Ecosystem services in Sahelian village landscapes 1952–2016: estimating change in a data scarce region

Abstract

Paper summary generated by OpenAI: This study investigates the changes in ecosystem services in rural Burkina Faso from 1952 to 2016, amidst significant alterations in rainfall, population, and land use. Utilizing a novel model to bridge data gaps, the research combines historical aerial photographs, satellite imagery, field observations, and interviews across six villages to assess ten key provisioning ecosystem services. Findings reveal a substantial increase in cultivated ecosystem services, while non-cultivated services such as firewood and medicinal resources have significantly declined. The results highlight the importance of maintaining shrubs and trees in agricultural landscapes to support rural livelihoods and suggest that the methodology developed could be applicable in other data-scarce regions.