Accounting of ecosystem services from ichthyofauna in wetlands of Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka Cite

Sincy V. ^1,4 Jaishanker R.⁴ Asulabha K.S. ^1,4and Ramachandra T.V.^{1, 2, 3
1}Energy & Wetlands Research Group [CES TE15], Centre for Ecological Sciences, ²Centre for Sustainable Technologies (ASTRA)
³Centre for infrastructure, Sustainable Transportation and Urban Planning (CiSTUP)
⁴Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management-Kerala (IIITM-K), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore - 560 012, India.
envis.ces@iisc.ac.in    tvr@iisc.ac.in      Phone: 080 22933099/22933503 (extn 107, 114)

Abstract

Freshwater fishes are an essential ecological link in the food chain, indicators of the health of aquatic ecosystems, a major source of protein in the human diet, and have recreational, educational, and scientific value. The diversity of ichthyofauna (fish) and their health increase the productivity and value of aquatic ecosystems. Wetlands, habitat of ichthyofauna provide numerous valuable ecosystem services such as provisioning, regulating, and cultural services. The current Issue of Sahyadri E News presents the valuation of ecosystem services provided by ichthyofauna in the wetlands of Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka. The provisioning, regulating, and cultural services provided by ichthyofauna in the wetlands of Uttara Kannada district were 117, 943, and 150 million Rs/year respectively. The total ecosystem supply value (TESV) of ecosystem services provided by ichthyofauna accounted for 1210 million rupees per year, and the net present value (NPV) of wetlands in Uttara Kannada amounts to 31 billion rupees. Hence, there is an urgent need to create awareness among citizens, fishermen, and other stakeholders on the importance of the wetland ecosystem and fish habitat and the need to conserve fish fauna for the future.

Key words: Wetland, Ichthyofauna, Provisioning service, Cultural service, Regulating service, TESV, NPV