Analyzing the economic impacts of land use change: A framework and a case study for the Miombo woodlands, Zambia

Abstract

One of the causes of unsustainable land management is a general lack of understanding of the economic impacts of land use change. This article presents a methodological framework for analyzing the economic costs of land degradation and the benefits of sustainable land management (SLM). The framework comprises three complementary types of assessment: partial valuation, total valuation, and impact assessment. Total valuation allows for static assessment of selected economic benefits from a certain land use, whereas impact assessment deals with all economic benefits provided under certain land use. The third approach is dynamic and allows for analyzing the costs and benefits related to changes in land use. The framework is demonstrated by means of three case studies on the impacts of land use change in the Zambian Miombo woodland ecosystem. The three different approaches are applied to assess the benefits of SLM in the Miombo woodlands.