conservation values of wetlands - iced

CONSERVATION VALUES OF WETLANDS


T.V. RAMACHANDRA AND SREEKANTHAEnergy & Wetlands Research Group, Centre for Ecological Sciences,

Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560 012

ABSTRACTWetlands are regarded as direct or indirect life supporting system of millions of people in a diverse way. Increased anthropogenic activities over time have significantly contributed to the deterioration of these wetlands. The catchment area of Sharavathi river basin has treasured numerous ponds / tanks with varying use potential. The present study was carried out in four tanks namely Ulluru, Kaspadi, Govatooru and Nagara to analyse the present status of these wetlands and assign conservation values in terms of their direct and indirect benefits. These tanks aid in groundwater recharge apart from being used for irrigating agriculture and horticulture crops. Despite these direct and indirect benefits, these tanks are neglected by the local people and the concerned authorities. These tanks are on the verge of extinction due to lack of sufficient conservation. The study attempts in quantifying the conservation values based on the direct and indirect benefits of wetlands.KEY WORDS : Wetlands, Eutrophication, Conservation, Ecology, Land use, Sharavathi, Western Ghats

Introduction

Wetlands are regarded as direct or indirect life supporting systems of millions of people in many ways. It is known that ancient civilizations had their origin and growth on the banks of major rivers. People use wetland soil for agriculture, catch fish in the wetland for food, cut wetland trees for timber and fuelwood and wetland reeds to make mats and thatch roofs. Other uses include recreation, such as bird watching or sailing, or scientific study, flood control, nutrient recycling, and many more (Barbiei et al, 1997). Extinction of these wetlands is a growing concern all over the world. The human induced threats and improper management systems are reducing the number of these wetlands. In Karnataka, about 35% wetlands are threatened due to sedimentation, 43 % are subjected to encroachment and 22 % have rampant growth of exotic weeds.

The catchment area of Sharavathi river basin has treasured a good number of small wetlands (swamps, tanks/ponds, etc,). The downstream areas of these wetlands are highly valuable due to continuous water availability and suitability of land for areca cultivation. The villagers in the surrounding area are dependent on these tanks for washing of clothes, animal washing, and many other domestic needs. These tanks serve as groundwater recharging sources and presently the tanks of Kaspadi, Ulluru and Govatooru are in bad condition due to various anthropogenic stresses. Increased macrophytic growth and unhygienic conditions prevailing in the tanks have created nuisance. The marshy areas are the places for mosquito breeding and these areas are being turned into paddy fields by the encroachers. The water holding capacity of these tanks seems to be decreasing due to these activities.

In this connection, the present study has been undertaken to illustrate the present status of wetlands and the stresses acting upon them In order to highlight the requirement of restoration, economic valuation of these wetlands has been carried out.

Methodology

In order to quantify the direct and indirect benefits of wetlands, four tanks namely Ulluru, Kaspadi, Govatooru and Nagara in Sharavathi river basin of Western Ghats were chosen. Physico-chemical analysis was done to assess the present status and economic valuation is done to quantify direct and indirect benefits.

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Water samples were collected from three different locations comprising inlets and outlets. The sample analysis was carried out as per the procedures prescribed by APHA and NEERI for water analysis. Totally, 22 parameters were considered to represent the physico-chemical status of the tanks. In order to identify various end uses and the use potential of the tank, local people were surveyed with structural questionnaires. For secondary information, the concerned village accountants were consulted. Remote sensing data (Nov 2003 and March 2004) was used to assess the spatial extent of each tank and its catchment area.

Ulluru Tank : The tank has been constructed for irrigating the agricultural crops around northern part of Ulluru. The total area of the tank is 3.99 ha, out of which nearly 0.5 ha is under encroachment. One third of the area is under weed coverage, dominated by species of Nymphea. As such there are no records of de-silting the tank in the past. About 25.5 ha of catchment area is more or less dry and dominated with moist deciduous forests.Kaspadi Tank : Major use being irrigation, this tank spreads over an area of 1.7 ha. Presently slush and weeds cover a major portion of the tank. In this case also there are no records of desiltation.Govaturu Tank : Total area of this tank is estimated to be 0.955 ha as per satellite imagery of the study area. The tank is situated in a relatively dry area compared to the former two. During summer season this tank dries up due to silt deposition and lack of inflow.Nagara Tank (Shanthi Kere) : As per the local people, the tank was constructed about 500 years ago. The tank is situated on the bank of the historical Nagara Fort. It spreads over an area of 3.58 ha as estimated by satellite imagery. The major use of this tank is irrigation.

