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Ecosystem Services from Natural Resources Managed by the Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Social Ecology and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2021) | Viewed by 34099

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Kamaljit Kaur Sangha

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Guest Editor

Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT 0810, Australia
Interests: ecosystem services; indigenous well-being; developing payments for ecosystem services
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Globally, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs)—2.5 billion people in total (of whom 370 million are Indigenous)—are known for sustainable use and management of natural resources. Recognising IPLCs’ low impact and sustainable living, the United Nations has suggested the need to support and maintain Indigenous ways of life, stating, “Indigenous peoples are inheritors and practitioners of unique cultures and ways of relating to people and the environment...”. IPLCs use and care for nature’s resources to continue obtaining their livelihoods and many socio-cultural values that support rich diversity on Earth. However, to date, there is little awareness and acknowledgement of IPLCs’ efforts to preserve nature and/ or of their abilities to astutely use nature’s resources that contribute to delivering many environmental benefits for the wider regional and global public.

This Special Issue seeks to highlight the contributions that IPLCs make to the wider global community for better recognition and support for their efforts. We invite articles addressing the following:

IPLCs land/water/sea management and related ecosystem services (ES);
Case studies on Payments for ES (PES) of IPLCs’ managed natural resources;
Stewardship mechanisms (reviews/comments);
ES from agricultural lands managed by the small-scale farmers;

Applying traditional practices

Dr. Kamaljit Kaur Sangha
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

ecosystem services
natural resource management
stewardship mechanisms
agricultural land management
local communities
Indigenous peoples
Payments for ecosystem services

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 325 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Indigenous-Led Nature-Based Solutions for the Climate Crisis: Insights from Canada

by Brennan Vogel, Lilia Yumagulova, Gordon McBean and Kerry Ann Charles Norris

Sustainability 2022, 14(11), 6725; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116725 - 31 May 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 9481

Abstract

This article provides an international and national overview of climate change and biodiversity frameworks and is focused on emerging evidence of Indigenous leadership and collaborations in Canada. After introducing the international context and describing the national policy landscape, we provide preliminary evidence documenting emerging national, regional, and local examples of Indigenous-led collaborative conservation projects and nature-based climate change solutions for the climate crisis. Based on our preliminary data, we suggest that Indigenous peoples and communities are well-positioned and currently have and will continue to play important roles in the protection, conservation management, and restoration of lands and waters in Canada and globally. These efforts are critical to the global mitigation, sequestration, and storage of greenhouse gases (GHGs) precipitating the climate crisis while also building adaptive resiliency to reduce impacts. Emerging Canadian evidence suggests that there are a diversity of co-benefits that Indigenous-led nature-based solutions to climate change and biodiversity protection bring, enabled by creating ethical space for reconciliation and conservation collaborations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Services from Natural Resources Managed by the Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities)

13 pages, 2191 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Perception and Prioritization of Ecosystem Services from Bamboo Forest in Lao PDR: Case Study of Sangthong District

by Bohwi Lee

Sustainability 2021, 13(23), 13060; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132313060 - 25 Nov 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2398

Abstract

Bamboo is a widely used natural resource, yet it cannot be managed sustainably without considering its social and environmental potentials. This study compared and evaluated the difference in demands and values of two stakeholder groups (local community and forestry experts) toward various ecosystem services for local bamboo forests and suggested interventions for decision-makers in Laos. This study selected six provisioning, five regulating, two cultural, and two habitat services and evaluated each group for its public perception of and priorities for bamboo forests using a 4-point Likert scale and 100 preference points. Both groups showed higher perceptions and priorities for provisioning and cultural services, which are helpful for sustaining livelihoods. The perceptions and priorities of the community group concerning regulating services (e.g., natural hazard regulation, water purification, and fresh air regulation) to improve crop production were higher than those of the expert group, but regarding the carbon sequestration, the expert group scored higher. Carbon sequestration, a public good provided on a large scale, could be perceived when there is a high level of understanding and interest in bamboo forests through environmental education. In habitat services, there was no significant difference between the groups. Experts should actively consider these differences in demands and public perception when making decisions about bamboo management to promote services that villagers have difficulty perceiving and draw intervention points accordingly in national policies for bamboo resources. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Services from Natural Resources Managed by the Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities)

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19 pages, 2192 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring Plural Values of Ecosystem Services: Local Peoples’ Perceptions and Implications for Protected Area Management in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil

by Marcondes G. Coelho-Junior, Athila L. de Oliveira, Eduardo C. da Silva-Neto, Thayanne C. Castor-Neto, Ana A. de O. Tavares, Vanessa M. Basso, Ana P. D. Turetta, Patricia E. Perkins and Acacio G. de Carvalho

Sustainability 2021, 13(3), 1019; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031019 - 20 Jan 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4290

