Development of Ecosystem Service Opportunities in the Nemunas Delta in the Context of Global Climate Change

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Development of Ecosystem Service Opportunities in the Nemunas Delta in the Context of Global Climate Change ECONOMICS DOI: 10.22616/rrd.26.2020.024 DEVELOPMENT OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES IN THE NEMUNAS DELTA IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE Vytautas Pilipavičius1, *Jan Žukovskis2 1Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania 2Klaipeda University, Lithuania *Corresponding author’s email: [email protected] Abstract The second half of the 20th century brought to light the consequences of human activity, when Humanity was confronted with demiurgical complexes and realized that the planet Earth was not only nature, but a complex system that today could no longer be operated by traditional methods and logic. While until the middle of the 20th century man used natural resources only to meet his needs, the 21st century poses new challenges for mankind to manage the consequences of human activities and to use them rationally and sustainably. The paper presents a study aimed at assessing the potential of ecosystem services development in the Nemunas Delta and anticipating their development directions. As a result of the research, the possible development directions of the Elderships were presented. It was done in two scenarios. The research was carried out in six municipality subdivisions (elderships) of the Nemunas Delta area in the framework of the Lithuanian Science Council project ‘Interaction of ecosystem services and human activities in the context of climate change’. Preparation of this paper was supported by funding from European Social Fund (project No 09.3.3-LMT-K-712-01-0178) under the grant agreement with the Research Council of Lithuania (LMTLT). Key words: climate change, development, ecosystem services, elderships. Introduction The aim of the study is to evaluate the development Rapid economic development in the 20th century possibilities of ecosystem services in the Nemunas has shown that a Man, believing in the absolute power Delta and to predict the directions of development. of scientific and technical progress, has become the Objectives: master of nature, able to transform nature in its own • To provide methodological provisions for the way so that it can meet its ever-increasing needs. study of the development of ecosystem services; There is a widespread belief that increasing material • To conduct empirical research on the production is the only true measure of society’s development of ecosystem services in the progress and prosperity. By the end of the 1960’s, Nemunas Delta; environmental pollution had reached a level where it • To summarize the data of empirical research was no longer possible to devote no attention to the and to envisage directions of development. problem. For the research, scientific literature and Managing the consequences of human activities, documentary sources have been analyzed, and the through the rational and sustainable use of natural content analysis and empirical research methods have resources while ensuring the repeatability of been used. living conditions for future generations, poses new challenges for the 21st century community. Materials and Methods The European Union has linked the development The turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, with the to a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth (EU 2020 acceleration of scientific and technological advances strategy), taking into account the consequences and and new socio-economic opportunities and prospects, projections of global change. is characterized by radical changes (Melnikas, 2002). The Lithuanian Parliament approved the National Change can be perceived in two ways: change is Climate Change Management Policy Strategy for one of the common causes of human development 2013–2050 (National Climate Change ..., 2012). This and progress; change is an essential result of global strategy foresees the need to formulate and implement development and progress. In other words, change Lithuania’s climate change management policy – is determined by the existence of human beings in mitigation and adaptation, defining short-term (by the evolution of human life – natural processes and 2020), medium-term (by 2030 and 2040) and long- change initiated by organized human activities that term (by 2050) goals and objectives. shape the progress of human life – artificial processes The Lithuanian Science Council project (Grigaliūnienė, 2000). ‘Interaction of Ecosystem Services and Human Ecosystem services are opportunities provided Activities in the Context of Climate Change’ aimed by the ecosystem as natural artefacts that become to highlight the directions of ecosystem services resources in the human development process. development in the Nemunas Delta in the context of Today, the complexity of the