Effects Of Urbanization On Urban Ecosystem Services (UES_S) - A Geospatial Approach

Ecosystem services are a complex relationship between humans and nature. Interactions among these ecosystems are self-sustainable if these are unaltered. But, due to rapid urban expansion, changes in land use land cover (LULC), and anthropogenic activities, these ecosystem services (ES) are exerted with tremendous pressure. Hence, ecosystem services are unable to maintain the terrestrial equilibrium, causing changes in hydro-meteorological phenomena. Therefore, the aim to manage the ecosystem in a sustainable way, insufficient knowledge construct about the factors influencing ecosystem services at a regional level is a major concern. The researchers use conventional data collection methods to analyze the ecosystem service like surveying and sampling, which directs the researcher to implement a statistical model. These models are efficient in forming the correlation among a few variables but are not considered to be functionally viable. Policy decisions are based on the details that elaborate on the critical aspects of unseen trade-offs and synergies amidst ecosystem services. For effective management strategies for ecosystem services, the planner and decision-maker should use the model that focuses on these relationships. This paper elaborates on modeling a methodological framework to investigate the effect of rapid urbanization on urban ecosystem services using archived geospatial data. The study focuses on a regional level assessment, using geospatial and non-spatial data (hydro-meteorological data). The outcome of this study will help to interpret the impact of spatio-temporal LULC dynamics on ecosystem services of rapidly expanding urban agglomeration.