Results and Discussions TOP

Present status :

The physico-chemical analysis of the tank samples (Table 2 and 3) showed that the dissolved oxygen concentration was around 4 mg/ L. When the dissolved oxygen at the surface is ranging around 4 mg/L, it may decrease with the depth due to lack of sufficient mixing. The dissolved oxygen less than 3.5 mg/L is harmful to aquatic life and there is every possibility of such a case in Ulluru, Kaspadi and Govaturu tanks. Even the coliforms have shown their presence in almost all the tanks revealing organic pollution.



Sustainability of wetlands :

The sustainability of these wetlands is largely linked with the activities taking place in and around the catchment. In order to identify the threats to these wetlands, local people around these wetlands were interviewed. Out of the 13 identified threat parameters (Table 4), the Kaspadi and Nagara tanks are facing 7 threats individually, Ulluru 9 and Govaturu 11 threats. It can be stated that the number of threats is inversely proportional to sustainability. In other words, Govaturu tank is under severe stress. As the number of threats increases, the complexity associated with restoring and managing these tanks also increases, Until the magnitudes of all the threats are relatively equal, the theory of classifying the wetlands based upon the number of threats holds good.



Economic Valuation :

Quantification of direct and indirect use benefits of selected tanks was done. Table 5 lists the most familiar uses under direct uses. In the present case, the direct values include fish and agriculture. Both the values are being estimated to the fullest potential, invariable to the present practice. The potential for fishery activity in Govaturu tank is feeble due to drying up during summer season. However, proper desilting of the tank may provide sufficient space for water storage and can open ways to fishery practices. Agricultural practices in the command areas of the tanks are more or less dominated by commercially valuable areca crops. Due to this the economic value is quite high.



Financially unrewarding uses are categorised under indirect uses of wetlands. The nutrient retention values are quite high in most of the cases. This is because the catchment areas near the tanks comprise extensive paddy cultivation, wherein farmers use enormous amounts of fertilisers. The leached products are retained by the tanks and lead to rapid growth of hydrophytes. Thus, presently the catchment area of Nagara tank does not have any agricultural activity. Flood control value is quite low in many of these tanks. As the catchment area is very low to cause huge floods, the flood control value remains to be moderate in any circumstances.

Groundwater recharge potential is high in many of the cases unless otherwise there is huge silt deposition. Nagara tank is comparatively more pervious than other tanks. Kaspadi and Ulluru tanks seem to be highly deposited with silt and thus reduce the pervious nature of the soil.

Quasi-option value is the expected value of the information derived from delaying exploitation and conversion of the wetland today. By slightly modifying the concept so as to adjust to the local conditions, it may be further justified that encroachment of the tank area in the form of converting into agricultural fields reduces the value of the wetland as a whole. Thus it is highly necessary to prevent encroachment problems in the case of Ulluru and Govaturu tanks.

Non-use values are extremely difficult to measure. Biodiversity, culture, heritage, and bequest values are classified under non-use values. However, the present study lacks the detailed understanding of the biodiversity issues of these tanks. But overall observation made during field visits showed that the tanks are the habitats for a number water birds such as Little Cormorant, Little Grebe, Egrets, Purple Moorhen, Whitebreasted Water hen, Red Wattled Lapwing, Whitebreasted Kingfisher, Large Pied Wagtail, etc, only Govaturu and Nagara tanks recorded no birds other than White breasted Kingfisher and Little Cormorant. Thus, overall valuation of these tanks shows that they are a part and parcel of the ecosystem. The rich commercial value in terms of fishery and irrigation justifies their necessity to be preserved. Apart from this, other indirect uses include groundwater recharge, flood control and biodiversity values.



Economic valuation of the wetlands illustrates that they are a part and parcel of the ecosystem. The rich commercial value in terms of fishery and irrigation justifies their preservation. Apart from this, other indirect uses like groundwater recharge, flood control and biodiversity values further enrich the worth of these wetlands. To a large extent, these wetlands are the sources of cloth washing, drinking water for hundreds of cattle, vehicle servicing, and many more needs.

