Ecosystem Services

Dr. G. Kumaravelu,
Full Time Member,
State Planning Commission,
Government of Tamil Nadu.

National Seminar – IFGTB – 28.12.2010

NATURE IS OUR FUTURE
Nature is an infinite sphere
of which the Centre is
everywhere and the
circumferences nowhere

(Blaise Pascal, French mathematician and Pholosopher)

 

The intrinsic, intimate, interrelationship

between the Biotic components
consisting of Billion of spp of our planet,
in the mantle of abiotic platform, had
resulted in Natures stable and self
sustaining model and pattern-
and is that what we call as
‘Ecosystem’
“Coexistenceand harmony
The Balance of Thing”
Western Ghats
HEALTH OF THE HILLS
WEALTH OF THE PLAINS
 WATER
- Of all waters on the earth’s surface,
- 97.5% is Saline (Oceans)
- 2.08% forms Polar ice
- 0.29% is ground water
- 0.009% fresh water (lakes and
Reservoir)
 FRESH WATER

Lakes : 52% - (Action needed)

Soil moisture : 38% - (Action needed)

Atmospheric water vapour : 8%

Water within living organisms : 1%

Rivers : 1%
 BIO DIVERSITY
CONSERVATION
 POLLINATORS
AND
SEED DISPERSERS
WES TERN GHATS

ONE OF THE 34 GLOBAL

HOT-S POTS OF
BIODIVERS ITY

ONE OF THE 218 ENDEMIC

BIRD AREAS OF THE
WORLD
&
ONE OF S EVEN IN INDIA
 Biodiversity

• There are about 4 lakh Beetle species on earth.

(Maximum for a single species on earth)
• Insect total numbers exceed 1 crore crores.
• Insects have more Biomass percentage on
earth than any other species.
• Insects have 300 times more Biomass than
human being put together.
 1980 – Panama Forest (South
America)
19 Trees – 1200 Beetle species.
80% new to science were
reported.
• Tropical Forest: 7% of World’s Forests
but contains 50-80% of life forms.
• Every second 1 acre of Tropical Forest
destroyed.
• 1 gram of tropical forest soil contains
• 90 million bacteria and other microbes
(only 5 to 7% are harmful)
 Western Ghats
• 285 species of vertebrates Endemic
• 4000 species of Angiospherms
• (145 species endemic)
• 175 species of Orchids (8 are endemic)
• INDIA: Flowering plants : 15,000
• TAMIL NADU: Flowering plants : 5640
(Ranking first in India)
mammals : 187
birds. : 454
 Eastern Himalayas

Between 1998 to 2008 in 10 years

253 new species have been
discovered (WWF)
 Factors affecting forests
Fire
Illicit felling

Cattle
Encroachment grazin
g

Anthropogeni
Poaching c pressure

Fuelwood
Lopping
collection
 Completed project
(1993-1996)

Collaborative Research
SACON
( Dr.Balasubraniam )
&
Tamil Nadu Forest Department
( Dr.G. Kumaravelu, IFS )
 Identification of suitable native bird-dispersed
species for the Tamil Nadu Afforestation programme

Frugivorous bird species: 66

Bird-dispersed tree species: 219

Lauraceae
Euphorbiaceae
Moraceae
Rubiaceae
Meliaceae
Myrtaceae
Species suitable for different
habitats suggested
We May Extinct Because
of
Please . . . . .
Environmental
Degradation
Key stone species
Key stone species
Bats Are Just One of Several Groups of Animals
That Naturally Prey on Mosquitoes
ROLE OF FRUITBATS IN ECOSYSTEM
 Excellent seed disperser
 Promotes propagation of important plant

species of the wet evergreen forest

 Far away dispersal lessens the interspecies

competition
 Alimentary canal pre-treats seeds for quick
germination
 Faecal seeds resist insect predation
 Regenerates and restores forests in disturbed
habitats in
high elevations.
 Number of plant species benefited by four
Megachiropterans
Seed
60 Dispersal 54 and Cross Pollination
50 L. salimalii
42
Number of plants

C.sphin
40 x R. leschenaulti
benefited

P.giganteu 29
s24
30
18
20
8
7
10 2
0
SD CP SD CP SD CP SD CP

P t e ro p us C yno p t e rus C yno p t e rus La t id e ns

g ig a nt e us s p hinx b ra c hyo t is s a lim a lii
To Get Balanced Diet Visit Varieties Of Plant
Species Covering Large Foraging Area.

