Ashagre, Biniam, Platts, Philip John orcid.org/0000-0002-0153-0121, Njana, Marco et al. (4 more authors) (2018) Integrated modelling for economic valuation of the role of forests and woodlands in drinking water provision to two African cities. Ecosystem Services. pp. 50-61. ISSN 2212-0416
Abstract
Rapidly growing economies often have high population growth, resulting in agricultural expansion in rural areas and increased water demand in urban areas. Conversion of forests and woodlands to agriculture may threaten safe and reliable water supply in cities. This study assesses the regulating functions and economic values of forests and woodlands in meeting the water needs of two major cities in Tanzania and proposes an integrated modelling approach with a scenario-based analysis to estimate costs of water supply avoided by forest conservation. We use the process-based hydrological Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to simulate the role of woody habitats in the regulation of hydrological flow and sediment control. We find that the forests and woodlands play a significant role in regulating sediment load in rivers and reducing peak flows, with implications for the water supply from the Ruvu River to Dar es Salaam and Morogoro. A cost-based value assessment under water treatment works conditions up to 2016 suggests that water supply failure due to deforestation would cost Dar es Salaam USD 4.6-17.6 million per year and Morogoro USD 308 thousand per year. Stronger enforcement of forest and woodland protection in Tanzania must balance water policy objectives and food security.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2018 Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Environment and Geography (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 23 May 2018 09:50 |
Last Modified: | 27 Nov 2024 00:32 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2018.05.004 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.ecoser.2018.05.004 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:131212 |
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Filename: Water_valuation_Dar_paper_2018_05_02_accepted_version.pdf
Description: Ashagre et al Ecosystem Services Accepted
Licence: CC-BY-NC-ND 2.5