FBE 606 Assessment and Mapping of Ecosystem Services t

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students should be able to:

  1. interpret existing information on site conditions for ecosystems management, measure and evaluate different ecosystem services,
  2. analyse and model the distribution of ecosystem services using various modelling tools

                      

Course Content

Concepts of ecosystem services and their quantification – water and hydrology, vegetation composition and biodiversity, timber and non timber products, assessment of biomass and carbon production, environmental gradients (physical, chemical and biological characteristics) influencing the delivery of the different ecosystem services, ecosystem services production and flow, spatial and temporal mapping and distribution of ecosystem services using GIS and other ecosystem mapping tools. Mapping the functional relationships and mutual interdependencies between ecosystem services, site conditions and anthropogenic influences. Scenarios for future production of ecosystems services under different conditions

Required reading

  1. Paul Bolstand 2008. GIS Fundamentals. A First text on Geographical Information Systems, 3rd Eider Press, White Bear Lake 620 pp.
  1. Kent M. and Coker P. 1992. Vegetation Description and Analysis: A practical Approach. BELHAVEN press, Great Britain, 363 pp.
  1. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005. Ecosystems and Human Well-being Synthesis. Washington, D.C. Inland Press 550 pp

Recommended Reading

  1. Jensen, J.R. (1996). Introductory Digital Image Processing. A Remote Sensing Perspective. Second Edition. Prentice Hall. 316 pp.