Ficus tsjahela
Ficus hispida
To get balanced diet a visit more number of plant species
covering large foraging area. Ficus racemosa
Elaeocarpus serrat

Male cone of Agathis

robusta

Elaeocarpus
tuberculatus
Syzygium jambos
Medicinal Plants Dispersed by Fruit Bats in Rain Forest
Sl.
No Name of the Plant
1 Antiaris toxicaria
2 Elaeocarpusspecies
3 Ficus species
4 Syzygium species
5 Bombax ceiba
6 Atalantia monophylla
7 Gyycosmis pentaphylla
8 Azadiradhta indica
9 Pavetta indica
10 Erythroxylum monogynum
11 Calophyllum inophyllum
Medicinal value
Latex, Cardiac & Circulatory stimulant,
Seed - Dysentry
Fruits- dysentry,Typhoid; Leaves - Rheumatism
Leaves & Bark - Dysentry,Diabetics; Latex - Piles
Extract of Leaves & Roots - Vermifuge,
Bark decoction - Diabetics
Ulceration of Bladder & Kidney
Berry contains fatty acid used externally in rheumatism.
Leaf juice - fever & liver complaint, Vermifuge
Leaves - antiseptic,ulcers
Leaves decoction - Jaundice, Purgative,Urinary diseases
Fever
Purgative, Leaves docoction of leaves - Ulcers
Endemic Plants Dispersed
by Fruit Bats in Tropical Wet Evergreen Forest

Sl. Endemic Red list

No Name of the plant Habit status status
1 Elaeocarpus venustus (Bedd) Tree E EN
2 Elaeocarpus munroii (Wt.) Mast Tree E R
3 Syzygium mundagam (Bourd.) Tree E VU
Chitra
4 Ensete superbum (Roxb.) Cheesman  Shrub E - 
5 Pallaquim ellipticum Tree E  -
( Daiz.)Baill
6 Aglaia elaeognioides (Juss ) Tree E EN
Benth .var. bourdillonii (gamble)
KKN Nair
7 Garcinia gummi-gutta (L.) Roxb Tree E EN
8 Musea ferrea Tree E - 
 Endemic Plants Dispersed by Fruit Bats in
Tropical Semi Evergreen Forest & Tropical Moist
Deciduous Forest
Red
Endemic list
S.No Name of the plant Habit status status
1 Eugenia calacadensis Tree E VU
(Tropical moist deciduous forest)
2 Diospyros foliolosa Tree -  EN
Wall
3 Gordonia obusta Tree E  -
Wall.ex. (Wt & Arn)

4 Ficus beddomei Tree E - 

5 Scolophia crenata Tree E  -

6 Alangium salvifolium Tree E Rare

(L .f ) Wang.Sub sp .
Hexapetalum (Lam.) Wang.
Degradation of Earth’s Parts for Life Support

H.speoris (more than 1000 individuals )

Legislation Needed to Protect

Unnecessary Loss of Parts Or Wounds On Mother Earth
 Lack of Environmental Literacy
 Our Planetary Ecosystem:
Its Economic Value
All environment goods and services--timber, fishes, watershed
functions, soils, climate, biodiversity, etc. are reckoned to be
worth

$ 33 trillion per year

or more than the world`s economy of $ 29 trillion.
So global natural product is greater than global
national product.
 Between 1850 and 1980

60% of Forests in North

Africa
and
60% of Woodlands in the
Middle East
were destroyed due to the
pressure of human activity
 At the same period,
Tropical Asia lost 20%
Southern Asia lost 43%
Latin America lost 19%
of existing Forest cover
(Rowe etal 1992)
• Imagine a world without Forests,
• Imagine a world without fishes,
• Imagine a world without Corals,
• Imagine a world where rivers
run only in rainy season –

The pity is that it is possible.

 Rain forests make up 2/3rd
of all tropical moist forests
and are the Richest in terms
of Biomass and
Biological diversity
 The main emphasis of the global community
has been on addressing the loss of Tropical Moist
Forests.
 The increasing scale of human activity
worldwide has prompted the search for
approaches to developments that are more
“sustainable”
 As economies keep growing rapidly,
they keep on exerting enormous pressure and
strain on the finite
‘Natural Environmental system that
support life on the planet
The Natural Environment provides three main type of
services necessary to sustain life

