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The increasing pressure from land cover change exacerbates the negative effect on ecosystems and ecosystem services (ES). One approach to inform holistic and sustainable management is to quantify the ES provided by the landscape. Using the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model, this study quantified the sediment retention capacity and water yield potential of different land cover in the Santee River Basin Network in South Carolina, USA. Results showed that vegetated areas provided the highest sediment retention capacity and lowest water yield potential. Also, the simulations demonstrated that keeping the offseason crop areas vegetated by planting cover crops improves the monthly ES provision of the landscape. Retaining the soil within the land area prevents possible contamination and siltation of rivers and streams. On the other hand, low water yield potential translates to low occurrence of surface runoff, which indicates better soil erosion control, regulated soil nutrient absorption and gradual infiltration. The results of this study can be used for landscape sustainability management to assess the possible tradeoffs between ecological conservation and economic development. Furthermore, the generated map of ES can be used to pinpoint the areas where ES are best provided within the landscape.

Identifying priority areas for conservation remains a challenge since ecosystem-based models are typically data extensive. As a response to this challenge, InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs) was developed to map diverse types of ecosystem services (ES). Although InVEST has been widely used in other countries, its application within the Philippines has been limited. This study offers an application of InVEST in the Philippine context. We estimated the amount of sediments exported to the streams and retained in the area by land cover type within the Balanac and Sta. Cruz watersheds. Results showed that in terms of best ecosystem service provision per hectare, vegetated areas – particularly forest land – provide the most sediment retention capacity and the least sediment export. On the other hand, the non-vegetated areas – particularly the built-up areas – provide the least sediment retention capacity and the most sediment export. These results suggest that major strategic water quality management and ES changes should be considered when converting land from one land cover type to another. Furthermore, a considerable opportunity for ecosystem service improvement to water quality through soil conservation and sustainable farming practices can be implemented in cropland areas. Since the majority of the land in both watersheds are cropland, its contribution in sediment transfers is significant, hence its role to managing soil health is of utmost importance. The findings of this study could contribute to the advancement of ES modeling in the Philippines to support land development planning and policy decisions at the national and local levels.