Land-use/land-cover (LULC) changes have implications for the long-term outlook of environmental processes, especially in the face of factors such as climate change. These changes can have serious consequences for humans. In this study, remote sensing and geographic information system methods were used to investigate LULC changes in a critical biodiversity area (CBA) in the northern sections of Limpopo Province in South Africa from 1990 to 2018 using data obtained from the South African National Land Cover project. In 1990, the dominant land cover comprised thickets and dense bush, followed by woodland and built-up areas, covering proportions of 40, 24 and 18% of the total land-cover area, respectively. Bare and forest areas were the least dominant classes during this time. In 2018, the dominant land cover was woodland, followed by built-up areas, comprising 71 and 20% of the total area, respectively. Subsistence agriculture is a land-cover class with a relatively higher area compared to water bodies, wetlands and other classes. Between 1990 and 2018, significant changes in land-cover were noted for thickets and dense bush, woodland, water bodies, subsistence agriculture and built-up areas. Woodland increased by over 1000 hectares (ha) per year, while thickets decreased by over 900 ha per year. Interviews were conducted with local residents to determine what they thought were the drivers behind the observed changes. According to these interviews, the drivers included deforestation, agricultural activities in wetlands, sand and gravel mining, among others. The study’s outcomes are critical for future land-use planning exercises and the long-term conservation of this CBA, an area rich in biodiversity and a strategic water source for the communities.

Wetland ecosystems provide valuable services to human beings, but they are also among the most threatened ecosystems in the world (1). Sixteen ecosystem services are identified through the South African Water Research Commission's Wet-Health Tool (2). This study sought to establish which of these ecosystem services are highly ranked/rated by the community members living in the Soutpansberg area in South Africa. This area is a strategic water source/watershed. The area is rich in biodiversity and is also experiencing competing administrative jurisdictions: the local traditional leadership and the municipal council. This study also sought to determine the influence of age, education status, employment status, and family income, among other demographic factors, on how people view the importance of services derived from wetlands. It also sought to establish whether people in urban settings view the ecosys-tem services obtained from wetlands similarly to people in rural settings. A literature review was conducted to understand the wetland ecosystem services and how communities benefit from these services. A close-ended questionnaire was used to collect data for the current study, which was circulated among the villagers around the wetlands, particularly those living close to the wetlands. One hundred and sixteen responses from the study were recorded. Food for livestock was ranked the greatest benefit or service derived from the wetlands rated by 82% of the participants, followed by the provision of cultivated foods at 60%, provision of water for human use at 58%, provision of harvestable resources at 42% and erosion control at 38% completes the top 5 ranked ecosystem services in the area. The study concluded that the participants living in rural areas had greater awareness of wetlands' ecosystem services than their urban counterparts.