Modelling potential hydrological returns from investing in ecological infrastructure: Case studies from the Baviaanskloof-Tsitsikamma and uMngeni catchments, South Africa
| Autor: | Anthony Mills, James Nelson Blignaut, Kristal Maze, Benjamin van der Waal, Julia Glenday, Graham Jewitt, Myles Mander, John Dini, Christo Marais, C.J. Hughes |
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| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
Global and Planetary Change
Resource (biology) 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences Ecology business.industry 0208 environmental biotechnology Geography Planning and Development Environmental resource management Water supply 02 engineering and technology Management Monitoring Policy and Law Service provider Investment (macroeconomics) 01 natural sciences Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous) 020801 environmental engineering Ecosystem services Water security Land degradation Water quality business Environmental planning 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Nature and Landscape Conservation |
| Zdroj: | Ecosystem Services. 27:261-271 |
| ISSN: | 2212-0416 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.03.003 |
| Popis: | A shortage of water currently threatens the development of the South African economy and the well-being of its people. Climate change, land degradation and an inherently semi-arid, variable climate are making it increasingly difficult for water service providers to deliver sufficient quantity and quality of water to meet escalating demand. Investments in ecological infrastructure are seldom considered as a way of augmenting water supplies and improving water quality over the long-term. However, hydrological modelling shows that protecting and rehabilitating ecological infrastructure could generate meaningful gains in water quantity in two important South African water supply systems, the Baviaanskloof-Tsitsikamma and uMngeni catchments. The costs of such interventions, as estimated using resource economic techniques, are within the same order of magnitude as built infrastructure solutions. Investments in ecological infrastructure can also have a considerable range of other benefits. These findings make a compelling case for large-scale investment in the rehabilitation and protection of ecological infrastructure, which can be a cost-effective option for achieving water resource planning objectives. The types of rehabilitation activities planned would depend on the needs of local water users. Associated long-term monitoring and research would further improve knowledge of these systems, and provide support for the modelled results. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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