Land use and land cover changes and their effect on ecosystem service values in the Bale Ecoregion, southeastern Ethiopia

The Bale Ecoregion (BER) is known for its global importance in biodiversity and as a water tower for East African drylands. Land use and land covers (LULC) have been changing for decades, affecting forest ecosystem service values (ESVs), but available information is limited. The present study addres...

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Autores principales: Haileslassie, Amare, Taye, Meron Teferi, Diyessa, M., Mekuria, Wolde
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Frontiers Media 2024
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/148786
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author Haileslassie, Amare
Taye, Meron Teferi
Diyessa, M.
Mekuria, Wolde
author_browse Diyessa, M.
Haileslassie, Amare
Mekuria, Wolde
Taye, Meron Teferi
author_facet Haileslassie, Amare
Taye, Meron Teferi
Diyessa, M.
Mekuria, Wolde
author_sort Haileslassie, Amare
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description The Bale Ecoregion (BER) is known for its global importance in biodiversity and as a water tower for East African drylands. Land use and land covers (LULC) have been changing for decades, affecting forest ecosystem service values (ESVs), but available information is limited. The present study addresses these gaps by using contrasting watersheds representing the highland, midland, and lowland agroecologies in the BER. LULC classifications were performed using GIS and remote sensing tools. Multisite imagery data (using Landsat image resolution 30 m × 30 m) were generated for four observation periods: 1992, 2002, 2012, and 2022. A recently updated global ESV coefficient and the value transfer valuation method were applied to estimate the changes in ESVs related to LULC changes. The result demonstrates that between 1992 and 2022, forest land has decreased by 3%, 63%, and 22% in the highland, midland, and lowland areas, respectively. Different degrees of loss of ESVs were observed across the study periods and LULC. Of the 21 specific ESVs investigated, the highest annual losses were recorded for water ecosystem services both in the midland and lowland landscape positions. Increased ESVs for cultivated land could not offset losses in food ESVs at the scale of agroecology. Significant impacts of LULC changes on specific ecosystem services, such as water, and changes in natural connectivity between the highland and lowland areas were observed. The result suggests that stakeholders need to co-plan and manage the BER. This evidence provides a scientific underpinning for understanding the connection between LULC change and ESVs and supports informed policy decisions.
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spelling CGSpace1487862025-12-08T10:29:22Z Land use and land cover changes and their effect on ecosystem service values in the Bale Ecoregion, southeastern Ethiopia Haileslassie, Amare Taye, Meron Teferi Diyessa, M. Mekuria, Wolde land-use change land cover change ecosystem services landscape water resources deforestation agroecology forest land livelihoods watersheds policies The Bale Ecoregion (BER) is known for its global importance in biodiversity and as a water tower for East African drylands. Land use and land covers (LULC) have been changing for decades, affecting forest ecosystem service values (ESVs), but available information is limited. The present study addresses these gaps by using contrasting watersheds representing the highland, midland, and lowland agroecologies in the BER. LULC classifications were performed using GIS and remote sensing tools. Multisite imagery data (using Landsat image resolution 30 m × 30 m) were generated for four observation periods: 1992, 2002, 2012, and 2022. A recently updated global ESV coefficient and the value transfer valuation method were applied to estimate the changes in ESVs related to LULC changes. The result demonstrates that between 1992 and 2022, forest land has decreased by 3%, 63%, and 22% in the highland, midland, and lowland areas, respectively. Different degrees of loss of ESVs were observed across the study periods and LULC. Of the 21 specific ESVs investigated, the highest annual losses were recorded for water ecosystem services both in the midland and lowland landscape positions. Increased ESVs for cultivated land could not offset losses in food ESVs at the scale of agroecology. Significant impacts of LULC changes on specific ecosystem services, such as water, and changes in natural connectivity between the highland and lowland areas were observed. The result suggests that stakeholders need to co-plan and manage the BER. This evidence provides a scientific underpinning for understanding the connection between LULC change and ESVs and supports informed policy decisions. 2024-06-27 2024-06-30T13:02:50Z 2024-06-30T13:02:50Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/148786 en Open Access Frontiers Media Haileslassie, Amare; Taye, Meron Teferi; Diyessa, M.; Mekuria, Wolde. 2024. Land use and land cover changes and their effect on ecosystem service values in the Bale Ecoregion, southeastern Ethiopia. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 12:1386026. [doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1386026]
spellingShingle land-use change
land cover change
ecosystem services
landscape
water resources
deforestation
agroecology
forest land
livelihoods
watersheds
policies
Haileslassie, Amare
Taye, Meron Teferi
Diyessa, M.
Mekuria, Wolde
Land use and land cover changes and their effect on ecosystem service values in the Bale Ecoregion, southeastern Ethiopia
title Land use and land cover changes and their effect on ecosystem service values in the Bale Ecoregion, southeastern Ethiopia
title_full Land use and land cover changes and their effect on ecosystem service values in the Bale Ecoregion, southeastern Ethiopia
title_fullStr Land use and land cover changes and their effect on ecosystem service values in the Bale Ecoregion, southeastern Ethiopia
title_full_unstemmed Land use and land cover changes and their effect on ecosystem service values in the Bale Ecoregion, southeastern Ethiopia
title_short Land use and land cover changes and their effect on ecosystem service values in the Bale Ecoregion, southeastern Ethiopia
title_sort land use and land cover changes and their effect on ecosystem service values in the bale ecoregion southeastern ethiopia
topic land-use change
land cover change
ecosystem services
landscape
water resources
deforestation
agroecology
forest land
livelihoods
watersheds
policies
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/148786
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