Search

A general framework of the Rice Provisioning Ecosystem service supply chain from service providing areas to service benefiting areas; Grey arrows present the movements of material, energy or information related to rice provision across space; Dark arrows present the one or two ways relations between the components. Part 3 of Ecosystem Service (ES) supply can be stored and supplied for parts 1 and 2 avoiding famine threats, or the exports to the global market. • Spatial relations between potential, flow and demand of rice provision was assessed. • Productivity was used as indicator for potential/flow of rice provisioning ES. • Rice consumption and population dynamics represent demand for this service. • The application of BBN and S-HyFIS models for ES assessments was compared. Although Vietnam has become the third biggest rice exporter in the world, famine is yet challenging managers in many provinces, especially in the Northern mountainous areas of Vietnam. In contrast with financial profits, formal rice supply chains have recently not provided enough food for all people in these provinces. The ecosystem service approach has the potential to give better chances to communicate with decision makers, especially with agricultural managers by raising awareness and improving understanding related to potential, flow and demand of/for rice provision. In this study, probability approaches through a Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) and statistical approaches through a Hybrid Neural-Fuzzy Inference System (S-HyFIS) were used to quantify and map the potentials of the rice provisioning ecosystem service (RPES) in the Sapa district in the Lao Cai province in northern Vietnam. In addition, various statistical data related to actual rice production, population numbers and rice consumption were collected from 1990 to 2010 to quantify the RPES flows and demands. A conceptual model depicting the relations between RPES potential, flow and demand is proposed, in which the efficiency of site selection for rice cultivation and implemented farming practices play important roles in determining RPES supply. The results indicate an ineffective use of farming practices in the 1990s and show improvements in the new millennium in the case study area. A small surplus of RPES supply was found in the whole Sapa district since the year 2003, which has been used for tourism and export purposes. At the same time, the RPES demand was unmet in six communities. To generate a better rice supply chain and to better match supplies with actual demand, parts of the surplus of RPES could be transported from service providing areas to neighboring poor communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropogenic and natural ecosystems in coastal dunes provide considerable benefits to human well-being. However, to date, we still lack a good understanding of how ecosystem services (ES) supply varies from young dunes (e.g., embryo and fore dunes) to mature dunes (e.g., brown and red dunes). This study proposed a novel modelling methodology by integrating an expert-based matrix, a Bayesian Belief Network (BBN), a structural equation model, and a scenario development method. It aims at evaluating dune ecosystem services for the sustainable development of coastal areas. The model was tested using data collected from dunes in Vietnam. An expert-based matrix to assess the supply capacity of 18 ES in different types of dunes was generated with the participation of 21 interdisciplinary scientists. It was found that red dune ecosystems could supply the most regulation and cultural ecosystem services, while gray dunes provided the least amount. Results from a scenario analysis recommended that decision-making is able to optimize multiple ES by: (i) keeping embryo/fore dunes in their natural state instead of using them for mineral mining and urbanization; (ii) enlarging certified and protected forests areas in gray and yellow dunes; and (iii) optimizing cultural ES supply in red dunes. [Display omitted] • A Bayesian Belief Network linking dune landscapes and land uses was developed. • Sand dune ecosystem services' interaction were analyzed. • Distribution of land uses were quantified based on a probabilistic approach. • Natural solutions should be encouraged in sand dune landscapes. • Six scenarios of land use changes in sand dune ecosystem were illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]