Water Ecosystem Services: A Global Perspective

Description

This comprehensive volume describes how ecosystem services-based approaches can assist in addressing major global and regional water challenges, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and water security in the developing world, by integrating scientific knowledge from different disciplines, such as hydrological modelling, environmental economics, psychology and international law. Empirical assessments at the national, catchment and regional levels are used to critically appraise this systemic approach, and the merits and potential limitations are presented. The practicalities of this approach with regard to water resources management, nature conservation, and sustainable business practices are discussed, and the role of society in underpinning the concept of ecosystem services is explored. Presenting new insights and perspectives on how to shape future strategies, this contributory volume is a valuable reference for researchers, academics, students and policy makers, in environmental studies, hydrology, water resource management, ecology, environmental law, policy and economics, and conservation biology.

Julia Martin-Ortega is Senior Environmental Economist at The James Hutton Institute, Scotland. She has an interdisciplinary background in environmental sciences and economics, with an emphasis on environmental valuation and an increased interest in participatory approaches. Her research, focusing on the understanding of the relationships between people and water ecosystem services, has informed policy-making in relation to issues such as the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive and the development of the Water Resources (Scotland) Act. Robert C. Ferrier is the Director of Research Impact at the James Hutton Institute, Scotland. His extensive research interests centre on the role of policy and land use change on water resources and the development of systems-based approaches for sustainable management. He has thirty years' experience in water resources management, particularly the hydrological, hydrochemical and ecological consequences of environmental change, in both freshwater and coastal systems. He is also Director of the Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW) and is involved in delivering the Scottish Government's Hydro Nation agenda, both domestically and internationally. Iain J. Gordon is the Chief Executive and Director of the James Hutton Institute, Scotland. He has played an active role in promoting the value of biodiversity and its importance in the provision of ecosystem services and human wellbeing, and has managed projects in Africa, Asia, South America and Australia, including major research portfolios on land management to improve the water quality of the catchments flowing into the lagoon of the Great Barrier Reef. Shahbaz Khan is Deputy Director of Asia and the Pacific Regional Science Bureau of UNESCO where he advises UN member states on environmental policies, review of curricula, and securing multilateral support for research and education projects especially in the Asia-Pacific and African regions. He has been involved in a range of innovative water management programs through his work with the Australian government. Professor Khan was previously Chief of Water and Sustainable Development at UNESCO, Paris, and prior to this, was Professor of Hydrology and Director of the International Centre of Water at the Charles Sturt University, Australia.