Spatial assessment of ecosystem services provisioning changes in a forest-dominated protected area in NE Turkey.

Abstract

Forested landscapes offer high provisioning capacities for many ecosystem services (ES), yet their capabilities may change in time due to multifaceted ES drivers. Therefore, assessing the changes in individual ES is critical for ecosystem-based management. This study analyzes the spatio-temporal changes in ES provided by a forest-dominated protected area in NE, Turkey. To this end, 18 ES were quantified and mapped using the ES matrix approach for 1985 and 2021. Then, the status of the ES and potential drivers of landscape changes were revealed through the assessment of demographic and management structure changes. The results showed that the multiple ES provisioning capacity of the landscape increased by 7% over 35years. The capacities for "crops" and "livestock" ES decreased for the same period. The most prominent ES were "wild foods," "erosion regulation," and "knowledge systems." Spatially, ES hotspots accumulated in the northern parts and the core zone of the protected area. The most significant changes occurred in the lowlands, mostly composed of degraded forests and coppices as of 1985 after their transformation into productive forests. The spatio-temporal changes in many ES can be attributed to the declaration of the landscape as a protected area in 1994. The removal of anthropogenic pressure and the impact of conservation management can be evaluated as the main drivers for the positive changes in the total ES capacity. Thus, sound policy structures and effective conservation strategies should be further encouraged for increasing protected areas' capacities to provide the large array of ES.