ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC WORTH OF BANGALORE WETLANDSSINCY V., ASULABHA K.S., JAISHANKER R. AND RAMACHANDRA T.V.Abstract Wetland ecosystems provide diverse services to sustain livelihoods, which include the provision of food, fish, water, etc. (provisioning services), moderation of microclimate, carbon sequestration, groundwater recharge, remediation (regulating services), and aesthetic, spiritual, recreational, and information (cultural services). Despite being one of the most productive ecosystems, wetlands are being mismanaged due to a lack of knowledge of ecosystem services and economic worth. This necessitates the valuation of ecosystem services for valuable insights into their economic and ecological worth, which would help evolve appropriate policy initiatives for sustainable management and conservation of fragile lifeline ecosystems at decentralised levels. In this context, an attempt has been made to value the ecological and economic worth of four wetlands in Bangalore City through standard protocol by computing the total ecosystem supply value (aggregation of provisioning, regulating, and cultural services: TESV) and the net present value (NPV). The Hebbal wetland has the highest amounts of TESV (INR 51.20 million/year) and NPV (INR 1317.48 million) compared to Nagavara, Sankey, and Mathikere. The major contribution is from the regulating services, and the economic worth assessment highlights the vital role played by wetlands in sustaining the livelihood of the local people and the urgent need for prudent management of wetland ecosystems, involving all stakeholders to ensure cooperation and active participation in the conservation endeavour. |