•as a source of Raw material vital for all human activity

•as a sink of waste and residue generated by all human

activity

•as a means of maintaining essential life support

FORESTS constitutes an important natural
system that fulfils these services through
a multitude of functions and products.
Therefore, there is an URGENT NEED
to conserve this ecosystem.
In terms of source functions, the
products and services
derived from the tropical
forests are diverse and benefit
people at
Local,
National
Global level
Forests also ensure a regular supply of fresh water,
preventing flooding, protect crops from wind damage
and also prevent soil erosion and siltation of Dams and
Riverbeds down streams.
The global community relies on Forests to
stabilize global climatic conditions,
protect the diversity of biological species,
support Natural Ecological systems and
provide recreational benefits.
 People at all levels derive
benefit from the amenity value
of forests and the
knowledge that forests
contribute
to the existence.
The considerable array of environmental
services generated by Forests is
sufficient justification for
protecting them.
STUDY SHOWS THAT AS MUCH AS
60% OF THE POLLUTANTS ARE
ABSORBED BY A CLOSE
ESPACEMENT OF TREES
 TREES REDUCE RADIATION

Houses insulated with green cover

can have rooms with temperature
11C lower than outside
A 30% plant cover absorbs 1.2
million kilogram-calories of
energy (energy required to
cool two moderately sized
houses for 12 hours a day)
• Light intensity under trees with dense
canopy is reduced by 75%

• Temperatures in the shade of the tree are

lower by 8°C

• Tree canopy can guide the wind upwards

decreasing the speed and lowering the
temperature (Bernoulli principle), thus
minimizing the loss of moisture from the
soil through evaporation
 Trees can funnel air out to
protect from cyclonic winds
 Trees with wax and hairy leaf
surface holds on to dust particles
thus filtering the air
 Trees can reduce smog density by
condensing moisture on leaf surface.
• Trees can arrest dust circulation and deposition by
slowing wind speed.

• Plant tissues absorb Gaseous pollutants primarily

within leaves, and are adsorbed at leaf surfaces.

• The particles suspended per litre of air in areas

without tree cover are 4 times more than that of tree
covered areas.
 Trees also remove heavy metals from air,
such as cadmium, chromium, nickel and lead.

One sugar maple tree removes

Cadmium 60 mg
Chromium 140 mg
Nickel 820 mg
Lead 5200 mg
Schmid, 1975
A tree living for 50 years, would clean air
pollutants, which would otherwise cost
half a million rupees
Tropical Forests and
Forest soils serve
as a vast store house
for carbon
due to their high
density of Biomass.
Up to three times the amount
of carbon
found in the atmosphere is
contained
by the tropical Forests
(Sharma etal 1992)
 IPCC estimates that
tropical deforestation
contributes about 1/6th
of the total global
emissions of carbon
into atmosphere.
Primary Tropical Forests cover 9% of the earth’s
surface and support about 50%of all
1.4 million named surviving species.
The species and genetic diversity and the
diversity of Forest ecosystems are vital for
maintaining the balance of the natural
Ecosystems.
 Loss of genetic diversity
can cause
maladoption of species to
changing
environmental conditions
and increase
Susceptibility to diseases.
THE DIVERSITY OF SPECIES HAS TREMENDOUS MEDICINAL VALUE
TO HUMANS.

One ‘gene’ from a single Ethiopian Barley plant

now protects California’s Barley crop,
worth US $160 million annually
from yellow dwarf virus.

Globally, medicines from wild products are

worth approximately US $ 40 billion a year.

In 1960, a child suffering from Leukemia had

only 20% chance of survival. Today, 80%
survival rate due todrug prepared from the
active principle from the rosy Periwinkle
(Vinca rosea) a tropical forest plant from
Madagascar.
Forests have a significant role in stabilizing regional climate and
hydrological systems, particularly affecting rainfall pattern.
Forests also have a role in
improving
air quality as well as
enriching soils through
Nitrogen fixation.
RHIZOSPHERE
MICRO FLORA
AND
MICROFAUNA
The Recreational value of tropical forests has largely been
underestimated thus for. Eco tourism is an emerging
economic activity with tremendous potential to generate
foreign exchange for tropical countries.
In several economic valuation studies
that have been conducted to
quantify these benefits,
the ‘existence value’ of forests
constitute a significant percentage
of the
total economic value.
Government of developing countries
are largely preoccupied with
rectifying
urban and social problems and
often do so, at the expense of
environmental degradation.
Governments, prefer to address
highly visible
issues, which upon resolution
constitute
political victories.
Consequently, environmental
issues have
typically received relatively low
priority
on Government policy agenda.
 Only in this decade,
however, the ecological
consequence of extensive
environmental
degradation and the
resulting economic
consequences are
receiving recognition.
Economy,
Environment,
Ecology,
Energy
Electrons
have to be kept in Balance .
 Some conservation
biologists believe that
2.5% of all species may
become extinct
during the next 20 to 30
years.
(Botking and Talbort 1992 )
The extinction of a single species
can drive
several others to endangered
or extinction status .
Cascading effect
 The U.S. National Cancer
Institute is
currently engaged in a Five Year
Programme involving screening
of some 3000 plants active
against cancer cells, of which
70% are tropical.
(Munansingha and Mc Neely
1994)
 Direct Use Value

