Quantifying the Impact of Urbanization on Ecosystem Services in National Capital Region of Delhi (2005-2025): A Monetary Valuation Approach

Quantifying the Impact of Urbanization on Ecosystem Services in National Capital Region of Delhi (2005-2025): A Monetary Valuation Approach | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Quantifying the Impact of Urbanization on Ecosystem Services in National Capital Region of Delhi (2005-2025): A Monetary Valuation Approach Abhinav Kapoor This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6703991/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 20 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The National Capital Region (NCR) of India, centered around Delhi, is undergoing rapid urbanization, leading to significant transformations in land cover and ecosystem services. Ecosystem services are categorized into four types: provisioning (material outputs like food, water, and timber), supporting (fundamental processes like nutrient cycling and soil formation), regulating (benefits such as climate moderation and flood control), and cul- tural (non-material values like recreation and spiritual enrichment). This study evaluates the impact of land cover changes on the availability and economic value of ecosystem services from 2005 to 2025, employing the monetary valuation framework by Costanza (2014). By analyzing shifts in land cover types such as forests, wetlands, and urban areas, the research quantifies the trade-offs between urban expansion and ecosystem functional- ity. Key findings reveal a decline in regulating and supporting services, such as carbon sequestration and water retention, due to the conversion of natural landscapes into built- up areas. Conversely, cultural services, like recreation, show localized increases. Analysis reveals substantial declines in regulating services across districts, with Faridabad showing a 60% reduction, Gautam Buddha Nagar decreasing by 58%, and Delhi experiencing a 25% decline. Supporting services exhibited similar patterns, decreasing by 37% in Faridabad and 15% in Delhi. Provisioning services demonstrated more variability, declining by 12% in Jhajjar while increasing by 7% in Baghpat. These quantified changes demonstrate the measurable impacts of urban expansion on ecosystem functionality. Using remote sensing and spatial analysis, this study provides policymakers with metrics to evaluate trade-offs between development and ecosystem preservation in rapidly urbanizing regions. The find- ings emphasize the need for planning approaches that maintain critical ecosystem services while accommodating urban growth. Urbanization Ecosystem Services Land Cover Change Monetary Valuation Sustainable Development Delhi NCR Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 18 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 13 Aug, 2025 Reviews received at journal 10 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 10 Aug, 2025 Reviews received at journal 09 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 09 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 08 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 08 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 08 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 08 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 08 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 08 Aug, 2025 Reviews received at journal 04 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 21 Jun, 2025 Reviews received at journal 18 Jun, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 18 Jun, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 17 Jun, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 21 May, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 21 May, 2025 First submitted to journal 20 May, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6703991","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":473334542,"identity":"516f8092-3357-4df3-a5af-2e0c4958c418","order_by":0,"name":"Abhinav Kapoor","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA9klEQVRIie3RMQrCMBSA4VeETk/dJNJSr1ARFKHoVQTBqYoH6OCkizoXvIpDSqCT1lWwQ12cRBRBXBTbiKJgq6ND/iUJ5OMRAiAS/WMEgfL1fjRQBuQ7/JW0fiPwQljiZV52MnJY12KQH8yd4DBdqJncnMLZArUSN8T3Gsx2GSjYaRbtzQplpdOQhi5gtRdjlqbOUG6BBmZZQRoRU4d0D1Cnn0WBk2tIstuIeJxIlwSiRyTdN0AhfArlJJU0pejPQjI2MG/vwrfQJn8LU10SS7TVsHTEE9HIou0Ee1qrFyZtZ721jHoceYRv30Gf//RViUQikehTNxZ8UaLajR6KAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Indian Institute of Management Bangalore","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Abhinav","middleName":"","lastName":"Kapoor","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-05-20 05:38:24","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6703991/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6703991/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":84953666,"identity":"93be6088-132c-4aed-9257-9d67c033087a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-19 07:47:22","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":818495,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Revised21052025UrbanizationandEcosystemServicesinDelhiNCR20052025DiscoverCities.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6703991/v1_covered_7761b1f2-d1ea-47e3-a5a9-9959893d31c0.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Quantifying the Impact of Urbanization on Ecosystem Services in National Capital Region of Delhi (2005-2025): A Monetary Valuation Approach","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-cities","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Cities](https://www.springer.com/journal/44327)","snPcode":"44327","submissionUrl":"https://submission.springernature.com/new-submission/44327/3","title":"Discover Cities","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Urbanization, Ecosystem Services, Land Cover Change, Monetary Valuation, Sustainable Development, Delhi NCR","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6703991/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6703991/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe National Capital Region (NCR) of India, centered around Delhi, is undergoing rapid urbanization, leading to significant transformations in land cover and ecosystem services. 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