Impacts of land Use/land cover dynamics on ecosystem services in Jimma Rare District, Western Ethiopia

Land use/land cover (LULC) change is one of the most important environmental phenomena that have affected the earth’s system and its ecosystem services. This study was conducted to assess the impacts of LULC change on ecosystem services in the Jimma Rare district for over four decades (1974–2019). To understand the spatial and temporal changes of LULC, a four-time period of satellite images (1974, 1991, 2005, and 2019) were obtained. In addition, respondent interviews, focus group discussions (FGD) and field observations were employed to identify the drivers of land use changes. Moreover, the ecosystem service value coefficients developed at a global level were used to assess the impacts of LULC on the ecosystem service provision of the study area. The study showed that grassland decreased from 4518.87 ha (13.09%) to 902.42 ha (2.61%), forest land 3287.79 ha (9.52%) to 2506.63 ha (7.26%) and wetlands from 1182.08 ha (3.42%) to 562.37 ha (1.63%) in the study period. The most remarkable expansion of cultivated land and settlement area occurred from 1974 to 1991. The total ecosystem service value was reduced from 662.75 million $/ha/yr to 577.03 million $/ha/yr in the period, indicating the impact of LULC on ecosystem service values. From this study, it is possible to conclude that Jimma Rare District has experienced a significant change in LULC and ecosystem service over the past 45 years. Hence, appropriate land use policy packages are required to curb the impacts of such LULC changes on vital ecosystem services thereby enhancing sustainable flow of ecosystem services in the study district.