WRI Stories Feed: Mainstreaming Ecosystem Services Initiative (MESI)

Uganda Wetland Maps Will Help Reduce Poverty, Boost Economy

Paul Mackie — Tue, 05 May 2009 13:02:24 -0400

Uganda’s leaders now have access to maps that will allow them—for the first time ever—to reduce poverty through better management of the country’s wetlands.

This map from Mapping a Better Future shows that highly impacted wetlands are spread widely across Uganda and are located in areas with both low and high poverty levels. Such data confirms that there is no straightforward relationship between poverty levels and potential wetland degradation. Policymakers can use this information to flag certain subcounties where close coordination between wetlands management and poverty-reduction efforts could be beneficial for both wetlands and local populations.

High-resolution version of this map

“Wetlands affect the daily lives of every one of Uganda’s citizens and provide a powerful wall of protection for Uganda’s economic development,” said Paul Mafabi, commissioner of the Wetlands Management Department in Uganda’s Ministry of Water and Environment, during an event to officially release the maps here today at the Statistics House.

The maps appear as part of a new report, Mapping a Better Future: How Spatial Analysis Can Benefit Wetlands and Reduce Poverty in Uganda, produced by the World Resources Institute (WRI) in collaboration with Uganda’s Wetlands Management Department, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, and the International Livestock Research Institute.

Maps included within the report demonstrate that both poor and developed areas in Uganda have experienced wetlands degradation, dispelling the myth that wetlands loss only occurs in poorer areas.

Mafabi, a co-author of the report, added, “These maps and analysis enable us to identify and place an economic value on the nation’s wetlands. They show where wetland management can have the greatest impacts on reducing poverty.”

Defined as areas where plants and animals have adapted to temporary or permanent flooding, wetlands are found in every county in Uganda. Used primarily for water collection, livestock grazing, and natural resource harvesting, wetlands also filter water pollutants, regulate flooding, and provide medicinal alternatives for poorer citizens.

“Poor people are highly dependent on wetlands for daily subsistence and cash-generating activities, such as selling products made from papyrus,” said Norbert Henninger, a WRI expert on East African ecosystems and a co-author of the report. “The short-term financial incentives from converting wetlands for crop use or real-estate development are often not aligned with the long-term benefits provided by managing and conserving these ecosystems for the public good.”

The report builds upon efforts undertaken during the last 15 years by the Ugandan government to promote sustainable wetland management. Both Uganda’s Poverty Eradication Action Plan and the 10-year Wetlands Sector Strategic Plan, launched in 2001, have emphasized the need to balance poverty reduction and wetlands management.

Between 1995 and 2005, the government spent US$2 million to develop the National Wetlands Information System as an inventory and tracking system of wetland use in Uganda—the first of its kind in Africa. Simultaneously, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics produced detailed maps showing poverty levels across the country.

“Uganda has made considerable progress in identifying its wetlands and mapping poverty areas, but analysis of the two sets of data has been kept separate,” said Jonathan Lash, WRI president. “This research fills that void and should allow policymakers to promote land-use changes that improve the lives of all Ugandans.”

Mafabi added, “The key next steps for Uganda will be to complete and update the national wetlands data system, and to apply economic valuation to all major wetland products and services, particularly their importance in filtering drinking water supplies and regulating hydrological flows. Recognition of poverty-wetlands linkages will help officials prioritize and plan strategies that reflect the importance of healthy wetlands to the citizens of Uganda and the national economy.”

EPA Partners With WRI to Heighten Awareness of Ecosystem Services

Paul Mackie — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 11:13:15 -0400

The World Resources Institute (WRI) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a collaboration to deliver improved science and practical tools to help companies and governments protect ecosystems and address climate change.

“This is an important collaboration in bringing research on ecosystem services into the mainstream of science, business and public policy,” said Rick Linthurst, national program director of the EPA’s Ecological Research Program.

WRI’s ecosystem services brochureEcosystem services are the benefits people obtain from forests, wetlands, and other ecosystems. A forest, for example, not only provides wood for timber and paper but also controls erosion, purifies water, stores carbon dioxide, and offers recreation.

The partnership will bring a greater recognition and understanding of the importance of ecosystems to economic development and human well-being. It will also help planners better determine development options that allow affected natural resources to continue to produce services that meet the needs of current and future generations.

