The effect of land use/land cover change on ecosystem services values of Jibat forest landscape, Ethiopia

Ecosystems are the basis for production of services that are vital for human wellbeing. In this study, land use/land cover (LULC) data of over four decades was used along with ecosystem service values (ESV) of biomes to understand the temporal and spatial changes in ESV of landscape. Perception of local communities about ecosystem services was also analyzed. The study indicated that due to land use changes from 1973 to 2015, a total of US$ 22.78 million of ecosystem services was reduced. Sensitivity analysis of the proxies used to estimate values gained/lost indicated that the results are inelastic and the use of global data sets to estimate ecosystem services of biomes is reasonable and robust. Local communities in the study area also recognized the ecosystem services of the forests as one of the most important environmental benefits they are obtaining from and identified the ecosystem services lost as a result of land use change from forest. The use of LULC data along with established ESV data sets reduce the costs of ground data collection, help in tracking of past environmental changes and acquisition of quick and reliable results that can be used for decision making processes. In addition, understandings of local communities’ perception about the condition of ecosystem service will help to reinforce the existing methodologies to enhance sustainable environmental resources.