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Soil extraction facilitates climate change adaptation and alters urban ecosystem services

Constance Brouillet,Adrienne Grêt-Regamey,Andoniaina Valérie Andriamanga,D. A. Martin,Nicolas Salliou

Published 2025 in Ecosystems and People

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT Peri-urban areas are witnessing some of the most rapid transformations worldwide, marked by the conversion of agricultural land into urbanised zones. While prior research has investigated soil sealing and its impacts on Ecosystem Services (ES), the influence of soil extraction for building materials on other ES remains understudied. In Antananarivo, the capital city of Madagascar, soil extraction for brick-making plays an integral role in the land-use change trajectory of agricultural floodplains from rice paddies to urbanised zones, yet motivations and consequences remain unclear. To fill this gap, we conducted 263 directed interviews, mostly with farmers and brick-makers. Our findings reveal that soil extraction can serve as an adaptation strategy to cope with challenges posed by climate change. Increased soil extraction is closely linked to a steady decline in flood regulation capacity, yet it also drives a shift from traditional rice cultivation to more resilient cultivation practices to floods and droughts, such as raised gardens. Additionally, climate change in this region, characterized by shorter rainy seasons, is intensifying soil extraction, as the shorter cultivation season lengthens the brick-making season. The maintenance of urban agriculture coincides with increased recreation in urbanised zones. This study emphasizes that soil extraction shape ES supply during the urbanisation process. Our results suggest that urban planners could benefit from including innovative and adaptive urban agriculture practices by incorporating farmers’ knowledge and practices. Their livelihood strategies offer promising solutions to support ES in rapid soil-extracting environments. Key policy highlights Policymakers should recognize the significance of brick-making for livelihood in times of crisis (natural disasters, financial crisis, crop failures). Regulations should prioritize sustainable soil extraction practices, protecting vulnerable lowlands from excessive flooding and targeting areas where soil extraction can bring benefits, such as improving access to more fertile soil layers for agriculture. Policymakers should recognize that soil extraction enables resilient forms of intensive urban farming, such as raised gardens, which are well-adapted to floods and droughts, and increasing land scarcity. Considering soil-extracting activities, and their impacts on soil and topography, could enhance ecosystem services assessments, supporting more sustainable management of urban environments.

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