Comparison between the presence and absence of wetlands : TOP

When the wetland is converted into an agricultural area, it assumes purely the shape of a paddy field and definitely there will be decrease in productivity due to lack of water availability. The command area gets dried up. Assuming the conversion, the annual revenue decreases to 8000/ ha/year. Thus, there will be a sharp decline in annual revenue in the command area as well as converted wetland area. Further, the indirect values, option and quasi-option values also diminish in the absence of the wetland. The overall observations clearly highlight the need for preservation of the wetlands.

In general, it can be stated that the wetlands of Sharavathi River Basin are in a pathetic condition due to a number of threats. Waterfowl census of these four tanks shows that most of the tanks (three out of the four sampled tanks) are suffering from increased weed coverage and siltation. Thus, it is of prime importance to restore the wetlands immediately.

Overall observation of the wetlands in Sharavathi River Basin indicates that encroachment is the major problem. As per the Revenue Department, landless farmers are targeting the tankbed and forestlands and converting them into agricultural areas. Even the studies carried out in Keladi Lake of Sagara Taluk (Sreekantha et at, 2002) and Anekere of Karkala Taluk (Bhat, 2001) pointed out that encroachment is the major threat to the sustainability of the wetlands.

Restoration of wetlands :

These wetlands in the dry region can support the drinking water requirement of the village if managed properly. When there is scarcity of sufficient groundwater for both drinking and irrigation, these wetlands can be highly advantageous if they are restored. With the groundwater table alarmingly dropping down in recent times, they can act as water sinks to enhance the water table. Consideiing the health of the various hydroelectric power projects in Shaiavathi River Basin, these wetlands can inhibit the silt flow to the reservoir. Properly managed wetlands can be commercially used for fishing activities. The fisheries department can get new opportunities to extend the fishing activities in these wetlands. The aesthetic value of properly managed wetlands is very high.

The restoration and management measures of these wetlands should be the responsibility of various organisations either directly or indirectly associated with them. The role of local people is a major factor that needs attention. The local people are closely associated with the wetlands. So they can actively take part in restoration activities of the wetlands. For this purpose, the village committee should be formed and the responsibilities of monitoring and management should be handed over to them. Strategy followed in JFPM scheme can also be extended to the present case. The Gram Panchayath and the Revenue Department should take prime responsibility in supervising the restoration and maintenance after restoration of these wetlands. The Project authorities of the Sharavathi River Valley Projects should be actively involved in the restoration considering the watershed management and direct and indirect benefits to the projects after restoration. The Forest Department should take necessary action against deforestation in the catchment area and catchment area treatment.

Conservation and Management Strategy for these wetlands :

The tank boundaries are susceptible to encroachment. These sensitive areas should be properly monitored. Cattle grazing in the marshy areas of the tanks can contribute significant amount of nutrients to the lake/tank thereby leading to eutrophication. Anthropogenic activities like cloth washing, vehicle servicing and cattle bathing in the tanks should be prevented considering the quality to be maintained for future use as drinking water. Instead, for such activities, water extraction should be allowed by taking utmost care to avoid release of the wastewater into the tanks again. Properly maintained database on ecological conditions, regular water quality and catchment area monitoring is essential for any management options. Healthy catchments are required to maintain the wetlands in healthy conditions. The degraded areas of the catchments should be brought under afforestation programmes associating the local people.



ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We are grateful to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India and Karnataka Power Corporation Limited, Government of Karnataka for the financial support. We thank the Karnataka Forest Department for providing necessary permission and cooperation during the field data collection.

REFERENCES TOP

Barbier, E B.,Acreman, M. and Knowler,D. 1997. "Economic valuation of wetlands - A guide for policy makers and planners". Ramsar Convention Bureau.

Bhat, H.R. 2001."Threatened Wetlands of Karnataka - with special reference to Anekere of Karkala". Asian Wetland Symposium, Penang, Malaysia.

Sreekantha, Desai S.R. and Ramachandra,T.V. 2002. Monitoring Keladi lake exploring the conservation and management strategies, National seminar on Biodiversity and sustainable use of bioresources, Oct 10-12, 2002. Organised by Department of Limnology, Barkatullah University, Bhopal.

