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Ecosystem Services of Rivers: The Don River (Russian Federation) and the Roanoke River (USA)

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Environmental Security in Watersheds: The Sea of Azov

Abstract

The concept of ecosystem services recognizes the services, and benefits, provided to people by ecosystems. River systems provide many services to people, including freshwater provisioning, carbon storage, fisheries, recreation, transportation, and biodiversity. Here, we review the services provided by rivers and describe a conceptual model relating services to drivers, pressures, ecosystem state, and management responses. This approach allowed us to highlight how policies and decisions can lead to trade-offs among services, which must be considered for sustainable watershed management. We have used this conceptual framework to compare two rivers, the Don River in the Russian Federation and the Roanoke River in Virginia/North Carolina, USA, to demonstrate the usefulness of the ecosystem services approach. Future science needs for ecosystem services in rivers are to identify service indicators and map services, link drivers/pressures to services with models, and relate natural systems to social and economic systems.

This paper has been reviewed in accordance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s peer and administrative review policies and approved for publication.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Sometimes referred to as Rostov Nuclear Power Plant.

  2. 2.

    The state-recognized protected area was established several decades earlier than the famous Yellowstone National Park which is considered to be the world first protected area.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 960 College Station Road, Athens, GA, USA

    Brenda Rashleigh

  2. Central European University, Budapest, Hungary

    Viktor Lagutov

  3. Ramsar Convention Secretariat, Gland, Switzerland

    Tobias Salathe

Authors
  1. Brenda Rashleigh
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  2. Viktor Lagutov
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  3. Tobias Salathe
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Brenda Rashleigh .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Modelling Laboratory, Central European University, Nador ut. 9, Budapest, 1051, Hungary

    Viktor Lagutov

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Rashleigh, B., Lagutov, V., Salathe, T. (2012). Ecosystem Services of Rivers: The Don River (Russian Federation) and the Roanoke River (USA). In: Lagutov, V. (eds) Environmental Security in Watersheds: The Sea of Azov. NATO Science for Peace and Security Series C: Environmental Security. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2460-0_2

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