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Regular Articles

Spatial assessment of ecosystem service trade-offs and synergies in Zimbabwe

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Abstract

As the human population continues to increase, ecosystem services (ES) are increasingly under pressure to support livelihoods and economies. This pressure leads to spatial trade-offs among ES in multi-functional landscapes. Characterising ES trade-offs and synergies is critical for sustainable management of ecosystems. This study therefore sought to quantify the spatial structure of ES, as well as assess and map trade-offs and synergies that exist among six ES at national scale in Zimbabwe. Pair-wise relationships between ES were assessed using Pearson’s product moment correlation test. Principal Component Analysis and the K-means cluster analysis were used to detect trade-offs and synergies among ES. The results show that surface water supply and carbon sequestration were positively correlated (r = 0.52). This implies a synergy. By contrast, forage provision was negatively correlated with carbon sequestration and surface water supply (r = -0.38 and -0.51, respectively). A weak but significant correlation was also observed between cattle density and soil conservation. The study for the first time demonstrates the existence of ES trade-offs and synergies throughout Zimbabwe based on six key ES indicators – net primary productivity, surface water supply, cattle density, soil carbon, soil conservation and grazing capacity.

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