● Introduction

● Methodology

● Results and Discussions

● Acknowledgement

● References

● PDF

● HOME

Results and Discussions● - Present status● - Sustainability of wetlands● - Economic Valuation● - Comparison between the presence and absence of wetlands● - Restoration of wetlands● - Conservation and Management Strategy for these wetlands

TABLES● Table 1● Table 2● Table 3● Table 4● Table 5

Poll Res. 25 (1) : 61-66 (2006) Copyright © Enviromedia

Address for Correspondence :



Dr T. V. Ramachandra,Energy & Wetlands Research Group, CES R.NO. 215,

Centre for Ecological Sciences Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560 012, India,E-mail : [email protected]

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1

LAKE 2012: National Conference on Conservation and Management of Wetland Ecosystems

06th - 09th November 2012

School of Environmental Sciences Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala

In association with Energy and Wetlands Research Group, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore

& Advanced Centre of Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala

Wetland Resources and Livelihood 23

Ecosystem Goods and Services in Uttara Kannada

Ashwath D N, Subash Chandran M D and Ramachandra T V Energy & Wetlands Research Group, Centre for Ecological Sciences,

Indian Institute of Science Bangalore – 560 012, INDIA

Tel: 91-80- 22933099/22933503 (extn 107)

Fax: 91-80-23601428/23600085/23600683[CES-TVR]

E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]

http://ces.iisc.ernet.in/energy

Forests provide various services classified as supporting services, provisioning services, regulating

services and cultural services Most of these services are underestimated or not estimated and are thus

undervalued in policy decisions. This paper is based on the quantification of various provisioning

services from forests such as timber, fuel wood, fodder, green leaf manure, medicinal plants and

NTFP. The area under different types of forest is derived from remote sensing data. Quantification of

forest goods has been done based on the data compiled from the division offices of the Forest

Department and micro level studies (productivity, etc.). Market prices were used for valuing the

goods. The valuation of forest goods and services at micro level is expected to explore the possibilities

for more effective micro level planning. This helps in integrating the environmental services with the

economic goals of the region while ensuring the sustenance of natural resources and maintaining

intergeneration equity.

Keywords: Valuation, forests, Western Ghats, Provisioning services, Market price

Introduction: Ecosystem functions are those processes which

includes the exchange of energy between the

plants and animals which are needed for the

sustenance of life. These functions include

nutrient cycling, oxygen regulation, water supply

etc. The specific ecosystem functions which are

beneficial to humans are termed as ecosystem

services. Thus ecosystem goods and services are

the conditions and the process through which

natural ecosystems and the species that make

them up sustain and fulfill the human needs

(Daily, 1997). Forests are multifunctional

ecosystems provide both ecological and

economic security with provision of goods and

services. Forest ecosystems account for over

two-thirds of net primary production on land–the

LAKE 2012

2

conversion of solar energy into biomass through

photosynthesis making them a key component of

the global carbon cycle and climate (MEA,

2005). Forests worldwide are known to be

critically important habitats in terms of the

biological diversity they contain and in terms of

the ecological functions they serve. The forest

ecosystem provides a large number of valuable

products such as timber, firewood, non-timber

forest product, biodiversity, genetic resources,

medicinal plants etc. There are two types of

needs for timber-commercial and industrial. The

commercial timber production is the local

utilization of timber while the industrial timber

is used by the industries. The second most

important and dominant part of forest produce is

fuel wood. According to International Energy

Agency (1998) 11% of world energy

consumption comes from biomass, mainly fuel

wood (CBD, 2001). In addition to the timber and

firewood, forest provides the non timber forest

product (NTFP) like seegekai, honey, wax, etc.

For the purpose of valuation it is important to

take into account all resources including NTFP,

etc. Most of NTFPs consumed by local

populations, and some are marketed. These

include plants and plant materials used for food,

fuel, storage and fodder, medicine, cottage and

wrapping materials, biochemical, as well as

animals, birds, reptiles and fishes, for food and

feather. Unlike timber-based products, these

products come from variety of sources like:

fruits and vegetables to eat, leaves and twigs for

decoration, flowers for various purposes, herbal

medicines from different plant parts, wood

carvings and decorations, etc.

The survival, livelihood and human welfare

depends upon the flow of array of goods and

services obtained from ecosystem. Inventorying

and valuation of the flow of goods and services

is essential for appropriate ecosystem

management decisions. Ecosystem goods and

services represent the benefits human

populations derive, directly or indirectly, from

ecosystem functions (Costanza et al, 1997) or the

benefits people obtain from ecosystems as well

as non-utilitarian sources of value (MEA 2003).

