Assessing the quality of life in mountain social-ecological systems: a case study for the connection between wellbeing and water resource quality in the Calimani Mountains, Romania

The ecological state of water bodies fundamentally influences quality of the ecosystem services provided and consequentially the wellbeing of the population benefitting from these services. Mountain areas are complex social-ecological systems particularly vulnerable to risks, as they are characterized by specific environmental conditions where even small changes can have a significant impact on both the environment and human communities. For the present paper, the northern slope of the Calimani Mountains related to the Siret hydrographic basin was taken as a case study. The economic, social, and ecological value of ecosystem services, in this case water resources, have been analysed and quantified, considering the current conditions given by climate change and specific anthropic pressures exerted on the environment. A series of sustainable development indicators provided by water resources were calculated and estimated. The supply of ecosystem services with their ecological, economic, and social value, which aquatic resources provide for human communities, were determined and quantified. A series of indicators of sustainable development as well as indicators of ecosystem services provided by water resources in the study area were calculated and estimated.