the improvement of ecosystem quality. In this context, habitat evaluation procedures are becoming important. The Instream Flow Incremental Methodology (IFIM) is one of the most popular habitat evaluation method, but still there is little application experience in Japan. In this paper, we study the accuracy and applicability of fish habitat evaluation method by IFIM. At first, we surveyed habitat variables, such as velocity, depth, substrate and cover, to derive suitability-of-use curves, which are the core technique in IFIM, during the summer and the autumn in 1997 in the Furukou River, Yamaguchi prefecture. Then, we compare the observed fish distribution with calculated habitat distribution by using the suitabilityof-use curves obtained from the same river, which showed a good accordance. Next, we compare the observed fish distribution with calculated habitat distribution by using the suitability-of-use curves obtained from literature, which showed a bad accordance. Those results imply that the suitabilityof-use curves obtained from a river will show a good accordance when it is used in the same river, but cannot apply to other rivers.