Impact of Land Cover Change on Ecosystem Services in a Tropical Forested Landscape
Roshan Sharma,
Bhagawat Rimal,
Himlal Baral,
Udo Nehren,
Kiran Paudyal,
Sunil Sharma,
Sushila Rijal,
Surendra Ranpal,
Ram Prasad Acharya,
Amer A. Alenazy,
Prashid Kandel
Affiliations
Roshan Sharma
Institute for Technology and Resources Management in the Tropics and Subtropics, TH Köln—University of Applied Sciences, Betzdorfer Straße 2, 50679 Cologne, Germany
Bhagawat Rimal
College of Applied Sciences, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu 44613, Nepal
Himlal Baral
Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Jalan CIFOR, Situ Gede, Sindang Barang, Bogor 16115, Indonesia
Udo Nehren
Institute for Technology and Resources Management in the Tropics and Subtropics, TH Köln—University of Applied Sciences, Betzdorfer Straße 2, 50679 Cologne, Germany
Kiran Paudyal
School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, VIC 3010, Australia
Sunil Sharma
Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Jalan CIFOR, Situ Gede, Sindang Barang, Bogor 16115, Indonesia
Sushila Rijal
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Mahendra Ratna Multiple Campus, Ilam 57300, Nepal
Surendra Ranpal
Ernst Moritz Arndt University Greifswald Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology Soldmannstr, 15 D-17487 Greifswald, Germany
Ram Prasad Acharya
Institute for Agriculture and the Environment, University of Southern Queensland, West St, Darling Heights, QLD 4350, Australia
Amer A. Alenazy
School of Business, La Trobe University, Melbourne 3072, Australia
Ecosystems provide a wide range of goods, services or ecosystem services (ES) to society. Estimating the impact of land use and land cover (LULC) changes on ES values (ESV) is an important tool to support decision making. This study used remote sensing and GIS tools to analyze LULC change and transitions from 2001 to 2016 and assess its impact on ESV in a tropical forested landscape in the southern plains of Nepal. The total ESV of the landscape for the year 2016 is estimated at USD 1264 million year−1. As forests are the dominant land cover class and have high ES value per hectare, they have the highest contribution in total ESV. However, as a result of LULC change (loss of forests, water bodies, and agricultural land), the total ESV of the landscape has declined by USD 11 million year−1. Major reductions come from the loss in values of climate regulation, water supply, provision of raw materials and food production. To halt the ongoing loss of ES and maintain the supply and balance of different ES in the landscape, it is important to properly monitor, manage and utilize ecosystems. We believe this study will inform policymakers, environmental managers, and the general public on the ongoing changes and contribute to developing effective land use policy in the region.
