The impacts of land-use change on the provision of ecosystem services in Zambia

Ecosystems are important in ensuring human well-being, and ecosystem services significantly impact human survival and quality of life. Human activities are changing ecosystems and then affecting ecosystem services. The research related to ecosystem services assessment has been relatively well conducted in Europe, North America, and Asia. However, there is less research work in Africa, especially central and west Africa, although the forest system provides a wide range of goods and services to human populations locally. This thesis investigated and compared how ecosystem services changed between a protected area (Kafue National Park) (KNP) and an agricultural landscape (Kalomo district) in Zambia from 2000 to 2020. A mixed methodological approach was applied in this thesis. I collected information on carbon stocks and the Trumpeter hornbill in both landscapes through a literature review and interviews. I applied the InVEST models and ArcGIS to assess, map and visually display a regulating service (carbon storage) and a supporting service (habitat quality). The results indicated: 1. KNP was protected well during the research period, but the Kalomo district experienced dramatic land conversion. 2. The volumes of carbon storage increased in KNP but decreased in the Kalomo, and the Trumpeter hornbill’s habitat quality has been improved in KNP but degraded in the Kalomo. 3. There is a relatively strong consistency between carbon stock and forest habitat quality in both landscapes. I concluded that land-use change is the primary driver of the change in ecosystem services. I discussed the importance and implications of ecosystem services maps as valuable tools for sustainable decision-making, guiding decision-makers in the design of future land management strategies and policies.Forestry, Faculty ofGraduat