Natural Infrastructure: The Protector of Freshwater Ecosystem Services

 By: Salvador Villarreal Jr.

(a) Freshwater ecosystem services flowing between watersheds and cities. (b) Water supply networks between these watersheds and cities (Chung et al., 2021) 

As urbanization continues to spread throughout the world, the demand for freshwater resources has only increased and does not seem to be slowing down anytime soon. This high demand has led to issues, such as water shortages and low water quality, around the globe. However, it has been shown that natural infrastructure, which is a system that is managed to yield many benefits for the surrounding environment and people's well-being, reduces negative effects of urban structures that deteriorates freshwater ecosystem services. This study focuses on four specific freshwater ecosystem services: freshwater provision, sediment regulation, flood mitigation, and hydropower reduction. Network analysis was used to study the interrelationship between urban and natural infrastructures in 2,113 watersheds in 317 cities across the world. Results from this study have shown that natural structures, forest cover in protected areas in this case, complement dams in sediment reduction and the production of hydropower. Another type of natural infrastructure, protected wetlands, aid in sustaining freshwater provision towards cities, but urban areas need less impervious surfaces and more green spaces for flood mitigation. Understanding the relationship between natural infrastructures and urban areas/infrastructures (cities, dams, etc.) can further push for strategic decision-making to aid in the sustainability of these freshwater ecosystem services in cities worldwide. However, there are some trade-offs of natural infrastructures, including their limited track record of performance (potentially increasing the chances of low quality of freshwater services) and higher costs in the short/long term.

Reference

Chung, M.G., K.A. Frank, Y. Pokhrel, T. Dietz, and J. Liu. 2021. Natural infrastructure in sustaining global urban freshwater ecosystem services. Nat Sustain 4, 1068-1075

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