Assessment of ecosystem service diversity and evenness in Asia's largest freshwater mangrove forest

Participatory mapping is critical in assessing the evenness and diversity of ecosystem services (ES) to support sustainable livelihoods, land use planning, and forest management. It guarantees the integration of local perspectives, aids in identifying important service areas, and promotes balanced management techniques that harmonize ecological health with the objectives and requirements of the community. This study aims to track the public’s participation in Asia’s largest area of delicious swampy land, India’s Hijol Forest (also known as Tilason Forest). Based on the Common International Classification for Ecosystem Services framework, prior research, and local context, fourteen ES were chosen. The spatial interaction and identification of the ES bundle were done using both non-spatial (Principal Component Analysis and Correlation Analysis) and spatial methods (Shannon Diversity Index-SHDI and Simpson Evenness Index-SHEI, Spatial Auto-correlation, and Hotspot Analysis). According to the findings, of the 808 polygons mapped, the most common mapping service was fuelwood provisioning, with 115 polygons, while cognitive development services had the fewest, with 17 polygons. The greatest area was agricultural land (170.37 hectares), while the smallest was cognitive development (9.89 hectares). Fuelwood had the highest SHDI (0.28), while cognitive development and nutrition cycling had the lowest (0.08). Additionally, fuelwood had the most consistent distribution, according to SHEI (0.22). The forest and nearby wetlands had high diversity and evenness scores. Fuelwood and nutrition cycling had strong relationships (0.67), as did cognitive development and water regulation (0.94). Three bundles were found by PCA: cultural and recreational services, water and regulation, and provisioning and habitat. The results demonstrate that PPGIS-based ES assessments capture local knowledge effectively, revealing discrepancies between perceived and actual ES distribution. These findings inform adaptive management strategies, contributing to Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) related to environmental conservation, poverty alleviation, and inclusive decision-making.