interaction between global climate change. the worlds of nature and human activity is being 162 RESEARCH FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT 2020, VOLUME 35 ECONOMICS DOI: 10.22616/rrd.26.2020.024 ECONOMICSToday, the complexity of the interaction between the worlds of nature and humanDOI: 10.22616/rrd.26.2020activity is being actualized.024 inDEVELOPMENT terms of global climateOF ECOSYSTEM change. The SERVICE source of change – development, as the initiator of change, manifests itself inOPPORTUNITIES overcoming the limitations IN THE NEMUNAS of traditional DELTA thinking, IN THEFigure 1. CONTEXTToday, theOF complexityGLOBAL CLIMATE of the interaction CHANGE betweenOvercoming the worlds limitations of nature and humanVytautas activity Pilipavičius, is being Jan actualized Žukovskis in terms of global climate change. The source of change – development, as the initiator of change, manifests itself in overcoming the limitations of traditional thinking, Figure 1. Current Overcoming limitations Done as as usual forcoming Tensions of the Current problem field Done as as usual forcoming Figure 1. DevelopmentsTensions in Overcomingof the Limitations . problem field Problem field tensions are stability interruption situations arising in the process of change that create preconditions for developmentFigure Figureand require 1. Developments new situation in in definitenessOvercoming Overcoming in Limitations Limitations.the past-future. -present interaction, Figure 2. Problem field tensions are stabilityPresence interruption – real situations arising in the process of change that create preconditions for development and require new situation definiteness in the past-future-present interaction, Figure Artificial processes 2. „Currentness“ Presence – real UsualArtificial processes Processable The past „Currentness“ The future UsualNatural processes Processable The past The future FigureFigure 2. Tensions 2. Tensions of the ofproblem the problem field ( Щедровицкийfield (Щедровицкий,, 2019). 2019). Natural processes actualizedToday, in in termsthe context of global of global climate change change. access The(Schwab, development 2018), we can(A associateShort History development of ..., with2015), the asshift an sourcefrom traditional of change οίκος Figure– development,ƞομος 2. Tensionsto smart waysas of thethe of probleminitiator organizing fieldof οίκος (Щедровицкийinstrument λοɤος, capturing of , sustainable2019) the. tensions development, of the problematic responsible field in three dimensions of time: being as acting reality in relation to the past (what is past); you are in touch with the change, manifests itself in overcoming the limitations social behaviour, ensuring the connection between present (what is real); you are in touch with the future (what is to come). of traditionalToday, in thinking,the context Figure of global 1. change access (Schwab,investment 2018), we canand associate territorial development development, with the solving shift Development is based on a complex, systemic nature, providing reproductive, developmental, and investment fromProblem traditional field οίκος tensionsƞομος to smartare stability ways of organizinginterruption οίκος problems λοɤος, capturing of care thechange tensions and of shapingthe problematic future fieldsocial functions (Мескон et al., 2004). insituations three dimensions arising ofin time: the beingprocess as acting of change reality inthat relation clutches to the pastof cultural (what is lifestyles past); you and are other in touch contemporary with the Reproductive functions associated with problematization of the ‘being’ in the present-past tension, ensuring present (what is real); you are in touch with the future (what is to come). createcontinuous preconditions functioning infor the development short term, focused and require on the repetitionglobal ofissues lifestyle that conditions.reflect a new tradition. Development is based on a complex, systemic nature, providing reproductive, developmental, and investment new Improvementsituation definiteness functions within the problematization past-future-present of the ‘Methodologybeing’ in the tensionsof Empirical of the Research present and the future, in functions (Мескон et al., 2004). interaction,order to progress Figure in 2.the medium term with a view to improving Anthe empiricalquality of life.study has been carried out to analyse Reproductive functions associated with problematization of the ‘being’ in the present-past tension, ensuring Today,Investment in the functio contextns – withof global the problematization change access of thethe ‘being’ feasibility as done of in thedeveloping tension of ecosystem the future and services as usual in continuous functioning in the short term, focused on the repetition of lifestyle conditions. (Schwab,as in the past, 2018), in the we long can-term associate perspective development of strategic with development the Nemunas
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