Craig Hanson, acting director of WRI’s People and Ecosystems Program, added, “This collaboration will link EPA’s quality scientific research on ecosystem services with WRI’s work to help private- and public-sector leaders make the connection between healthy ecosystems and the attainment of their economic goals. This partnership will make our Corporate Ecosystem Services Review, mapping of ecosystem services, and economic valuation efforts even more powerful.”

Businesses, local and state governments, researchers, and international organizations - which are increasingly retooling their environmental-management systems to address ecosystem services - will benefit from the partnership.

As part of the collaboration, Dr. Suzanne Marcy, lead for outreach and education in the Ecological Research Program of the EPA’s Office of Research and Development, will be based at WRI’s headquarters. She will focus on linking emerging scientific data about the health and economic value of ecosystem services with WRI’s various projects on water quality, biofuels, coral reefs, and business sustainability, among others.

In addition, WRI’s research will inform the EPA Ecological Research Program’s initiatives in the Coastal Carolinas, the Willamette Valley in Oregon, Tampa Bay, the upper-Midwest, and the Southwest.

Natural Coastline Defense: Mangrove Forests in Southeast Asia

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:18:27 -0400

Southeast Asia’s scientists, researchers, and political figures are emphasizing the importance of restoring mangrove forests, one of nature’s strongest defenses against natural disasters.

Mangrove forests offer a vast array of ecosystem services, or benefits to people, in tropical and subtropical coastline ecosystems. The massive root systems of mangrove forests mitigate the effect of strong surge storms on low-lying coastal communities by decreasing wave and wind velocity. According to the United Nations, “mangroves can absorb 70-90% of the energy of a normal wave.” By capturing rich sediments in their roots, mangroves also attract a variety and abundance of species such as shrimp, lobster, and oysters which can be harvested, sold, and eaten by local inhabitants. These forests also store carbon dioxide and aid in erosion control.

Despite all the benefits of an intact mangrove forests, parts of Southeast Asia have witnessed significant levels of deforestation. In Vietnam, the area of intact mangrove forests has decreased nearly 10,000 hectares (ha) since 1965. And the deforestation rate is on the rise. From 1965-1995, the rate was 0.2%, but from 1996 to present day, it is 13.1%. The cause of this sudden and explosive shift is due largely to land-use change, as shrimp farmers clear away forests to expand their prawn ponds.

Southeast Asia has been hit recently by several devastating natural disasters, including the Asia Tsunami (over 225,000 dead in eleven countries surrounding the Indian Ocean), cyclone Nargis (over 22,000 dead in Burma), Cyclone Orissa in India (1999) and Cyclone Sidr in Bangledesh (2007). According to the World Bank, Vietnam–with its 3200km of coastline–now ranks in the top 5 for countries that will be hardest hit by climate change. It is estimated that a five meter increase in sea level would flood 16% of Vietnam and threaten 35% of its population.

These recent natural disasters have made Vietnamese officials and citizens pay closer attention to mangrove maintenance. In 1994, the Vietnamese government began a cooperative project focused on planting new trees and maintaining existing mangrove forests, with the ultimate goal of protecting both the environment and the local population.

The effort is proving worthwhile. A recent WWF report found that although the Vietnamese government spent $1.1 million to plant 12,000ha of trees, they saved $7.3 million/year on sea dike maintenance. Additionally, the 2000 Wukong typhoon destroyed unprotected districts, but left regions protected by mangroves unharmed.

The restoration of mangrove forests has provided economic benefits for the population. One Vietnam News report revealed that intact mangrove forests created jobs for 3,210 households. Additionally, officials estimate that villages accrue a monetary benefit of US$2200-2500 per month due to forest protection and decreased maintenance on sea dikes.

Although Vietnam still suffers from significant mangrove deforestation, its restoration policy is headed in the right direction. Mangrove forests do not guarantee full protection from storm surges, but they do mitigate the effects of one of the region’s biggest threats. Therefore, it is in the best interest of the government and local population to restore and maintain nature’s natural storm barricades.

Emma Porteus is a WRI summer intern focused on researching and communicating messages about ecosystem services and how they relate to the public sector.

When Development Causes Disease: Linking Ecosystems and Human Health

Richard Waite — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:05:40 -0400

Ecosystems provide a wealth of services to human populations, among them, disease regulation. But narrowly-focused development projects can threaten these ecosystems and put entire populations at risk. Here are three cases where development has compromised nature’s way of keeping us healthy.

Forty years ago, malaria was almost eradicated in Peru, and only 1,500 cases were reported. Today, however, the number has climbed to over 50,000. One activity being blamed for this rise is logging in the Amazon forest.

