Evaluating the implications of urban growth on carbon fixation ecosystem services (Case study: Karaj Subcatchments)

Background and Objective:

 In recent decades, natural ecosystems have undergone fundamental changes due to increasing population growth and increasing demand in order to provide the necessary facilities for human welfare. Since these changes are generally associated with environmental degradation, one should always be concerned about the damage to the ecosystem that supports human life. Therefore, the maintenance and protection of ecosystems are critical to achieving balance, equilibrium and coordination between human society and the ecosystem and their functional services. Ecosystem services have the potential to be considered as a key tool for policy-making and decision-making at the global, national, regional and local levels. Using ecosystem services, several applications including sustainable management of natural resources, land use optimization, environmental protection, nature conservation and restoration, landscaping, basic nature solutions, water conservation and weather, disaster risk reduction, environmental education and environmental research can be pursued. However, the relationship between ecosystem processes and functions and human well-being is complex and a multifaceted and preventive approach must be taken to evaluate these relationships and value the benefits. The purpose of this study was to investigate the trend of changes in ecosystem services in urban growth and development, evaluation of ecosystem services and the consequences of urban growth on carbon storage ecosystem service in the study area of Karaj catchment area in the period (before and after the development of irrationality).

Materials and Methods:

 Ecosystem services mapping is an effective tool to improve land planning and land use. Valuation of these services can be an effective factor and a promising way to explain the relationship between services, society and the economy and can play an effective role in the cost-benefit system of policies to rehabilitate and manage the environment. In this study, carbon storage service was investigated in three catchments of Alborz, Karaj, Hashtgerd and Eshtehard provinces. Since the study area covers almost two-thirds of the province, so in the study of the characteristics of the study area, the same characteristics of the Alborz province have been mentioned. In line with this research, In the first step, land use maps of the study area using trust software and GIS and Landsat satellite imagery (Landsat 5TM sensor images 1988, Landsat 8 satellite ETM+ sensor 2018), and the Supervised classification have been applied for the two periods of 1988 and 2018 in four classes of vegetation, man-made space, the aquatic environment and non-man-made space. After preparing the land use map, the accuracy of the maps was checked using Google Earth software and field visits. Then, using the land use map, the carbon storage ecosystem service map was extracted using Invest software and finally evaluated using soil carbon, ground carbon, basement and dead tissue information.

Results and Discussion :

The results showed that the most changes in land use maps belong to non-constructed space and man-made space, which shows a decrease of 16% and an increase of 11%, respectively. Regarding carbon storage service, according to the plans obtained in two years, in the central part of the region, which has witnessed the growth of agricultural lands, the amount of carbon storage has also increased. The maximum carbon reserve, with a share of 78377470 tons per hectare in 1988 and 72618450 tons per hectare in 2018, belongs to the Tehran-Karaj basin, and the lowest with a share of 36078497 tons per hectare in 1988 and 34606913 tons per hectare per year. 2018, belongs to Eshtehard. In total, the value has increased from about 14163 billion rials per ton per hectare since 1988 to about 13163 billion rials in 2018, which has gone in a negative direction. Although the amount of carbon storage varied and changed in different places, the maximum amount of carbon storage remained unchanged during this period; because there is still unbuilt space.

Conclusion:

 In general, it can be stated that the use of ecosystem services valuation does not necessarily mean a reduction in the value of services in the development process, but it means that using this approach can be used to improve development planning to maintain and used to improve the quality of the ecosystem. In fact, it can be said that this approach can be used as an interface to link the anthropological and ecological sections under a single programmatic and managerial framework. and in order to; used instead of "to", especially after try, come, go More (Definitions, Synonyms, Translation).