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Variations of ecosystem service values as a response to land use and land cover dynamics in central malawi

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Abstract

Ecosystems offer several services that are crucial to the well-being and survival of humankind. However, these ecosystem services are under great pressure due to anthropogenic activities and climate change. While land use and land cover dynamics have been broadly researched in various ecological contexts, the effects of these changes on the value of ecosystem service have received limited attention in Malawi. The analysis and quantification of changes in ecosystem services values (ESVs) is an essential tool to inform policy formulation, generation of public awareness and development of sustainable land use or biodiversity conservation plans. This study, therefore, aimed at analyzing the impacts of s-temporal dynamics of land use/land cover (LULC) ESVs in Central Malawi for the period 1991 to 2035 using the benefit transfer method. The results in the studied landscape indicated a decrease in total ESVs from US$88.7million in 1991 to US$80.9, US$77.6, US$76.6 and US$76.0 million in 2001, 2015, 2025 and 2035, respectively. For the period under investigation, a decreasing trend is revealed in the contributions of individual ecosystem functions and the trend is suggested to continue in the future (2035). The major contributors to the total ESVs were food production, water regulation, biological control, water supply and pollination representing 84.1, 88.0 and 88.7% in 1991, 2015 and 2035, respectively. Overall, the decrease in ESVs indicates ecological degradation due to LULC dynamics. The findings of this study can also be used to track past and future environmental changes. Furthermore, this study can assist policymakers and environmental planners to make informed decisions on investment options and prioritize conservation efforts for sustainable management of natural resources in Malawi and other landscapes of similar settings. This will ensure there are long-term provisions of essential ecosystem services in Central Malawi.

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Acknowledgements

This research study was supported by the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), University of Pretoria, the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa, and the Schlumberger Foundation through its Faculty for the Future Program. We would also like to thank the Malawi Department of Forestry, the Malawi Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services, and the NSO for the ancillary data used in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MwAPATA Institute, Chilanga Drive, Off Blantyre Street, Area 10/446, Lilongwe, P.O Box 30883, Malawi

    Maggie G. Munthali

  2. Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Institute of Forest Management, Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354, Freising, Germany

    Mengistie Kindu

  3. South African Weather Service (SAWS), Private Bag X097, Pretoria, 001, South Africa

    Abiodun M. Adeola & Joel O. Botai

  4. Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa

    Abiodun M. Adeola & Nerhene Davis

  5. School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Private Bag X54001, Durban, 4000, South Africa

    Joel O. Botai

  6. Department of Land Resources Management and Environmental Protection, Mekelle University, P.O. Box 231, 7000Mekelle, Ethiopia

    Negasi Solomon

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  1. Maggie G. Munthali
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Correspondence to Maggie G. Munthali.

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Munthali, M.G., Kindu, M., Adeola, A.M. et al. Variations of ecosystem service values as a response to land use and land cover dynamics in central malawi. Environ Dev Sustain 25, 9821–9837 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-022-02461-w

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