Urbanization-driven land use change and its impact on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in Harare, Zimbabwe (2013-2025)

Abstract

Urbanization has emerged as a major driver of land use and cover change in many African cities resulting in environmental issues. The study investigated the effects of urbanization driven land use change on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in Harare between 2013 and 2025. This study aimed at analyzing spatio-temporal land use changes, assess their implications for biodiversity and evaluate the resulting impacts on selected ecosystem services. Landsat imagery was processed and classified using supervised classification techniques in QGIS version 3.4.4.1 whilst landscape patterns were analyzed using FRAGSTATS. The findings reveal transformation of Harare’s landscape over the study period. Vegetation cover fell from 767.9 km2 to 214 km2 which is a loss of 72.1% whilst water bodies fell by 10.3%. Bare land increased by 129.3% showing extensive land clearing associated with urban development. Spatial analysis reveals that urban growth occurs predominantly along major transport corridors and peri urban zones therefore resulting in increasing habitat fragmentation and loss of ecological connectivity. Reduction of vegetated land has important implications for biodiversity conservation. Habitat destruction and fragmentation have diminished the capacity of urban ecosystems to support diverse plant and animal communities especially species reliant on wetlands and natural vegetation. Land use change was further established in this study by adversely affecting ecosystem functioning through the degradation of key ecosystem services. Conversion of natural landscapes into impervious surfaces has reduced flood regulation capacity and contributed to environmental degradation within the city. The study concludes that rapid urban expansion is reshaping Harare’s ecological landscape at un unprecedented rate with significant consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem sustainability. Urban planning strategies should prioritize the protection of wetlands, preservation of remaining green spaces and integration of ecological considerations into land use decision making so as to promote environmental resilience. The findings provide valuable evidence for policy makers, environmental managers and urban planners seeking to balance development needs with long term ecological sustainability in Harare.