Abstract

The remnants of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil are significant for biodiversity and provide benefits for people (climate regulation, water supply, health and welfare, among others). However, nature’s importance for different people may vary, for social, environmental, and economic reasons. In this paper, we explore such differences among people living in communities surrounding the Cunhambebe State Park (PEC), a large area of Atlantic Forest. We assess their perceptions regarding the plural values of ecosystem services derived from the PEC and explore ways in which this could affect the management of this protected area. Our assumption is that analyzing the perceptions of people who live in the communities surrounding can be a key tool for the formulation of proposals to improve management models and address socio-environmental conflicts. Based on interviews, participant observation, and document analysis, our results show a direct link between culture and environment since relational values and cultural ecosystem services are closely related to local people’s valuation of the PEC. Therefore, we support management strategies which are based on local values for land and forest use in a sustainable way. Our findings may contribute to decision making by PEC managers, governments, local stakeholders, and researchers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Services from Natural Resources Managed by the Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities)

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15 pages, 5742 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial-Temporal Changes and Driving Factors of Land-Use Eco-Efficiency Incorporating Ecosystem Services in China

by Yahong Liu, Hailian Sun, Lei Shi, Huimin Wang, Zhai Xiu, Xiao Qiu, Hong Chang, Yu Xie, Yang Wang and Chengjie Wang

Sustainability 2021, 13(2), 728; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020728 - 13 Jan 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2114

Abstract

With rapid urbanization in China, the dramatic land-use changes are one of the most prominent features that have substantially affected the land ecosystems, thus seriously threatening sustainable development. However, current studies have focused more on evaluating the economic efficiency of land-use, while the loss and degradation of ecosystem services are barely considered. To address these issues, this study first proposed a land use-based input–output index system, incorporating the impact on ecosystem services value (ESV), and then by taking 30 provinces in China as a case study. We further employed the super-efficiency slacks-based model (Super-SBM) and the Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence and Technology (STIRPAT) model to explore the spatial–temporal changes and driving factors of the evaluated land-use eco-efficiency. We found that the evaluated ESV was 28.09 trillion yuan (at the price of 2000) in 2015, and that the total ESV experienced an inverted U-shaped trend during 2000–2015.The average land-use eco-efficiency exhibited a downward trend from 0.87 in 2000 to 0.68 in 2015 with distinct regional differences by taking into account the ESV. Our results revealed that northeastern region had the highest efficiency, followed by the eastern, western, and central region of China. Finally, we identified a U-shaped relationship between the eco-efficiency and land urbanization, and found that technological innovation made great contributions to the improvement of the eco-efficiency. These findings highlight the importance of the ESV in the evaluation of land-use eco-efficiency. Future land development and management should pay additional attention to the land ecosystems, especially the continuous supply of human well-being related ecosystem services. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Services from Natural Resources Managed by the Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities)

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9 pages, 1158 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Global Importance of Indigenous and Local Communities’ Managed Lands: Building a Case for Stewardship Schemes

by Kamaljit K. Sangha

Sustainability 2020, 12(19), 7839; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12197839 - 23 Sep 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4721

Abstract

The role of Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) in sustainably using and managing natural resources is becoming broadly recognised within some international platforms (e.g., the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services). However, the support for IPLCs to continue managing their land is either completely absent or scanty. This paper presents the value of only four ecosystem services, estimated at USD 1.16 trillion per year, that are delivered from IPLCs managed lands alone (excluding coastal, marine, and other resources). These four ecosystem services (ES), i.e., carbon sequestration, biocontrol, air, and water regulation offer offsite benefits to the wider regional and global populations yet without returns to the IPLCs themselves except for facing more climate and natural disaster-related challenges mainly caused by the actions of mainstream society. It further outlines key challenges and advocates for establishing stewardship mechanisms to promote and support IPLCs land management practices that will effectively help in protecting and preserving biodiversity, water, and other natural resources on Earth to sustain and enhance human well-being. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Services from Natural Resources Managed by the Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities)

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Review

Jump to: Research

31 pages, 16173 KiB

Open AccessReview

Agroecological Strategies to Safeguard Insect Pollinators in Biodiversity Hotspots: Chile as a Case Study

by Patricia A. Henríquez-Piskulich, Constanza Schapheer, Nicolas J. Vereecken and Cristian Villagra

Sustainability 2021, 13(12), 6728; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13126728 - 14 Jun 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 9539

Abstract

Industrial agriculture (IA) has been recognized among the main drivers of biodiversity loss, climate change, and native pollinator decline. Here we summarize the known negative effects of IA on pollinator biodiversity and illustrate these problems by considering the case of Chile, a “world biodiversity hotspot” (WBH) where food exports account for a considerable share of the economy in this country. Most of Chile’s WBH area is currently being replaced by IA at a fast pace, threatening local biodiversity. We present an agroecological strategy for sustainable food production and pollinator conservation in food-producing WBHs. In this we recognize native pollinators as internal inputs that cannot be replaced by IA technological packages and support the development of agroecological and biodiversity restorative practices to protect biodiversity. We suggest four fundamental pillars for food production change based on: (1) sharing the land, restoring and protecting; (2) ecological intensification; (3) localized knowledge, research, and technological development; and (4) territorial planning and implementation of socio-agroecological policies. This approach does not need modification of native pollination services that sustain the world with food and basic subsistence goods, but a paradigm change where the interdependency of nature and human wellbeing must be recognized for ensuring the world’s food security and sovereignty. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Services from Natural Resources Managed by the Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities)

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