Impact of Land Use Land Cover Changes on Ecosystem Service Values: Implication for Landscape Management

Abstract Globally growing human activity has had an enormous effect on natural ecosystems and the services they provide. Estimating the effects of land use and land cover (LULC) on ecosystem service values (ESVs) is crucial for determining how land use changes affect human well-being. To ensure long-term sustainability of the ecosystems, considering the trade-offs and synergies between ecosystem services, tracking changes in ecosystem services, and implementing effective land use planning and conservation strategies, we can ensure the long-term sustainability. This study aimed to find out how ESV in the Borkena watershed of the Awash basin was impacted by LULC changes during the last three decades (1993–2023). The study quantifies the spatiotemporal variation of ESV of the Borkena watershed in relation with LULC changes. Six LULC types were identified using supervised image classification following maximum likelihood method in ArcGIS 10.8 environment. The ESV was estimated following benefit transfer methods based on the coefficients published by Costanza and his team in 2014. The results demonstrated that between 1993 and 2023, there was a continuous increase in the amount of land under cultivation and built-up area, as well as a decrease in the amount of forest and shrub land. The study shown that the significant expansion of cultivated land and built-up area and decreasing of forest and shrub land cover during 1993-2023 periods, has reduced the total ESV from US$ 640.74 in 1993 to US $603.52 in 2003 and US $607.05 in 2013 and US $625.45 in 2023. It is urgently necessary to take action to improve the sustainability of ecosystem service value at the landscape level with proper land management methods in light of the decline in both the total and individual ESV in the study area and period. The results of this study could be useful to raise public awareness of the state of ESV, landscape management and support policy-making processes.