Contribution of High-Andean ecosystems in providing the water regulation ecosystem service
Journal: Region - Water Conservancy DOI: 10.32629/rwc.v8i1.3425
Abstract
The ecosystem service of water regulation is one of the most important services provided by high Andean ecosystems. However, knowledge about its contribution in terms of water is still scarce and its estimation is difficult, due to the complex eco-hydrological and climatic processes and environmental characteristics of the Andes. Therefore, we estimated the influence of three types of ecosystems (humid puna grassland, tropical high-Andean wetland -- bofedal and Polylepis forest) on water flows, particularly the flows that are directed towards underground storage, which are equivalent to the ecosystem service of water regulation. This study was carried out during the hydrological year 2018 - 2019 in the hydrographic unit of Rontoccocha, between 3,900 and 4,635 masl, in the Department of Apurimac, Peru. For this purpose, the water balance for each type of ecosystem was modeled with the eco-hydrological tool Hydrobal. Variables of: a) vegetation, b) climatic parameters and c) soil characteristics were used. The results reveal the contribution of vegetation cover in water regulation. In each ecosystem, about 15% of all rainfall in the basin reaches underground storage. These data, extrapolated to the entire hydrographic unit, show that the humid puna grassland regulates 80%, the bofedal 17% and the Polylepis forest 3%. Although the evaluation was carried out separately for each ecosystem, for management purposes, it is necessary to address them in an integrated manner, given that there are interdependent relationships between them.
Keywords
Andes; humid puna grassland; tropical high-Andean wetland; Polylepis forest; water balance
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[3] Bonnesoeur V., Locatelli B., Ochoa-Tocachi B., Vanacker V., Mao Z., Stokes A. & Mathez-Stiefel S. 2019. Impacts of forests and forestation on hydrological services in the Andes: a systematic review. Forest Ecology and Management, 433: 569-584. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2018.11.033.
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https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-1694(00)00300-0.
[12] Körner C., Neumayer M., Pelaez S. & Smeets-Scheel A. 1989. Functional Morphology of Mountain Plants. Flora, 182(5-6): 353-383. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0367-2530(17)30426-7.
[13] Körner C. 2003. Alpine Plant Life. Functional Plant Ecology of High Mountain Ecosystems. 2 ed. Springer. Basilea, Suiza. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-18970-8.
[14] León F. 2016. Inversión en infraestructura natural: haciendo sostenibles las inversiones en infraestructura física. Cooperación Alemana al Desarrollo – Agencia de la GIZ en el Perú. Lima.
[15] Llambí L., Soto A., Célleri R., De Bievre B., Ochoa B. & Borja P. 2012. Páramos Andinos: Ecología, hidrología y suelos de páramos. Proyecto Páramo Andino: CONDESAN, Instituto Humboldt (Colombia), EcoCiencia, Instituto de Montaña, ICAE (Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Ecológicas), GEF, UNEP, etc.).
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https://busquedas.elperuano.pe/download/url/aprueban-los-lineamientos-para-la-formulacion-de-proyectos-resolucion-ministerial-n-178-2019-minam-1777515-1.
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[23] USGS. 2016. Natural Processes of ground-water and surface-water interaction. In: Winter T.C., Harvey J.W., Franke O.L. & Alley W.M. Ground Water and Surface Water a Single Resource (https://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/circ1139/). USGS (United States Geological Survey), Circular 1139. Consultado en enero de 2020 de: https://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/circ1139/htdocs/natural_processes_of_ground.htm.
[24] USDA. 2016. Natural Resources Conservation Service. Soil Water Characteristics. USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). Consultado en abril de 2020 de: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/.
[25] Valencia-Leguizamón J. & Tobón C. 2017. Influencia de la vegetación en el funcionamiento hidrológico de cuencas de humedales de alta montaña tropical. Ecosistemas, 26(2): 10-17. DOI: 10.7818/ECOS.2017.26-2.02.
[26] Vallet A., Locatelli B., Levrel H., Dendoncker N., Barnaud C. & Quispe Y. 2019. Linking equity, power and stakeholders' roles in relation to ecosystem services. Ecology and Society, 24(2): Art. 14. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-10904-240214.
[27] Vallet A. Locatelli B. & Pramova E. 2020. Servicios ecosistémicos y equidad social: ¿quién controla, quién se beneficia y quién pierde? Infobrief, (311): 1-8. Traducción del No. 307 de November 2020. https://doi.org/10.17528/cifor/007850.
[28] Viviroli D., Durr H., Messerli B., Meybeck M. & Weingartner R. 2007. Mountains of the world, water towers for humanity: Typology, mapping, and global significance. Water Resource Research, 43(7): 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1029/2006WR005653
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