Evaluating water yield ecosystem services through land use and land cover impacts in the ecosystems of Sistan region

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

• Mohammad Amin Izadipoor ¹
• Reza Dahmardeh Behrooz ^{2 ¶}
• Fatemeh Einollahipeer ³
• Fatemeh Rajaei ⁴

¹ MSc in Environmental Sciences, Department of Environment, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.

² Associate Professor, Department of Environment, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.

³ Assistant Professor, Department of Environment, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.

⁴ Assistant Professor, Department of Environment, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran.

10.22067/geoeh.2024.88366.1491

Abstract

Extended Abstract
Introduction
Water yield represents a crucial productive ecosystem service susceptible to alteration due to variations in land use and land cover characteristics. In recent decades, ecosystem services have become an important and major issue in ecological studies and land management. They include goods and benefits that humans obtain directly or indirectly from nature. Ecosystem services are categorized into four groups: production, regulation, support, and cultural. Currently, the reduction and destruction of these services are recognized as critical environmental issues globally. In this regard, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment has reported that about 60% of the identified ecosystem services are being destroyed, and if this process continues without proper management and planning, the impact will increase significantly over the next 50 years.
Material and Methods
This research was conducted to evaluate water yield in the Sistan region, southeastern Iran, and assess its spatial correlation with land use and land cover characteristics, with a particular focus on landscape metrics including patch density (PD), number of patches (NP), largest patch index (LPI), landscape shape index (LSI), and edge density (ED). The InVEST model was employed to evaluate water yield, and geographically weighted regression (GWR) in ArcGIS 10.5 was utilized to investigate the spatial correlation between water yield and landscape metrics. In this study, various data layers were used, including land use, average annual rainfall, reference evaporation and transpiration, depth of soil limiting layer, plant-accessible water content, plant evaporation and transpiration coefficient, and sub-basin map of the region. The area was zoned using the Tessellation Grid command in ArcGIS 10.5 software, and water production in each zone was extracted using the Extract command. The obtained values were then used as inputs for hot spot analysis.
Results and Discussion.
The results showed that in 75% of the Sistan region’s land, the amount of water production is less than 60 mm per hectare. The total annual water yield in Sistan was estimated to be approximately 71 mm³ (43 m³ ha⁻¹ on average). By comparing it to other regions of Iran, it was found that the amount of water production in this region is very low. The ecological and climatic conditions governing the region have caused the hot spots of water production to be located in the western areas and the cold spots in the eastern parts. The highest amount of water was yielded in the western areas, while the lowest was produced in the eastern parts. The highest and lowest water yield values were observed in barren and constructed lands, respectively, with values of 65 m³ ha⁻¹ and 4 m³ ha⁻¹. In addition, the results of the research found a significant spatial correlation between water production and different landscape features, including the number, density, size, and shape of spots, indicating that land use characteristics significantly affect water production in the study area. This study provides useful information regarding water production and its relationship with different land use characteristics, which can inform the development of strategies to preserve water resources.
Conclusion
The results of GWR analysis indicated a significant spatial correlation between water yield and the following landscape metrics: NP, PD, LPI, LSI, and ED (0.95 < R² < 0.98, p-value < 0.01), suggesting that land use characteristics influence the provision of water. This study provides valuable insights into the quantity of water yield and its correlation with various land use characteristics within the study area. These findings can inform the development of effective strategies to safeguard the region's water resources.

Keywords

• Ecosystem Services
• Water Yield
• Landscape Metrics
• InVEST Model
• Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR)

Main Subjects

• Ecology and environment

---

References

Ahmadi-Mirghaed, F., & Souri, B. (2023). The Impact of Land Use Change on Water Yield in the Teraz Watershed, Khuzestan Province, Southwestern Iran. Journal of Geography and Environmental Hazards, 12(2), 29-46. [In Persian]  https://doi.org/10.22067/GEOEH.2022.77944.1261

Amiri, S. N., Khoshravesh, M., & Valashedi, R. N. (2023). Assessing the effect of climate and land use changes on the hydrologic regimes in the upstream of Tajan river basin using SWAT model. Applied Water Science, 13(6), 130.‏ https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-023-01932-3

Belete, M., Deng, J., Wang, K., Zhou, M., Zhu, E., Shifaw, E., & Bayissa, Y. (2020). Evaluation of satellite rainfall products for modeling water yield over the source region of Blue Nile Basin. Science of the total environment, 708, 134834. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134834

Biswas, J., Jobaer, M. A., Haque, S. F., Shozib, M. S. I., & Limon, Z. A. (2023). Mapping and monitoring land use land cover dynamics employing Google Earth Engine and machine learning algorithms on Chattogram, Bangladesh. Heliyon, 9(11).‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21245

