Longitudinal study of changes in ecosystem services in a city of lakes, Bhopal, India

Urban landscapes are now the most inhabited places by the majority of global population. The rapid and large-scale land use land cover (LULC) changes induced by urbanization are declining the ecosystem services (ESs) provisioning capacity of natural and semi-natural ecosystems of urban landscapes. The main aim of the study was to assess the ecological changes caused by LULC change in the urbanized capital of the Central India, Bhopal. This study relied on satellite images (from 1988 to 2018) for generation of spatio-temporal LULC database and direct benefit transfer ecosystem service valuation scheme for quantifying the ecosystem service value (ESV). The results showed decline in total ESs by US $ 2.00 million. Though water body covers least area out of 5 LULC types of the city, it remains the top contributor to total ESV in each reference year. The ecosystem service function analysis aided in identifying, regulating and provisioning services as the key contributors. In addition, assessment of ESs under two alternate future urban growth scenarios highlights the importance of conservation of natural ecosystems within the urban area. The results of this study can provide insights to the urban planners in effective decision making about how the ecosystems and their ecosystem service functions can be sustainably managed and strategically developed for the overall well-being of the growing urban population.