Despite the essential functions of ecosystems

and the consequences of their degradation,

ecosystem services are undervalued by society,

because of the lack of awareness of the link

between natural ecosystems and the functioning

of human support systems evident from most of

the contemporary approaches based on utilitarian

approaches (CGER, 1994). The ecosystem goods

and services with the ecological perspective of

valuation can be grouped into four different

categories, which are:

i. Provisioning services – it includes

products i.e., food (including roots,

seeds, nuts, fruits, spices, fodder), fibre

(including wood, textiles) and medicinal

and cosmetic products.

ii. Regulating services – which are of

immense importance to the human

society such as (a) carbon sequestration,

(b) climate and water regulation, (c)

protection from natural hazards such as

floods, avalanches or rock-fall, (d) water

and air purification and (e) disease and

pest regulation.

iii. Supporting services – such as primary

and secondary production and

biodiversity; a resource that is

increasingly recognized to sustain many

of the goods and services that humans

enjoy from the ecosystem.

iv. Cultural services – which satisfy human

spiritual and aesthetic appreciation of

ecosystems and their components.

Figure 1 provides an integrated framework for

assessing the ecosystem goods and services (De

Groot et al, 2002). The total economic value

(TEV) is the sum of all the benefits that are

attributable to the specific resource or ecosystem

being valued. The total economic value is

composed of (i) use value (UV) and (ii) non-use

value (NUV). Use value to humans consists of

direct, indirect and option value. Direct-use

values can be consumptive or non-consumptive

and are commonly derived from goods and

services by the inhabitants of the ecosystem

whereas Indirect-use values are those that are

3

more functional, the benefits of which often

extend away from the ecosystem itself and are

not consumed. This communication is based on

the valuation of provisioning services of forest

ecosystem in Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka

state, India.

This involved

• Quantification of various provisioning

goods and services derived from forest;

• Total valuation of provisioning goods

and services derived from forest.

.

Figure 1: Integrated framework for assessing ecosystem goods and services

Methods Goods and services quantified from forests of

Uttara Kannada at taluk level include timber,

NTFP, bamboo, canes, food, medicinal plants,

honey from bee keeping, fodder, fuelwood for

domestic and commercial usage, litter,

mulching leaves, inland fishing, domestic

water use, industrial water use, water for

power generation, irrigation services,

ecological water, oxygen provision and wild

fruits. Data were compiled from Divisional

Office of Karnataka Forest Department,

literatures pertaining to ecological and socio-

economic studies in the district and also

through interview with the subject experts.

Spatial extent of different types of forests was

analysed using remote sensing data. Minimal

forest gate price of the goods are used for

valuation of goods and proxy prices are used

for goods which do not pass through market

transactions. Valuation: The quantified goods

and services are valued by market value

approach given by the equation 1.

� = ∑ ∑ ��,�� × ��,�

�� ……. 1

Q: quantity of goods, P: price of goods, i:

number of taluks, j: goods type

Example:

�� = ∑ ∑ ��,�� × ��,�

��

where, VTimber = value of timber in the

district; Q = quantity of timber; P = price

of timber; i = no. of taluks, j = timber types

(teak, rosewood, jungle wood, etc.).

4

Study Area

Uttara Kannada district is located in the north –

western part of Karnataka state, in India. It lies

between 13.9220o N to 15.5252o N latitude and

74.0852o E to 75.0999o E longitude. The district

cover an area of 10, 291 km2 which is sub-

divided into 11 taluks. The district has the

population of 13.53 lakh persons. The population

density of the district is 132 persons per km2,

which is the lowest in the state. Figure 2 depicts

the population density across taluks, the highest

population density in Bhatkal taluk (420 persons

per km2) and the least in Supa taluk (26 persons

per km2). The district’s diverse economy span

across subsistence farming, modern agricultural

practice, horticulture, forestry, fisheries,

handicrafts, industries, power generation,

mining, seaports, tourism and many other

services. The district ranks at seventh place in

the state of Karnataka in terms of Human

Development with HDI value of 0.65 and the

district is one among the five districts with

highest education index value (KHDR, 2005).