Costanza, R., d'Arge, R., De Groot, R., Farber, S., Grasso, M., Hannon, B., ... & Van Den Belt, M. (1997). The value of the world's ecosystem services and natural capital. Nature, 387(6630), 253-260. https://doi.org/10.1038/387253a0  

Daneshi, A., Brouwer, R., Najafinejad, A., Panahi, M., Zarandian, A., & Maghsood, F. F. (2021). Modelling the impacts of climate and land use change on water security in a semi-arid forested watershed using InVEST. Journal of Hydrology, 593, 125621. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.125621

De Groot, R. S., Wilson, M. A., & Boumans, R. M. (2002). A typology for the classification, description and valuation of ecosystem functions, goods and services. Ecological Economics, 41(3), 393-408. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0921-8009(02)00089-7 ‏

Guo, Q., Yu, C., Xu, Z., Yang, Y., & Wang, X. (2023). Impacts of climate and land-use changes on water yields: Similarities and differences among typical watersheds distributed throughout China. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 45, 101294.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2022.101294

 Izadi poor, M. A., Dahmardeh Behrooz, R., Eynollahi Pir, F., & Rajaei, F. (2024). Spatial Analysis of Soil Erosion and Habitat Quality Based on Land Use Patterns in Sistan Region. Journal of Geography and Environmental Hazards. [In Persian] https://doi.org/10.22067/geoeh.2024.87025.1468

Lang, Y., Song, W., & Zhang, Y. (2017). Responses of the water-yield ecosystem service to climate and land use change in Sancha River Basin, China. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts A/B/C, 101, 102-111.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pce.2017.06.003

Li, Z., Xu, X., & Wang, K. (2023). Effects of distribution patterns of karst landscapes on runoff and sediment yield in karst watersheds. Catena, 223, 106947. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2023.106947

McGarigal, K., Cushman, S. A., Neel, M. C., & Ene, E. (2002). FRAGSTATS: spatial pattern analysis program for categorical maps. Computer software program produced by the authors at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Available at the following web site: www.umass. edu/landeco/research/fragstats/fragstats.

MEA (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment). (2003). Ecosystems and Human Well-Being: A Framework for Assessment. Washington DC: Island Press. https://www.wri.org/research/millennium-ecosystem-assessment-ecosystems-and-human-well being

Mirghaed, F. A., & Souri, B. (2022). Monitoring ecosystem services through land use change in a semiarid region: a case study of the Taluk watershed, southwestern Iran. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 19(12), 12523-12536. ‏  https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-022-04490-4

Mirghaed, F. A., & Souri, B. (2023). Contribution of land use, soil properties and topographic features for providing of ecosystem services. Ecological Engineering, 189, 106898. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2023.106898

Pei, H., Liu, M., Shen, Y., Xu, K., Zhang, H., Li, Y., & Luo, J. (2022). Quantifying impacts of climate dynamics and land-use changes on water yield service in the agro-pastoral ecotone of northern China. Science of the Total Environment, 809, 151153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151153

Rahmani, M., Mirghaed, F. A., & Aghajanzadeh, S. M. (2023). The impact of seasonal vegetation changes on retention and yield of sediment across the Tajan watershed in Sari, northern Iran. Sustainable Earth Trend, 3(2), 26-35.‏ https://doi.org/10.48308/ser.2023.233502.1022

Sharp, R., Tallis, H. T., Ricketts, T., Guerry, A. D., Wood, S. A., Chaplin-Kramer, R., & Vogl, A. L.  (2014). InVEST User’s Guide. The Natural Capital Project: Stanford, CA, USA. https://naturalcapitalproject.stanford.edu/software/invest

Solaimani, K., & Ahmadi, S. B. (2024). Evaluation of TerraClimate gridded data in investigating the changes of reference evapotranspiration in different climates of Iran. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 52, 101678.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2024.101678

Tijjani, S. B., Giri, S., & Woznicki, S. A. (2022). Quantifying the potential impacts of climate change on irrigation demand, crop yields, and green water scarcity in the New Jersey Coastal Plain. Science of The Total Environment, 838, 156538.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156538

Yang, J., Xie, B., Zhang, D., & Tao, W. (2021). Climate and land use change impacts on water yield ecosystem service in the Yellow River Basin, China. Environmental Earth Sciences, 80(3), 72.‏ https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-020-09277-9

Yifru, B. A., Chung, I. M., Kim, M. G., & Chang, S. W. (2021). Assessing the effect of land/use land cover and climate change on water yield and groundwater recharge in East African Rift Valley using integrated model. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 37, 100926.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2021.100926