Ecosystem health assessment based on the V-O-R-S framework for the Upper Ganga Riverine Wetland in India
Rapid land-use changes driven by anthropogenic activities have significantly deteriorated riverine wetland ecosystem health (WEH), underscoring the need for comprehensive ecosystem health assessment. While riverine wetlands play a critical role in sustaining human well-being and conserving endemic b...
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Elsevier
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Environmental and Sustainability Indicators |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665972725000017 |
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| author | Alka Yadav Mitthan Lal Kansal Aparajita Singh |
| author_facet | Alka Yadav Mitthan Lal Kansal Aparajita Singh |
| author_sort | Alka Yadav |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Rapid land-use changes driven by anthropogenic activities have significantly deteriorated riverine wetland ecosystem health (WEH), underscoring the need for comprehensive ecosystem health assessment. While riverine wetlands play a critical role in sustaining human well-being and conserving endemic biodiversity, limited studies have explored WEH through an integrated lens of ecological factors and human reliance on ecosystem services. This study employs the Vigor-Organization-Resilience-Services (VORS) framework to assess the WEH, using the entropy weighting method to compute the wetland ecosystem health index (WEHI) based on NDVI, landscape metrics, and land-use/land-cover (LULC) coefficient indicators. Applying the framework to the Upper Ganga Riverine Wetland (UGRW) in India, the study examines ecosystem health over two decades (2000–2020). The findings reveal substantial land-use changes during this period, with a 245% increase in built-up and a 41% decline in forest cover. Consequently, the WEHI declined from 0.75 in 2000 to 0.58 in 2020, marking a 23% decrease over the period. All V-O-R-S indicators showed a downward trend, with ecosystem organization (O) showing the steepest decline of 45%, followed by ecosystem services (S) at 18%, ecosystem resilience (R) at 14%, and ecosystem vigor (V) at 8%. These changes reflect the significant impacts of wetland fragmentation and land-use transitions over time. The VORS framework provides a holistic perspective on WEH, offering crucial insights for stakeholders to design effective environmental management strategies. The findings can support policy measures aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), prioritizing wetland sustainability and enhancing conservation efforts in fragile riverine ecosystems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-14469c5b8d1c434ca58fa03364db9324 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2665-9727 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental and Sustainability Indicators |
| spelling | doaj-art-14469c5b8d1c434ca58fa03364db93242025-01-29T05:01:55ZengElsevierEnvironmental and Sustainability Indicators2665-97272025-02-0125100580Ecosystem health assessment based on the V-O-R-S framework for the Upper Ganga Riverine Wetland in IndiaAlka Yadav0Mitthan Lal Kansal1Aparajita Singh2Department of Water Resources Development and Management, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, IndiaDepartment of Water Resources Development and Management, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, India; Corresponding author.Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, IndiaRapid land-use changes driven by anthropogenic activities have significantly deteriorated riverine wetland ecosystem health (WEH), underscoring the need for comprehensive ecosystem health assessment. While riverine wetlands play a critical role in sustaining human well-being and conserving endemic biodiversity, limited studies have explored WEH through an integrated lens of ecological factors and human reliance on ecosystem services. This study employs the Vigor-Organization-Resilience-Services (VORS) framework to assess the WEH, using the entropy weighting method to compute the wetland ecosystem health index (WEHI) based on NDVI, landscape metrics, and land-use/land-cover (LULC) coefficient indicators. Applying the framework to the Upper Ganga Riverine Wetland (UGRW) in India, the study examines ecosystem health over two decades (2000–2020). The findings reveal substantial land-use changes during this period, with a 245% increase in built-up and a 41% decline in forest cover. Consequently, the WEHI declined from 0.75 in 2000 to 0.58 in 2020, marking a 23% decrease over the period. All V-O-R-S indicators showed a downward trend, with ecosystem organization (O) showing the steepest decline of 45%, followed by ecosystem services (S) at 18%, ecosystem resilience (R) at 14%, and ecosystem vigor (V) at 8%. These changes reflect the significant impacts of wetland fragmentation and land-use transitions over time. The VORS framework provides a holistic perspective on WEH, offering crucial insights for stakeholders to design effective environmental management strategies. The findings can support policy measures aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), prioritizing wetland sustainability and enhancing conservation efforts in fragile riverine ecosystems.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665972725000017Wetland healthEcosystem resilienceEcosystem servicesLand system changesRemote sensing |
| spellingShingle | Alka Yadav Mitthan Lal Kansal Aparajita Singh Ecosystem health assessment based on the V-O-R-S framework for the Upper Ganga Riverine Wetland in India Environmental and Sustainability Indicators Wetland health Ecosystem resilience Ecosystem services Land system changes Remote sensing |
| title | Ecosystem health assessment based on the V-O-R-S framework for the Upper Ganga Riverine Wetland in India |
| title_full | Ecosystem health assessment based on the V-O-R-S framework for the Upper Ganga Riverine Wetland in India |
| title_fullStr | Ecosystem health assessment based on the V-O-R-S framework for the Upper Ganga Riverine Wetland in India |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ecosystem health assessment based on the V-O-R-S framework for the Upper Ganga Riverine Wetland in India |
| title_short | Ecosystem health assessment based on the V-O-R-S framework for the Upper Ganga Riverine Wetland in India |
| title_sort | ecosystem health assessment based on the v o r s framework for the upper ganga riverine wetland in india |
| topic | Wetland health Ecosystem resilience Ecosystem services Land system changes Remote sensing |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665972725000017 |
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