Figure 1: Geographical Location of Uttara Kannada District

Figure 3 depicts the land use in the district based

on the analysis of IRS P6 (Indian remote

sensing) multi spectral data of spatial resolution

5.8 m. Area under forests covers 71.72% of the

total geographic area of the district. The forest

cover ranges from 47% (Mundgod) to 85%

(Supa and Yellapur taluks). Figure 4 illustrates

that about 49% of the total forest land in the

district is of evergreen type followed by 22% of

semi-evergreen to moist deciduous forests. Dry

deciduous forests are very less and are found in

the eastern part of Haliyal and Mundgod taluk.

There has been a significant amount of forest

loss owing to various developmental activities

across district and conversion of natural forests

into plantations. Forest resources across taluks

generate significant use and non – use values at

local and regional levels. Income obtained from

forest substantially supports the majority of the

rural communities who are either agriculture or

landless poor. A large portion of the income of

the tribal and pastoral communities in the district

is derived from gathering economy which they

use for subsistence as well for marketing.

5

Figure 2: Talukwise Population Density in

Uttara Kannada

Figure 3: Land –use Map of Uttara Kannada

District

Figure 4: Vegetation Distribution in Uttara

Kannada

Results and Discussion

Based on the consideration and inclusion of

various components in ecological perspectives

we present four scenarios of total value of

provisioning goods and services as follows:

Scenario-I: provisional services include

timber, NTFP, litter and mulching

leaves, fodder, medicinal plants,

fuelwood, food, inland fishing and

hydrological services;

Scenario-II: components in Scenario-I

and ecological water;

Scenario-III: components in Scenario-II

and oxygen services;

Scenario-IV: components in Scenario-IV

and wild fruits.

Table 1: Total Value of Provisioning Goods

and Services in different scenario

Scenario

Total Value (in

Rs. crore)

Scenario – I 8650.66

Scenario – II 9282.08

Scenario – III 12543.62

Scenario – IV 15159.43

Evergreen forest 49%

Semi evergeen to moistdeciduous forest

- 22%

Dry deciduous forest -

0.2%

Teak / Bamboo

plantations 4%

Scrub forest/Grass lands - 5%

Accacia Plantations

- 20%

6

Figure 5: Share of Total Value of Provisioning Goods and Services from Forest

Figure 6: Talukwise Share of Total Provisioning Goods and Services from Forest

Timber 17%

NTFP 39%

Litter and Mulching

leaves 8%

Fodder 1%

Medicinal Plants 0.3%

Fuelwood 4%

Food 1%

Inland fishing 0.3%

Hydrological services

20%

Others 10%

Scenario - I

Timber

16%

NTFP

36% Litter and

Mulching

leaves 7%

Fodder

1% Medicinal

Plants 0.3%

Fuelwood

4%

Food 1%

Inland

fishing 0.2%

Hydrological

services 19%

Ecological

water 6% Others

10%

Scenario - II

Timber 12%

NTFP 27%

Litter and Mulching

leaves 5% Fodder

1%

Medicinal Plants 0.2%

Fuelwood 3%

Food 0.5%

Inland fishing 0.2%


14%

Ecological water 5%

Oxygen 23%

Others 10%

Scenario - III

Timber 10% NTFP

22% Litter and Mulching

leaves 5%

Fodder 1%

Medicinal Plants 0.2% Fuelwood

2%

Food 0.4%

Inland fishing 0.1%


11%

Ecological water 4%

Oxygen 19%

Wild fruits 16%

Others 10%

Scenario - IV

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Ankola Bhatkal Haliyal Honavar Karwar Kumta Mundgod Siddapur Sirsi Supa Yellapur

Timber NTFP Litter and Mulching leaves FodderMedicinal Plants Fuelwood Food Inland fishingHydrological services Ecological water Wild fruits OxygenOthers

7

Figure 7: Talukwise Total Value of Provisional Goods and Services

The estimated total value of provisioning goods

and services are presented in Table 1. Further,

Figure 5 portrays the share of different

components of total provisioning goods and

services in four scenarios. In all four scenarios,

NTFP is the major contributor to the total value.

