Network analysis of water-related ecosystem services in search of solutions for sustainable catchment management: A case study in Sutlej-Beas River systems, India

Abstract

Hydrological processes and ecosystem interactions are instrumental in sustaining local populations by providing various water-related ecosystem services (ES). Numerous studies gave priority to the theories and methods of building networks that emphasized different stakeholders. However, little study has examined the complex relationships among water-related ES themselves and how relevant human activities affect ES networks. To narrow this gap, in this study we quantified four critical water-related ES (flood mitigation, hydropower production, soil retention, and water conservation), set up six ES network types based on the synergy relationship, and further explored the effect of human activities on these networks. The results showed that among six ES network categories, networks with four fully linked ES occupied a large percentage of 23.20% while the network with one central ES linking two others accounted for the lowest percentage (9.28%). Compared with other ES, soil retention tended to be less centralized within the networks. In addition, land use intensity was found to greatly influence the ES networks compared with other indicators, especially for less complex networks. Our results highlighted the importance of network analysis in searching solutions for sustainable catchment management.