Abstract
The paper assesses local people’s perceptions on the impact of drought on wetland ecosystem services and the associated household livelihood benefits, focusing on the Driefontein Ramsar site in Chirumanzu district, Zimbabwe. Field data were obtained using a questionnaire from 159 randomly selected households, key informant interviews and transect walks. The study findings show that provisioning, regulating and supporting services are severely affected by a high frequency of drought, occurring at least once every two years, compared to cultural services. There is a reduction in water for domestic use and crop farming, pasture for livestock, fish, thatch grass and ground water recharge. Although cultural services such as traditional rain-making ceremonies and spiritual enhancement are largely unaffected by drought, the wetland’s aesthetic value was reported to be diminishing. The habitat and breeding areas of endangered crane bird species were perceived to be dwindling, affecting their reproduction. All the household heads are not formally employed and largely depend on the wetland resources for food and income. However, drought is adversely affecting wetland-based agricultural activities that are key pillars of the households’ economy. Therefore, there is a need for alternative livelihood strategies that enable local communities to adapt to drought impacts without exerting more pressure on the declining wetland resources.
Highlights
Wetlands, generally defined as areas that are temporarily or permanently inundated with water [1,2,3], are one of the most productive natural ecosystems in the world
All the surveyed household heads were not formally employed and were highly depend on the wetland’s resources. This was confirmed by the Wetland Committee chairperson, who revealed that without the wetland’s all-year-round benefits, poverty levels could have been very high in the area
The study findings generally show that provisioning services in the Driefontein wetland were perceived to be largely negatively affected by frequent droughts
Summary
Generally defined as areas that are temporarily or permanently inundated with water [1,2,3], are one of the most productive natural ecosystems in the world. They provide many ecosystem services that benefit humans in their social and economic activities as well the maintenance of the physical environment [2,4]. The continued provision of ecosystem services depends on the wetland’s ecological health [13,14] Despite their contribution to human livelihoods, the provision of wetland ecosystem services is threatened by natural and human factors [15]. In Zimbabwe, more than 50% of the wetlands were lost between 1980 and
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