A systematic review of ecosystem services assessments, trends, and challenges in Ethiopia

Abstract

This systematic review analyzes ecosystem services assessments and challenges at the national level of Ethiopia. The articles were downloaded from Google Scholar and Science Direct. Using the Boolean theory in the selected search engine, the number of articles downloaded was 78, but only 54 met the criteria. The output indicated that approximately 45% of the analyzed articles were performed in the forest ecosystem. But urban greening, groundwater-dependent ecosystem, and national parks are Ethiopia's most miniature researchable ecosystems. The most valued category of ecosystem services in the review article was the provision and regulation of services. The common methods used in researching the valuation process were simple estimation rather than standardized modeling systems. The other methods, such as benefit transfer, willingness to pay, choice experiments, bao game, and accounting of national systems, were standardized for estimating the ecosystem's economic value in selected articles. Based on the analysis, the value of the ecosystem services in Ethiopia showed a decreasing trend year by year. The most common drivers of ecosystem service change were land cover change, climate change, population growth, invasive species, insufficient attention from policymakers, and lack of sensitization of community and government authorities. Ignorance and lack of awareness about ecosystem services are enormous challenges for Ethiopia. Therefore, creating awareness for the community and government organizations must be the first task to restore and conserve all natural resources and ecosystem services.