The share of the value of food, inland fishing,

medicinal plants, fuel wood, fodder, litter and

mulching leaves varies from 14% in Scenario-I

to 8% in Scenario-IV. These goods have an

important bearing on the livelihood of people

and especially the livelihood of local people. The

value of ecological water, oxygen provision and

wild fruits comprises to about forty per cent

share in the total value in Scenario – IV. These

components are often neglected in valuation of

forest and policy making but they play an

important role in ecosystem sustenance,

biodiversity and thus in human wellbeing in the

long run. Talukwise share of provisioning goods

and services is given in Figure 6 considering

Scenario-IV. The share of value of food, inland

fishing, medicinal plants, fuelwood, fodder, litter

and mulching leaves in all taluks is around 10

percent of the total share. Figure 6 illustrates that

the share of timber is higher in Haliyal and

Mundgod taluks which are under deciduous

forests. Considerable share of NTFP is evident in

all taluks except Haliyal and Mundgod taluks..

The value of hydrological services varies across

taluks depending upon the extent of water

utilization for domestic purpose, irrigation,

industrial use and power generation. The other

major contributors to the total value of

provisioning goods and services are the value of

ecological water, oxygen and wild fruits across

taluks. Figure 7 presents the talukwise breakup

in the total provisioning goods and services of

the district. This illustrates that Supa taluk

contributes the highest amount of provisioning

goods and services with Rs. 3,218 crores per

year (21% of the district), while Mundgod taluk

contributes the least of Rs. 540 crores per year

(3.5% of the district).

Valuation of provisioning goods and services

from forest ecosystems is about Rs.

2,05,388/hectare/year, which is implicit in the

subsistence, income and local employment.

Forestry sector contributes significantly to the

district, state and national economy and also to

the linked sectors industries, agriculture,

fisheries, tourism, health, rural development,

energy, etc. Sector-wise district’s Gross District

Domestic Product (GDDP) given in Table 2.

GDDP of Uttara Kannada is about Rs 5998

crores and forests’ goods is about 180 crores

(3% of GDDP), in contrast to the valuation of

ecological provisioning services from forest

ecosystems of Uttara Kannada district is about

Rs.15,159 crores.

0.00

500.00

1000.00

1500.00

2000.00

2500.00

3000.00

3500.00

8

Table 2: GDDP of Uttara Kannada with

Sectors

Sector Share in Rs. crore

Share %

Primary Sector (Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, Mining) 1060 18 Forestry and Logging Sector 180 3 GDDP of Utttara Kannada 5978 100 Source: Directorate of Economics and Statistics,

Government of Karnataka.

The forest products included in the national

income account framework includes: (a)

Industrial wood (timber, match and pulpwood)

and fuelwood and (b) minor forest products

(Haripriya, 2001). It includes only the recorded

values by forest department and thus all other

benefits from forests are unaccounted in the

national income. This necessitates relook at the

current approach of computations of Gross

domestic district product (GDDP), State

Domestic Product (SDP) and Gross Domestic

Product (GDP). Gross underestimation and non-

accounting of natural resources and forest

resources in particular is responsible for

unsustainable utilization of natural resources.

Under valuation of ecosystem goods and

services is evident from GDDP of Rs. 5978 crore

in 2009-10 (at current prices), which accounts as

the sectoral share of forests of Rs. 180 crores

contrary to Rs. 15159 crores.

Conclusion Land use analyses show that 49% of the total

forest land in the district is of evergreen type

followed by 22% of semi-evergreen to moist

deciduous forests. Valuation of provisioning

goods and services from forest ecosystems is

about Rs. 2,05,388/hectare/year, which is

implicit in the subsistence, income and local

employment. Forestry sector contributes

significantly to the district, state and national

economy and also to the linked sectors

industries, agriculture, fisheries, tourism, health,

rural development, energy, etc. Talukwise

valuation of goods and services from forest

ecosystem show that Supa taluk contributes the

highest amount of provisioning goods and

services with Rs. 3,218 crores per year (21% of

the district), while Mundgod taluk contributes

the least of Rs. 540 crores per year (3.5% of the

district). Goods and services that forest

ecosystems provide are grossly undervalued

evident from GDDP of Uttara Kannada is about

Rs 5998 crores, which accounts goods of forests

as 180 crores (3% of GDDP), in contrast to

Rs.15,159 crores from the provisioning services

from forest ecosystems of Uttara Kannada

district. The valuation of goods and services of

ecosystems are vital for framing sustainable

development policies to curtail further erosion of

natural resources.

Acknowledgement

We are grateful to the Ministry of Environment

and Forests, Government of India, Karnataka

Biodiversity Board, Western Ghats Task Force,

Government of Karnataka and Indian Institute of

Science for financial and infrastructure support.

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