is determined by the contribution

that an
environmental assets make to
current
production and/or consumption.
 Indirect Use Value
includes the benefit derived basically
from
functional services that the
environment provides
to support current production and
consumption.
(eg. ecological functions like natural
filtration of polluted water
or
recycling of nutrients
 Option Value
is basically the premium that
consumers
are willing to pay for an
unutilized asset,
simply to avoid the risk of not
having it available in the
future
 Existence Value

arises from the satisfaction of

merely knowing
that the asset exists, although
the valuer
has no intension of using it.
 Bequest Value
reflects the desire
to conserve
environment assets
for the benefit of
future generations.
 To help guide decision
Making, on the variety of
options available to improve
management of Forests,
improved valuation is needed.
Accurate valuation of
Forest resources is
essential to the
appraisal of
both forestry and
non-forestry projects
affecting Forests.
 Forest Ecosystem Goods and Services

1.Provisioning goods such as wood, non-timber forest products

(NTFP), fuel, fodder, water and provision of services such as grazing,
tourism, wildlife protection and life support.

2.Regulating Services: Climate regulation, disease controls, flood

moderation,detoxification, carbon sequestration and health of soil
and water regimes.

3.Non-material benefits obtained from ecosystems: spiritual, recreational,

aesthetic, inspirational, educational, communal, symbolic.

4.Supporting: Services necessary for the production of all other

ecosystem services.Biodiversity, Nutrient cycling, Primary Production.
(Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005)
 Young Forests tend to
accumulate more
carbon than the
mature forests.
Need: Enhance the preponderance of young green leaves in
the ecosystem
High 5
 Carbon foot print
C- life span

Very short life span products : Fuel Wood & Match wood
(Carbon leakage)

Short life span products : Newsprint, packing paper,

paper board, printing and

writing paper.

Medium life span : Sports goods, bullock carts,

agricultural implements, rural
construction.

Long life span : Railway sleepers, furniture,

Panelling house construction,
fibre board, particle and
chipboard.
 Shift from
• Serine Silviculture to Aggressive
agriculture
•Carbohydrate economy to
hydrocarbon economy
•Tilling to Drilling
•Biochemistry to Geochemistry
•Horse power to Hose power .
Fertile soils flourish
civilizations
Depleted soils diminish
civilization
• We have to do what we
have undone
• Undo what we have
done.
• We need them for
survival
• They may not need
us.
• If not empathy, at least sympathy .
 Pollinators
• 2,20,000 out of 2,40,000 species of plants
require Bees, Butterflies or Birds to get
pollinated and set seeds.
• These include both wild plants and 70% of
the agricultural crop species that feed the
world.
• over 1 lakh different species of Bats, Bees,
Beetle, Birds, Butterflies render this vital,
life supporting services.
• continuous availability of the diverse forest
types, in its climax conditions is essential
to sustain viable population of pollinators.

• 1/3rd of human food is derived from

plants pollinated by wild pollinators.
 Biological pathogens control

• An estimated 99% of Potential crop pests

are controlled by natural enemies,including
many Birds, spiders, parasitic wasps, flies
and other types of organisms (De Bach
1974).
These natural Biological control agents
save farmers billions of dollars annually.
• Ecosystem services are generated by
complex
• interplay of natural cycles powered by
solar energy
• and operating across a wide range of
space and time scale,
• through food webs and food chains.
• Human intervention caused a
paradigm shift in the pattern of
land use, land cover and land
management, in the terrestrial and
aquatic ecosystems, that comprise
the landscape.
• Rural Poverty and Environment
interaction leads to ‘downward spiral’
with population growth and
economic marginalisation, leading to
environmental degradation.
• A global analysis of agroecosystems
• (wood etal 2000)affirms that long-term
productivity is threatened by increasing
water scarcity and soil degradation,
• now severe enough to reduce yields upto
16% of agricultural lands.
• Soil degradation is estimated to have
reduced global productivity by about 13%.
• Ecosystems have to be served
back, now, by the humanity – by
striking a balance between
Ecology,
• Environment,
• Economics,
• Energy and
• Electrons.
How to make
this happen?
• The problems we are facing today cannot be
solved with the same level of skill and will we
had at the time of creating such problems.

