Introduction

Land use/land cover change (LULCC) alters the quantity and quality of ecosystem services. The economic value of these services is an indicator of change that facilitates conservation, utilization, and restoration activities of ecosystems.

Objective

To analyze the dynamics of land use/land cover (LULC) from 2000 to 2020 and estimate the ecosystem services value (ESV) as an indicator of ecological degradation in the Copalita River watershed in Oaxaca.

Materials and methods

Landsat 7 and 8 images captured during the years 2000 and 2020, respectively, were used. Six types of LULC were identified and classified in the watershed, and an intensity analysis was performed. Based on the economic values of biomes previously published, the values of LULC and ecosystem service functions in the watershed were estimated.

Results and discussion

There is an increase in forest cover (13.23 %), low-cover lands (494.41 %), construction (75.35 %), and wetlands (38.34 %), and a decrease in the area of rainforest (-48.02 %) and water bodies (-32.71 %). LULCC dynamics caused a 2.21 % reduction in the ESV of the watershed. The value of provisioning services increased (49.10 %), while regulation (-12.39 %), cultural (-4.77 %), and support (-3.89 %) values decreased.

Conclusions

The reduction in the economic value of ecosystem service functions is caused by the effects of LULCC on the decrease in rainforest and water bodies in the watershed.

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