Mapping the supply of nature’s contributions to people on Mount Kilimanjaro

Abstract Mount Kilimanjaro, with its steep elevational gradient (770–5886 m a.s.l.) and pronounced land-use heterogeneity, supports high biodiversity and diverse nature’s contributions to people (NCP), but it is underrepresented in global spatial assessments. We address this gap by mapping NCP supply across 12 ecosystem types on the southern slopes identifying hotspots and coldspots and quantifying synergies and trade-offs among NCP categories. We use 25 context-specific NCP categories that integrate local and scientific knowledge with field measurements and remote-sensing-derived proxies. Combining long-term field data with remote sensing and machine learning, we upscaled plot-scale indicators into standardized supply maps. Total NCP supply is strongly concentrated in mid-elevation ecosystems: the 1100–2200 m band alone accounted for ∼59% of total supply compared with ∼18% in the lowlands (700–1100 m), and the 1100–2800 m belts together provide ∼73%, whereas high-elevation zones (2800–4600 m) contribute <9%. Hotspots clustered in lower montane forest, Ocotea forest and homegardens at mid-elevations, while coldspots occur in Erica forest and Helichrysum vegetation at high elevations and in maize fields and savanna at low elevations. We detected moderate ( r = 0.55) to strong synergies ( r = 0.83) among the three NCP groups (material, regulating, non-material). After accounting for climatic co-variation, the correlations among NCP groups weakened ( r = 0.23–0.44), underscoring the critical role of climate for NCP supply. Our study maps NCP hotspots and coldspots across Mt. Kilimanjaro and provides a decision-support layer for conservation, restoration and agroforestry management, as well as a blueprint for spatially-explicit NCP mapping and analyses.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Environmental Research Letters
Published
2026-02-13
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ae45bd
Primary Topic
Land Use and Ecosystem Services
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Mapping the supply of nature’s contributions to people on Mount Kilimanjaro

Jörg Albrecht, Dominic A. Martin, Dickson Gerald Mauki, Insa Otte et al.
Environmental Research Letters
Land Use and Ecosystem Services
article

Mapping the supply of nature’s contributions to people on Mount Kilimanjaro

Jörg Albrecht, Dominic A. Martin, Dickson Gerald Mauki, Insa Otte, Netra Bhandari, Andreas Hemp, Milena Groß, Friederike Gebert, Armin Komposch, Dirk Zeuss, Alice Claßen, Henry K. Njovu, Neema Robert Kinabo, John Sanya, Ugo Arbieu, Robert M. Byamungu, Antonia V. Mayr, Giovanni Bianco, Margot Neyret, Jasmine Pearson, Peter K. Manning, Marcell K. Peters, Thomas Müller, Ralf Kiese, Matthias Schleuning, Andrea Larissa Boesing, Claudia Hemp, Gaëlle Bocksberger, Koggani Dickson Koggani, Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter, Victoria Junquera, Markus Fischer, Joscha N Becker, Maximilian G. R. Vollstaedt, Tim Appelhans, Jie Zhang, Yakov Kuzyakov
article en

Abstract

Abstract Mount Kilimanjaro, with its steep elevational gradient (770–5886 m a.s.l.) and pronounced land-use heterogeneity, supports high biodiversity and diverse nature’s contributions to people (NCP), but it is underrepresented in global spatial assessments. We address this gap by mapping NCP supply across 12 ecosystem types on the southern slopes identifying hotspots and coldspots and quantifying synergies and trade-offs among NCP categories. We use 25 context-specific NCP categories that integrate local and scientific knowledge with field measurements and remote-sensing-derived proxies. Combining long-term field data with remote sensing and machine learning, we upscaled plot-scale indicators into standardized supply maps. Total NCP supply is strongly concentrated in mid-elevation ecosystems: the 1100–2200 m band alone accounted for ∼59% of total supply compared with ∼18% in the lowlands (700–1100 m), and the 1100–2800 m belts together provide ∼73%, whereas high-elevation zones (2800–4600 m) contribute <9%. Hotspots clustered in lower montane forest, Ocotea forest and homegardens at mid-elevations, while coldspots occur in Erica forest and Helichrysum vegetation at high elevations and in maize fields and savanna at low elevations. We detected moderate ( r = 0.55) to strong synergies ( r = 0.83) among the three NCP groups (material, regulating, non-material). After accounting for climatic co-variation, the correlations among NCP groups weakened ( r = 0.23–0.44), underscoring the critical role of climate for NCP supply. Our study maps NCP hotspots and coldspots across Mt. Kilimanjaro and provides a decision-support layer for conservation, restoration and agroforestry management, as well as a blueprint for spatially-explicit NCP mapping and analyses.

Environmental Research LettersVol. 21(5)
Leuphana University of Lüneburg (DE), University of Bern (CH), Bern University of Applied Sciences (CH), University of Bonn (DE), Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (DE), Universität Hamburg (DE), Philipps University of Marburg (DE), Hochschule Bremen (DE), University of Bremen (DE), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (DE), University of Würzburg (DE), Université Paris-Saclay (FR), Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt/M (DE), Amt für Umwelt (CH), Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation (SA), Institute of Geography (KZ), Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (DE), Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (ES), Laboratoire d'Écologie Alpine (FR), Garmisch-Partenkirchen Medical Center (DE), University of Bergen (NO), University of Bayreuth (DE), University of Göttingen (DE), RMIT University (AU), Sokoine University of Agriculture (TZ), Hamburg University of Technology (DE), Wageningen University & Research (NL)
Life in Land
Openalex Percentile: Top 69%
Land Use and Ecosystem Services
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.