Socio-Ecological Drivers of Land Use Change and Wetland Conversion in Kilombero Valley Floodoplain, Tanzania

Abstract

Connections between social drivers (human activities) and ecological drivers (natural events) are currently considered as the key factors affecting land use change in tropical wetland ecosystem. However, the complexity interaction of these socio-ecological drivers is often poorly understood. This paper examined the interaction of these two systems in the Kilombero valley floodplain. Kilombero valley floodplain is one of the largest tropical wetland in Africa offering a wide spectrum of habitats for plant and animal species sustaining several ecosystem services and ecological functions, which has been under threat of wetland loss and degradation. The study used the documentary review approach to investigate the interaction of socio and ecological systems in the study area. The study revealed that population growth, market growth and price incentive for cash crops and timber products coupled with improved infrastructures, policy and institutional framework are the social drivers, while flat terrain characteristics, heavy black alluvial soils coupled with high water holding capacity, increased temperature and rainfall variability accompanied with prolonged dry spells are the ecological drivers of land use change and wetland conversion in the study area. However, there are relationships among these drivers, as they act simultaneously as well as differently to influence land use changes in the study area. The study recommended that socioecological interactions and the needs of local communities whose livelihood is highly dependent on wetland resources must be central to the development of wetland policies and wetland management approaches.

The Impact of Land Use/Land Cover Change (LULCC) on Water Resources in a Tropical Catchment in Tanzania under Different Climate Change Scenarios

“…There is a need to understand the social-ecological system to strengthen strategies, that ensure socio-economic benefits of local people, while preventing ecosystem degradation to allow a sustainable utilization and protection of the resource base [5]. The local scale and the understanding of the local communities that depend on the wetland resources and their adjacent mountain forests and savannas could be the key for the development of management policies in the Kilombero Catchment [95]. These could be for example the promotion of environmentally friendly sources of livelihood such as beekeeping, a sustainable forestry system accompanied by education on the socio-ecological system and improvements in the agricultural practices [23].…”

“…These could be for example the promotion of environmentally friendly sources of livelihood such as beekeeping, a sustainable forestry system accompanied by education on the socio-ecological system and improvements in the agricultural practices [23]. Still, migration into the valley and population growth are critical factors for the pressure on the ecological system [23,95,96]. Further information on the flooding extent, timing and duration using a hydraulic model with regard to the LULCC and climate change scenarios should support to manage the floodplain under future conditions.…”

“…Further information on the flooding extent, timing and duration using a hydraulic model with regard to the LULCC and climate change scenarios should support to manage the floodplain under future conditions. Beyond that, there is still not sufficient data on water quality, especially with regard to the emerging use of fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides [35,95].…”

Land Use change and its Drivers in the Wetlands of Barotse Floodplain of Zambezi River Sub-Basin, Zambia

“…The ecological system comprises of geologic setting, climate and its variability, pattern of primary productivity, hydrological processes, and others geophysical factors (Geist at al., 2002). The social system acts synergistically rather than by single-factor causation, with more than one-third of the cases being driven by the full interplay of economic, policy and institutional framework, technological, cultural, and demographic factors (Msofe, 2019;Redman et al, 2004;Journeaux et al, 2017;Zondag and Borsboon, 2009). These drivers of land use change tend to interact and in uence each other.…”

“…These can impact land use depending on how they are employed for economic bene ts (Redman et al, 2004;Jouarneaux et al, 2017;Lambin et al, 2003). Economic developments also affect land use in terms of growth in income and trust funds, rise in double-income households, changes in economic structure, agglomeration forces, global and local market development and organization of production process (Redman et al, 2004;Zondag and Borsboon, 2009;Msofe, 2019). The high output market prices for agricultural products for example, compel farmers to increase productivity through allocation of more resources such as labour, fertilizers and agro-chemicals on limited land to maximize output hence agricultural intensi cation (Msofe, 2019;Müller, 2004).…”