Why? Tree removal and new logging roads leave behind pools of standing water, and increased sunlight allowed by the destruction of forest canopy warms the pools, leading to algae growth. Tree removal also reduces water acidity in the pools. These three factors, all linked to deforestation, create the ideal growing environment for the Anopheles mosquito. This insect—the only genus which carries malaria—is then able to out-compete other “benign” mosquitoes, and malaria rates rise.

Development projects—intended to increase people’s well-being—can do just the opposite when they don’t consider the ecosystem services they affect. For example, the Diama Dam in Senegal was built to facilitate irrigation of rice fields, and its construction did help double the region’s rice production. However, the dam also brought snail fever to the region, and certain villages experienced infection rates of 60% in less than three years.

Again, we follow the chain: the dam blocked the intrusion of salt water into the Senegal River, allowing freshwater snails to out-compete the native saltwater snails. These freshwater snails act as hosts for schistosomes—small larvae that burrow into human skin and cause snail fever. As the freshwater snail population grew, so did the disease rate. As in Peru, the “benign” species—in this case the saltwater snail—was overwhelmed by the disease carrier.

These trends are not limited to developing countries. A 2003 study by Rutgers University, Bard College and the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies showed suburban sprawl in the eastern U.S. may contribute to higher incidences of Lyme disease. Humans get Lyme disease from black-legged tick bites, and the ticks live in the fur of white-footed mice. As suburbs expand further and fragment surrounding forests, predator populations decrease, and mice multiply—and so do the ticks.

Such cases are not isolated. Every environment provides many ecosystem services, some of which—in these cases disease mitigation—are often ignored. While it is complex to try to predict what will happen to an ecosystem when we interact with it, we do need to learn from past examples in order to ensure that our health and nature’s health can continue to coexist.

These case studies were adapted from a new book, Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity, edited by Eric Chivian and Aaron Bernstein, Chapter 7. This book contains numerous examples linking ecosystem services with human health.

Immigration Linked to Degraded Ecosystem

Karen Bennett — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 12:12:19 -0500

Border security is not typically recognized as being tied to environmental changes, but in this recent article by The New York Times, the links are clear. It details how declining fish catches in northwest Africa are fueling immigration to Europe.

With fish populations in northwest Africa collapsing, regional economies are struggling and local populations are finding themselves without one of their staple foods. That means more people are willing to take greater risks by migrating for a fresh beginning in a new country.

Fishers with their catchPeople everywhere depend on nature—that is, ecosystem services—for their well-being. Yet many of these services are in a state of decline. In fact, according to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, nearly 2/3 of ecosystem services are in worse shape than they were a half-century ago. The bottom line of this finding? Nature’s benefits can no longer be taken for granted. According to the Times article, fish populations in Senegal and from other parts of the region were once abundant enough to support livelihoods. But now, families find they are barely scraping by. Major fish stocks are dwindling because of fishing by local boats as well as international fleets, including from the European Union, China, and Russia. This crash in natural resources is encouraging northwest African nationals to attempt migration to more abundant societies. In 2007, about 31,000 Africans attempted to flee to the Canary Islands, which serve as a gateway to Europe. Of these, 6,000 disappeared or died.

WRI’s Mainstreaming Ecosystem Services Initiative brochure coverNorthwest African governments, lured by the promise of money from international trawlers and economic growth, have driven one of their most important natural resources to depletion. European officials, on the other hand, saw that their own fish resources were depleted decades ago and arranged deals to harvest the seas of northwestern Africa. In both cases, decision makers did not realize that many of their decisions both depend on and impact the ecosystem services nature provides.

In northwest Africa, new government policies to attract international fishing fleets in the hopes of payments and economic growth were dependent on wild fish stocks remaining abundant. Likewise, decisions by European officials to exploit fishing grounds in Africa had unforeseen consequences because the ecosystem service was degraded. Motivated by hopes of economic growth and cheap food for their populations, European nations are instead faced with floods of undocumented immigrants.

Recognizing the links between ecosystem services and development goals can help us protect ecosystems from development. Perhaps even more importantly, we need to consider how to invest in managing ecosystems for development. WRI is working to solve problems exactly like these in northwest Africa through our recently launched Mainstreaming Ecosystem Services Initiative.

Download our brochure: What Are Ecosystems Doing For You? Mainstreaming Ecosystem Services Initiative