Sustainable Ecosystem Services Framework for Tropical Catchment Management: A Review
The monsoon season is a natural phenomenon that occurs over the Asian continent, bringing extra precipitation which causes significant impact on most tropical watersheds. The tropical region’s countries are rich with natural rainforests and the economies of the countries situated within the regio...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI
2017
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://eprints.usm.my/37235/1/%28Sustainable_Ecosystem_Services%29_-09-00546-v2.pdf http://eprints.usm.my/37235/ http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/4/546 |
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| Summary: | The monsoon season is a natural phenomenon that occurs over the Asian continent,
bringing extra precipitation which causes significant impact on most tropical watersheds. The tropical
region’s countries are rich with natural rainforests and the economies of the countries situated
within the region are mainly driven by the agricultural industry. In order to fulfill the agricultural
demand, land clearing has worsened the situation by degrading the land surface areas. Rampant
land use activities have led to land degradation and soil erosion, resulting in implications on water
quality and sedimentation of the river networks. This affects the ecosystem services, especially the
hydrological cycles. Intensification of the sedimentation process has resulted in shallower river
systems, thus increasing their vulnerability to natural hazards (i.e., climate change, floods). Tropical
forests which are essential in servicing their benefits have been depleted due to the increase in human
exploitation. This paper provides an overview of the impact of land erosion caused by land use
activities within tropical rainforest catchments, which lead to massive sedimentation in tropical
rivers, as well as the effects of monsoon on fragile watersheds which can result in catastrophic
floods. Forest ecosystems are very important in giving services to regional biogeochemical processes.
Balanced ecosystems therefore, play a significant role in servicing humanity and ultimately, may
create a new way of environmental management in a cost-effective manner. Essentially, such an
understanding will help stakeholders to come up with better strategies in restoring the ecosystem
services of tropical watersheds. |
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