Files and links (1)
Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Identifying Conservation Priority Areas of Hydrological Ecosystem Service Using Hot and Cold Spot Analysis at Watershed Scale
Remote Sensing, Vol.16(18), pp.1-20
2024
Abstract
Hydrological Ecosystem Services (HES) are crucial components of environmental sustainability and provide indispensable benefits. The present study identifies critical hot and cold spots areas of HES in the Aglar watershed of the Indian Himalayan Region using six HES descriptors, namely water yield (WYLD), crop yield factor (CYF), sediment yield (SYLD), base flow (LATQ), surface runoff (SURFQ), and total water retention (TWR). The analysis was conducted using weightage-based approaches under two methods: (1) evaluating six HES descriptors individually and (2) grouping them into broad ecosystem service categories. Furthermore, the study assessed pixel-level uncertainties that arose because of the distinctive methods used in the identification of hot and cold spots. The associated synergies and trade-offs among HES descriptors were examined too. From method 1, 0.26% area of the watershed was classified as cold spots and 3.18% as hot spots, whereas method 2 classified 2.42% area as cold spots and 2.36% as hot spots. Pixel-level uncertainties showed that 0.57 km2 and 6.86 km2 of the watershed were consistently under cold and hot spots, respectively, using method 1, whereas method 2 identified 2.30 km2 and 6.97 km2 as cold spots and hot spots, respectively. The spatial analysis of hot spots showed consistent patterns in certain parts of the watershed, primarily in the south to southwest region, while cold spots were mainly found on the eastern side. Upon analyzing HES descriptors within broad ecosystem service categories, hot spots were mainly in the southern part, and cold spots were scattered throughout the watershed, especially in agricultural and scrubland areas. The significant synergistic relation between LATQ and WYLD, and sediment retention and WYLD and trade-offs between SURFQ and HES descriptors like WYLD, LATQ, sediment retention, and TWR was attributed to varying factors such as land use and topography impacting the water balance components in the watershed. The findings underscore the critical need for targeted conservation efforts to maintain the ecologically sensitive regions at watershed scale.
Details
- Title
- Identifying Conservation Priority Areas of Hydrological Ecosystem Service Using Hot and Cold Spot Analysis at Watershed Scale
- Authors
- Srishti Gwal (Corresponding Author) - Banaras Hindu UniversityDipaka Ranjan Sena (Author) - International Water Management Institute (India)Prashant K. Srivastava (Author) - Banaras Hindu UniversitySanjeev K. Srivastava (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Publication details
- Remote Sensing, Vol.16(18), pp.1-20
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Date published
- 2024
- DOI
- 10.3390/rs16183409
- ISSN
- 2072-4292
- Copyright note
- © 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Data Availability
- Data and materials used in this research can be made available up on request.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Sustainability Research Cluster
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991065007802621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
2 File views/ downloads
26 Record Views