• We need ‘out of box thinking’

• INNOVATION – INVESTIGATION – INVENTION.

 We should be a
part of the solution
and
not a part of the
problem.
• By undertaking focused research studies on
• the status of the local, regional Ecosystems.
• the health of these ecosystems.
• identifying the causes for the maladies.
• prescribing appropriate and adequate remedial
measures.
• These have to be location specific, cost-
effective, adoptable and acceptable by the
stakeholders, and time bound.
• Where?
• How?
• Who?
• When?
• Cost and Time Factors to be
spelt out clearly.
Some of the future Research Topics on
Ecosystem Resurrection could be as
following…..
• Food-Web, Food-chain Research of each forest
types to understand the interrelationship of the
Biotic and Abiotic component.
• Ecosystem service Evaluation.
• Carbon sequestration potential of the Forest,
the associates, consociates, species and their
individual phenotypes and/or genotypes.
• Enhanced ‘carbon credit’ earning tree species
identification. (to be utilized under ‘cogeneration
of Wood and Food’ programmes.)-

Global Warming and Carbon Farming

• Hydrological auditing of Natural Forests and Tree
Farms.
• Root architecture studies of tree species to evolve
most effective polyculture models that enables
appropriate and adequate utilization of every drop of
water, every grain of soil and every ray of sun for
maximizing the benefit flow.
• Identifying, isolating and multiplying the Rhizosphere
micro flora and micro fauna from each of the Forest
type soils.
• To enhance the productive potential of
soils and also carbon sequestration
capacity by the use of appropriate mix of
Bionutrients and Biofertilizers
in
degraded forests in the Reserve Forests.
wastelands and wasted lands
rainfed farm lands and
waterbodies like tank foreshores.
 Seedling grown in 10cm x 20cm size Poly bag

T1- T2 T3 T4 T5
Ver - 5gms T6-
Control Ver - 10gms Ver - 15gms Ver - 10gms
VAM – 3 gms DAP –
VAM – 5 gms VAM – 7 gms
3gms
Azos/Rhizo– 1gm Azos/Rhizo– 2gm Azos/Rhizo– 3gm
Phospho – 1 gm Phospho – 2 gm Phospho – 3 gm
 Seedling grown in 13cm x 25cm size Poly bag

T2
T1- T3 T4 T5
Ver - 15gms T6-
Control Ver - 20gms Ver - 25gms Ver - 20gms
VAM – 5 gms DAP –
VAM – 7 gms VAM – 10 gms
Azos/Rhizo– 3gm 7gms
Azos/Rhizo– 4gm Azos/Rhizo– 5gm
Phospho – 3 gm
Phospho – 4 gm
 Seedling grown in 16cm x 30cm size Poly bag
3 months old

T1- T2 T3 T4
Ver - 25gms T6-
Control Ver - 30gms Ver - 35gms
T5
VAM – 10 gms DAP – 10gms
VAM – 12 gms VAM – 15 gms
Ver - 30gms
Azos/Rhizo– 4gm Azos/Rhizo– 5gm Azos/Rhizo– 6gm
Phospho – 4 gm Phospho – 5 gm Phospho – 6 gm
• Many innovative technologies, systems,
Policies and institutions
in Forestry and Agroforestry can increase
the provisions of both agricultural and
environmental goods and services from
the ecosystems and improve the well
being of all the stakeholders – both mild
and wild.
• CARBON FOOT
PRINT
• WATER FOOT
PRINT.
Global Warming Assault cannot be
solved by

‘Promises and band-aid

measures’
 BIOCHAR

“There is one way we could save

ourselves from global warming
and that is through the massive
burial of charcoal”.
• Water content of charcoal layer in the soil
was remarkably higher by 40% even in mid
summer compared with 5% in the outside
charcoal zone soil mass.
(Japan Biochar Association-JBA)
• Growing Trees and burying charcoal is
the apt method of carbon sequestration.
• CARBON FARMING
to mitigate
GLOBAL WARMING
• In Japan, at least 100 thousand tonnes of
Biochar is applied to agricultural lands
annually. They contain 80% carbon and so
250 thousand tonnes of CO 2 are shut in the
soil and locked without leakage.

-CARBON FARMING.
PERFECTION IS A MOVING
TARGET

BETTER LATE THAN

NEVER OR EVER
 Our culture emanated
from Nature.
Therefore,
Nature is our culture.
Future is dependent on Nature.
Therefore, Nature is our future.

Future is our choice and not a fate.

THANK YOU