<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>The Mediterranean Basin covers more than 2 million square kilometres and is surrounded by three continents: Africa, Asia, and Europe. It is home to more than 500 million people and is projected to reach 670 million by 2050. The basin is rich in species diversity, with a great wealth of endemism. The supply of ecosystem services is greatly challenged due to the trend of land use and land cover (LULC) change coupled with other global change drivers. The current study thoroughly reviewed the existing body of knowledge on the impacts of LULC change on forest ecosystem services. The LULC change is driven by synergetic factor combinations of urbanization, population increase, agricultural land abandonment and deforestation putting additional strain on forest ecosystem services. The review shows the potential impacts on biodiversity as well as ecosystem services such as wood and non-wood forest products, water resources, and carbon stock. Moreover, there is evidence showing the threats of LULC change to saproxylic beetle species, a key agent in the nutrient cycling process, posing a significant risk to a nutrient-deficient ecosystem. Therefore, there is a need to mitigate the challenges posed by LULC change and adapt forest management practices to impending changes to sustain the provision of ecosystem goods and services.</p>
</abstract>

The Mediterranean Basin covers more than 2 million square kilometres and is surrounded by three continents: Africa, Asia, and Europe. It is home to more than 500 million people and is projected to reach 670 million by 2050. The basin is rich in species diversity, with a great wealth of endemism. The supply of ecosystem services is greatly challenged due to the trend of land use and land cover (LULC) change coupled with other global change drivers. The current study thoroughly reviewed the existing body of knowledge on the impacts of LULC change on forest ecosystem services. The LULC change is driven by synergetic factor combinations of urbanization, population increase, agricultural land abandonment and deforestation putting additional strain on forest ecosystem services. The review shows the potential impacts on biodiversity as well as ecosystem services such as wood and non-wood forest products, water resources, and carbon stock. Moreover, there is evidence showing the threats of LULC change to saproxylic beetle species, a key agent in the nutrient cycling process, posing a significant risk to a nutrient-deficient ecosystem. Therefore, there is a need to mitigate the challenges posed by LULC change and adapt forest management practices to impending changes to sustain the provision of ecosystem goods and services.

The changing land use and land cover in the Mediterranean Basin: implications on forest ecosystem services

Department of Forest Resources – Tlemcen

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

– Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering

Folia Oecologica

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The Mediterranean Basin covers more than 2 million square kilometres and is surrounded by three continents: Africa, Asia, and Europe. It is home to more than...

The changing land use and land cover in the Mediterranean Basin: implications on forest ecosystem services

Published Online: Jan 27, 2023

Page range: 60 - 71

Received: Jul 09, 2022

Accepted: Nov 16, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/foecol-2023-0005

Keywords
biodiversity, forest cover, landscape, land-use practice

© 2023 Bright Danso Appiagyei et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The changing land use and land cover in the Mediterranean Basin: implications on forest ecosystem services

Published Online: Jan 27, 2023

Page range: 60 - 71

Received: Jul 09, 2022

Accepted: Nov 16, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/foecol-2023-0005

Keywordsbiodiversity, forest cover, landscape, land-use practice

© 2023 Bright Danso Appiagyei et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
biodiversity, forest cover, landscape, land-use practice