Application of the rapid assessment of the ecosystem services tool for the wetland “Prut River Headwaters” in the Carpathian National Nature Park (Ukraine)

Abstract

Wetlands are among the most important ecosystems on Earth. They improve water quality, control floods, regulate global carbon levels, have significant cultural and recreational values, and provide habitat for plants and animals uniquely adapted to living in wet conditions. The EU Water Framework Directive defines wetlands as diverse, hydrologically complex ecosystems, which tend to develop within a hydrological gradient going from terrestrial to mainly aquatic habitats. In 2019, two wetlands of the Carpathian National Nature Park (CNNP), Ukraine, were identified by the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention as wetlands of international importance. The Prut River Heeadwaters Wetland is in the focus of this study. It belongs to Prut River basin that is very important transboundary tributaries of the Danube River. The Site acts as a flood regulator, and a freshwater reservoir, providing drinking water to people within the Prut River basin. The wetland is biodiversity hotspot with valuable species, many of them are listed as threatened in the national and global Red Lists, and a great number are endemic to the Eastern Carpathian biogeographic region. Due to the favourable climate and availability of almost undisturbed landscapes, the wetlands are very popular for visitors. In this study key research task is to apply Rapid Assessment of Wetland Ecosystem Services (RAWES) approach to the Prut River Headwaters Wetland of International importance in order to provide a qualitative and semi-quantitative assessment of a comprehensive range of wetland ecosystem services (ESS). The objective of the RAWES approach is to facilitate an assessment of the plurality of benefits provided by a wetland, which can be considered genuinely rapid, involving limited resources. The main ESS of the Wetland “Prut River Headwaters” have been assessed within four categories: provisional, regulatory, cultural and supporting. The importance of the service has been assessed using the following relative scale which the benefit is realized: local, regional or global. The Ecosystem Services Index (ESI) within each service category has been calculated

Keywords

• wetlands of international importance
• carpathian national nature park
• ecosystem services
• rapid assessment of wetland ecosystem services
• ecosystem services index