Abstract:
A functioning ecological system results in ecosystem goods and services which
are of direct value to human beings. Ecosystem services are the conditions and
processes which sustain and fulfil human life, and maintain biodiversity and
the production of ecosystem goods. However, human actions affect ecological
systems and the services they provide through various activities, such as land
use, water use, pollution and climate change.
Climate change is perhaps one of the most important sustainable
development challenges that threatens to undo many of the development
efforts being made to reach the targets set for the Millennium Development
Goals. Understanding the provision of ecosystem services and how they change
under different scenarios of climate and biophysical conditions could assist
in bringing the issue of ecosystem services into decision making process.
Similarly, the impacts of land use change on ecosystems and biodiversity
have received considerable attention from ecologists and hydrologists alike.
Land use change in a catchment can impact on water supply by altering
hydrological processes, such as infiltration, groundwater recharge, base flow
and direct runoff. In the past a variety of models were used for predicting landuse
changes. Recently, the focus has shifted away from using mathematically
oriented models to agent-based modeling (ABM) approach to simulate land use
scenarios. The agent-based perspective, with regard to land-use cover change,
is centered on the general nature and rules of land-use decision making by
individuals. A conceptual framework is developed to investigate the possibility
of incorporating the human dimension of land use decision and climate change
model into a hydrological model in order to assess the impact of future land
use scenario and climate change on the ecological system in general and water
resources in particular.
Climate change and socio-hydrological dynamics: Adaptation and feedbacks (PDF Download Available). Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260024549_Climate_change_and_socio-hydrological_dynamics_Adaptation_and_feedbacks [accessed Jan 14, 2016].
