Biodiversity and the supply of water-related NCP

The regulation of freshwater quantity and quality are essential Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP) that depend on healthy ecosystems. On Mt. Kilimanjaro, land-use change, deforestation and climate variability increasingly threaten these regulating processes. Building on results from Kili-SES Phase 1, SP1 focuses on how biodiversity, particularly of riparian forests, supports the regulation of water quantity, water quality and stream integrity across climate and land-use gradients.

Objectives

SP1 continues and expands the work from the first phase to better understand how biodiversity, land use and climate interact in shaping water-related NCP. We combine long-term hydrological monitoring, ecological measurements and macroinvertebrate assessments to link terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity with ecosystem functions.

Using data from our soil moisture sensor network across 26 study plots, we will develop tailor-made hydrological models using the Catchment Model Framework to simulate water dynamics from plot to catchment scale. Various water quality parameters, macroinvertebrate diversity and leaf litter breakdown rates at sites with undisturbed, degraded, absent, and restored riparian zones will be assessed in targeted sampling campaigns to understand the role of riparian forests in regulating water quality and stream integrity. Finally, using human-water system trajectories co-developed with relevant social groups, we will project the supply of water-related NCP under different scenarios of climate change, land use and management as well as human preferences and demand.

Outcome

SP1 will provide new insights into how biodiversity and riparian forests regulate freshwater quantity and quality on Mt. Kilimanjaro. The results will show how land use and climate change impact hydrological processes and aquatic biodiversity, and how conservation and restoration can strengthen the supply of water-related NCP. By integrating field data and modelling, SP1 will contribute to the overall synthesis of Kili-SES-2, supporting sustainable water and biodiversity management in tropical mountain ecosystems.

Team members

Prof. Dr. Lutz Breuer (Principal Investigator)
Prof. Dr. Suzanne Jacobs (Principal Investigator)
Dr. Subira Munishi (Tanzanian Co-Principal Investigator)
Dr. Grite Nelson Mwaijengo (Tanzanian Co-Principal Investigator)
Frank Shagega (PhD student)
Marie Künstler (PhD student)

(for more information see People page)