The Barotse Floodplain is endowed with ecosystem services that support livelihoods although it is vulnerable to land use change caused by drivers of land use change leading to wetland degradation. Barotse Floodplain was listed as Ramsar Cultural Heritage Site number 1662 in 2007 although it is not protected against degradation by the Zambian Government and other stakeholders in accordance to Ramsar guidelines of 1971 (Ramsar Convention Secretariat, 1971). The studies done have not shown the links between the environment and human systems in the form of cause and associated consequences. The Environmental Management Act No. 12 of 2011 on wetlands which led to recognition of wetlands as deserving of special protection is not yet being implemented in Zambia. The Act provides for the declaration of identified wetlands as protected areas but very little has been achieved since this legal provision The aim of the study was to assess land use change, its effects on the ecosystem services and on dependent local communities in the wetlands of Barotse Floodplain. The objectives of the study were: (i) to identify and assess drivers of land use change; (ii) determine the extent of land use change in the selected years between 1980 to 2020; (iii) assess the ecosystem services that were affected by land use change; and (iv) assess livelihoods of the dependent local communities that have been affected by land use change in the wetland of Barotse Floodplain. The study used study used DAPSIR framework and integrated integrated research approach that involved using combined methods of data collection and analysis. Simple random sampling was used to select proportional respondents from 9 district that are found in and around BFP using Raosoft Random Sample Calculator. Therefore, the sample size was 383 for this study. Both secondary and primary data sources were utilized. Secondary data was obtained through extensive review of literature ranging from published scientific journal articles and grey literature on drivers, land use change, effects on ecosystem and livelihoods. Scenes of landsat images of 1984, 1986, 2004 and 2015 of Landsat 5 TM and Landsat 8 OLI-TIRS were downloaded from https://glovis.usgs.gov/ and the imagery data was processed using ENVI 5.1 software. Primary data was collected using interview schedule, key informant’s interviews, participatory rural appraisal (PRA) and field observations. Quantitative data from Questionnaireswas analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Product moment (Pearson) correlations coefficient was used to measure the degree of association between variables. Hyper Research Tool was used to analyze qualitative data collected from key informants and participatory rural appraisal.
The study found that land use change was caused by many driving forces namely: climate variability (48.5%), infrastructure development (20.7%), technological (7.8%), population increase (18.5%), and agriculture (4.4%). The study further found that there was total land use change of 24.3% and 0.78 annual change rate. The classes annual change rates between 1984 and 2015 were: forest/woody/vegetation (0.32), grassland (0.07), water (0.02), annually flooded land (0.11) and bare land (0.26). The delineated land cover area classes (forest/woody vegetation, grassland, water, annually flooded land and bare land) have been reducing except for bare land, that was increasing in areal coverage. Water class had the greatest negative percentage change (decrease) of 0.04 between 1984 and 2015. While the class of bare land class had greatest positive change (increase) of 8.3% in the same period. The study also revealed that drivers of land use change led to land use change and a chi-square relation between these variables was significant, X2 (2, N = 383) = 15.99, p = <.05. The results of the study therefore, denotes that continuous land use change in Barotse Floodplain is caused by divers of land use change also due non enforcement and implementation of 2011 National Policy on Wetlands.
The wetland ecosystem services that were identified in BFP are: Provisioning (water, fish, wild game, birds, insects, fruits, edible plants, reeds, sedge, pasture, thatching grass, sand and clay soil, and medicinal plants). Regulation (climate regulation, ground water discharge, floods control and river flow regulation). Cultural (traditional ceremonies, aesthetic, sacred places, educational and recreation). Support services (soil formation, rich soil nutrients, alluvial and organic matter). The study also found that the ecosystem services were affected by land use change in the BFP. Pearson chi-square relationship between these variables (land use change and declined ecosystem services) was significant, X2 (2, N = 383) = 25.70, p = <,05 in BFP. This implies that land use change has affected the ecosystem services in the BFP.
The study further, revealed that local people’s livelihoods have been negatively affected in BFP due to land use change that consequently degraded ecosystem services. Pearson chi-square relationship between these variables (declined ecosystem services and affected local people’s livelihoods) was significant, X2 (2, N = 383) = 20.97, p = < .05, mmeaning that the degradation of ecosystem services in BFP have in turn affected dependent local communities’ livelihood. This implies that the degradation of ecosystem services in BFP have in turn affected the livelihood of dependent local communities. Local people (14.0%) now have to walk long distances of over 2 kilometers to find wetland resources products such as reeds, thatching grass, sedge, fish, fruits, edible lants, medicinal plants and pasture for livestock. Others who can’t endure walking (86.0%) long distances in search of these products have to spend more money to procure them. The income raised from the sale of the wetland resources products has also reduced. Some cattle farmers also have to drive their cattle long distances in search of pasture. There has been decline in fish catches in the study area and the trend has been negatively declining from 2008 onwards. Due to declining fish production the income from fish sales, just like from other wetland resources, has been declining too. Therefore, the study found linkages between drivers of land use change and land use change, land use change and declined ecosystem services change, and declined ecosystem services and affected local people’s livelihoods in BFP. The relationship between these variables was significant,
The study recommended strategies such as the Ministry of Green Economy of Republic of Zambia, Barotse Royal Establishment (Western Province Traditional Leadership) and all other stakeholders should fully enforcing and implementing 2011 National Policy on Wetlands; The local people in BFP must use and exploit ecosystem services equitably and sustainably so as to ensure good health of Barotse Floodplain for the current beneficiaries and future generation; and Water Resources Management Authority (WARMA) must form water users committee for water resources management at all levels, thus, provincial, district, ward and village levels that should promote full participation of all stakeholders involved.