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Variation in Ecosystem Service Values in an Agroforestry Dominated Landscape in Ethiopia: Implications for Land Use and Conservation Policy

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  • Habtamu Temesgen

    (College of Land Management, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
    Department of Natural Resources Management, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dilla University, Dilla 419, Ethiopia)

  • Wei Wu

    (College of Land Management, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
    National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Rural Land Resources Use and Consolidation, Nanjing 210095, China)

  • Xiaoping Shi

    (College of Land Management, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
    College of Public Administration, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China)

  • Eshetu Yirsaw

    (College of Land Management, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
    Department of Natural Resources Management, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dilla University, Dilla 419, Ethiopia)

  • Belewu Bekele

    (College of Land Management, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
    Department of Natural Resources Management, Assosa ATVET Collage, Assosa 242, Ethiopia)

  • Mengistie Kindu

    (Remote Sensing Working Group, Technical University of Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany)

Abstract

Human pressure on a rugged and fragile landscape can cause land use/cover changes that significantly alter the provision of ecosystem services. Estimating the multiple services, particularly those obtained from agroforestry systems, is seldom attempted. A combined approach of geospatial technology, cross-sectional field investigations, and economic valuation of natural capital was used to develop an ecosystem service valuation (ESV) model to estimate changes in ESV between 1986 and 2015 in southern Ethiopia. Over 120 values were sourced, mainly from an ecosystem service valuation database and allied sources, to establish value coefficients via benefit transfer method. Our 1848 km 2 study landscape, with eight land use categories, yielded an annual total ESV of $129 × 10 6 in 1986 and $147 × 10 6 in 2015, a 14.2% ($18.3 million) increase in three decades, showing its relative resilience. Yet we observed losses of natural vegetation classes whose area and/or value coefficients were too small to offset their increased value from expanding agroforestry and wetland/marshes, which have the largest cover share and highest economic value, respectively. Appreciating the unique features of agroforests, we strongly recommend that their economic value is studied as a separate ecosystem for further valuation accuracy improvement.

Suggested Citation

  • Habtamu Temesgen & Wei Wu & Xiaoping Shi & Eshetu Yirsaw & Belewu Bekele & Mengistie Kindu, 2018. "Variation in Ecosystem Service Values in an Agroforestry Dominated Landscape in Ethiopia: Implications for Land Use and Conservation Policy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-20, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:4:p:1126-:d:140245
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    3. Negasi Solomon & Alcade C. Segnon & Emiru Birhane, 2019. "Ecosystem Service Values Changes in Response to Land-Use/Land-Cover Dynamics in Dry Afromontane Forest in Northern Ethiopia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-15, November.
    4. Esther Reith & Elizabeth Gosling & Thomas Knoke & Carola Paul, 2020. "How Much Agroforestry Is Needed to Achieve Multifunctional Landscapes at the Forest Frontier?—Coupling Expert Opinion with Robust Goal Programming," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-27, July.
    5. Raju Rai & Yili Zhang & Basanta Paudel & Bipin Kumar Acharya & Laxmi Basnet, 2018. "Land Use and Land Cover Dynamics and Assessing the Ecosystem Service Values in the Trans-Boundary Gandaki River Basin, Central Himalayas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-22, August.
    6. Abebaw Andarge Gedefaw & Clement Atzberger & Thomas Bauer & Sayeh Kassaw Agegnehu & Reinfried Mansberger, 2020. "Analysis of Land Cover Change Detection in Gozamin District, Ethiopia: From Remote Sensing and DPSIR Perspectives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-25, June.

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