Exploring changes in ecosystem service values in strongly human-impacted, contrasting agro-ecological environments

Evaluating the impacts of land-use/land-cover (LULC) changes on ecosystem service values (ESVs) is essential for sustainable use and management of ecosystems. In this study, we evaluated the impact of LULC changes on ESVs over the period 1982–2016/17 in contrasting, strongly human-impacted agro-ecological environments: Guder (highland), Aba Gerima (midland), and Debatie (lowland) watersheds of the Upper Blue Nile basin, Ethiopia. During the study period, the continuous expansion of cultivated land at the expense of natural vegetation (bushland, forest, and grazing land) severely reduced the total ESV by about US$58 thousand (35%) in Aba Gerima and US$31 thousand (29%) in Debatie watersheds. In contrast, the unprecedented expansion of plantations, mainly through the planting of Acacia decurrens, helped the total ESV rebound by about US$71 thousand (54%) in Guder watershed after 2006, after it had decreased by about US$61 thousand (32%) between 1982 and 2006. The reduction in natural fore...