Qualifier Seminar by Mr Dawit Mulatu, Dept. of Urban and Regional Planning and Geo-information Management
Linking the Economy to the Environment: Using RS and Payment for Environmental Services in Lake Naivasha Watershed
Linking the Economy to the Environment: Using Remote Sensing and Payment for Environmental Services (PES) in Lake Naivasha Watershed, Kenya
There are a number of opportunities to pursue some of the core social science research issues more closely through remote sensing and geographical information system (GIS). Linking remote sensing and social science is a plausible approach to understand human impact on biophysical environment and to respond environmental impacts on human economic activities. Integration between social science and natural science is vital for better understanding of the economy that changed drastically and reflects complex socioeconomic settings. Lake Naivasha is one of the Ramsar sites being a wetland of international importance with a rich biodiversity and having the largest number of water bird species of any wetland area in Kenya. In contrast to its international importance, Lake Naivasha and its surrounding area face the current various treats to wetlands in developing world. It is under increasing pressure from anthropogenic activities, conversion of wetland areas to agricultural land, water withdrawals, population growth and settlements around the lake, and pollution as a result of nutrient runoff from intensive agricultural production. However, there is limited research outcome that applied remote sensing information in socioeconomic research in Lake Naivasha watershed to link the economy and the environment.
As a second line in this research, the watershed environmental services can be assessed and valued by means of interlocking system of environmental and economic models. Environmental models can quantify the pattern of different land use changes in upstream communities and estimate the biophysical environmental impacts on downstream communities. Preference and economic value of the watershed environmental services and compensation value to provide environmental services can be estimated by using economic models in order to establish a payment for environmental service (PES) scheme. However, the value to different attributes of the lake and surrounding ecosystem and the environmental and economic linkages between the upstream and downstream parts of Lake Naivasha through PES are not yet entirely addressed. Therefore, this study attempts to address the above mentioned research gaps.
The aim of this research is to integrate remote sensing information, socioeconomic and other environmental data to estimate socioeconomic indicators and to model socioeconomic activities thereby assessing the major socioeconomic driving forces of land use and land cover changes in Lake Naivasha watershed by using spatial and statistical analysis. In addition, this study employs a choice experiment method of environmental valuation to value environmental services and analyse PES livelihood impacts on environmental service providers (upstream communities) and receivers (downstream communities).
| Timesheet | |
|---|---|
| Event starts: | Thursday 14 October 2010 at 11:00 |
| Event ends: | Thursday 14 October 2010 at 12:00 |
| Venue: | ITC room 3-008 |
| Organized by: | Academic Affairs |
| City where event takes place: | Enschede |