Dynamics of Land Use and Land Cover Changes in Keraniganj Upazila: Impacts of Rapid Urban Expansion near Dhaka City

Cameroon territory is experiencing significant land use and land cover (LULC) changes since its independence in 1960. But the main relevant impacts are recorded since 1990 due to intensification of agricultural activities and urbanization. LULC effects and dynamics vary from one region to another according to the type of vegetation cover and activities. Using remote sensing, GIS and subsidiary data, this paper attempted to model the land use and land cover (LULC) change in the Centre Region of Cameroon that host Yaoundé metropolis. The rapid expansion of the city of Yaoundé drives to the land conversion with farmland intensification and forest depletion accelerating the rate at which land use and land cover (LULC) transformations take place. This study aims at assessing the impacts of both agriculture and urbanization on the LULC change in the Centre Region of Cameroon. A detailed LULC map from MAPBOX high resolution images and three LULC maps were produced from Landsat TM-OLI images (1984-2015). A maximum likelihood classification techniques using ERDAS Imagine, showed forest decline with a total loss of 54% in thirty years. Also, Landsat and MAPBOX images to which we added 1951 aerial photograph and SPOT 6 (2006) were used to analyse urban growth in the city of Yaoundé. The results show a remarkable urban spatial spread of the metropolis between 1951 and 2015, with a peak in 2000. Images processing enabled us to analyse the long term dynamics of LULC change since the 1950s in this Region using ArcGIS & QGIS software’s. Based on this dynamic, a LULC projection map was produced using Markov model on IDRISI Selva, demonstrating the decrease of the dense forest (45% in 2015 to 0.25% in 2050). It was estimated that by 2050, the entire dense forest can be depleted if nothing is done, while only 12.67% of the secondary forest would remain in the Region. Such a projected map is very useful to decision makers for council development and urban planning. This effective forest depletion ties with the hypothesis that urbanization of Yaoundé and its secondary surrounding satellite cities (within a radius of 30-100km) is a veritable driving force of deforestation.

AN ASSESSMENT OF SPATIAL VARIATION OF LAND SURFACE CHARACTERISTICS OF MINNA, NIGER STATE NIGERIA FOR SUSTAINABLE URBANIZATION USING GEOSPATIAL TECHNIQUES

Ecosystem services are vital services that support life and are the basis for human socio-economic progress. However, changes in land use and land cover (LULC) brought about by urban expansion degrade them. Thus, analysing the impact of land use and land cover (LULC) change on ecosystem service values (ESVs) is crucial for understanding and informing resource policy decisions. This study aims to analyse the impact of land use and land cover changes on ecosystem service values in Mwanza City, Tanzania. To achieve that, the benefits transfer approach was employed to analyse the changes in ESV in response to LULC. We estimated and analysed changes in ESV using satellite image datasets from 1999, 2009, and 2019. The LULC classes that were identified are vegetated land, agricultural land, waterbodies, built-up area, and bareland. The results exhibit that Mwanza City experienced significant LULC changes. While vegetated land, agricultural land, and bareland decreased by 49%, 15%, and 36%, respectively, the built-up area and water bodies increased by 568% and 48%, respectively, during the two decades. The total ESV decreased from 31.35 million US dollars to 26.3 million US dollars between 1999 and 2009 and to 23.96 million US dollars between 2009 and 2019. The waterbodies increased due to the increased volume of water in streams that expanded the floodplains, which resulted from surface runoff attributed to increased paved surfaces as more land was converted into a built-up environment upstream. The built-up area and bareland contributed nothing to ESV. However, the built-up area was the driving force behind the reduction of ESV in other LULC classes, as it was encroaching on them. The study concludes that the decrease in ESV reflects the degradation of ecosystem services due to the change in LULC. Hence, it is recommended that sustainable management of ecosystems be adhered for the proper functioning of the earth’s life-support system.

اهداف: پایش تغییرات کاربری‌ها و درک پویایی آن در یک حوضۀ آبخیز، از جایگاه خاصی در مدیریت پایدار آن حوضه برخوردار است. هدف تحقیق حاضر، استفاده از سنجش از دور و GIS جهت تهیۀ نقشۀ تغییرات و شناسایی انتقالات کاربری اراضی و پوشش زمین با به‌کارگیری ماتریس انتقال و تصاویر ماهوارۀ لندست در حوضۀ آبخیز دریاچۀ ارومیه می‌باشد. روش: جهت انجام تحقیق، از تصاویر ماهوارۀ لندست در دورۀ زمانی 2015 ـ 1988 استفاده گردید. بدین‌منظور پس از انجام پیش‌پردازش‌های موردنظر، جهت انجام طبقه‌بندی از روش‌های ماشین‌بردار پشتیبان و روشیءگرا استفاده و سپس اعتبارسنجی گردیدند. همچنین جهت برآورد میزان انتقالات و دیگر ویژگی‌های حوضۀ آبخیز دریاچۀ ارومیه، ابتدا ماتریس انتقالی استخراج شده و سپس طبقه‌بندی شئ‌گرا بین دوره‌های زمانی 2015ـ1988 ارائه شد. سپس با استفاده از فرمول‌های موردنظر، میزان پایداری، افزایش، کاهش، تغییرات کل، تغییرات خالص و مبادلۀ همزمان کاربری‌های اراضی و پوشش زمین مشخص گردید. یافته‌ها/ نتایج: پس از ارزیابی صحت، صحت کلی برای نقشه‌های حاصل از ماشین بردار پشتیبان و روش شئ‌گرا به‌ترتیب برابر با 94 و 92 درصد و مقدار کاپای آنها به‌ترتیب 92 و 89 برآورد شد که نشان‌دهندۀ برتری روش شئ‌گرا در مقایسه با روش ماشین بردار پشتیبان است. در کل، هر دو روش طبقه‌بندی توانستند صحت قابل‌قبولی برای نقشه‌های کاربری اراضی و پوشش زمین ارائه دهند. نتایج حاصل از انتقالات نشان داد به‌طور میانگین، 59 درصد از چهرۀ زمین در حوضۀ آبخیز دریاچۀ ارومیه در فاصلۀ زمانی 2015ـ 1988 پایداری پوشش داشته است، که بیشترین میزان این تداوم براساس مقدار این کاربری در فاصلۀ زمانی 2015ـ1988 مربوطه به مناطق مسکونی می-باشد. حدود 14 درصد از سطح حوزۀ آبخیز دریاچۀ ارومیه به‌صورت تبادل همزمان بوده است. همچنین سطوح آبی حوضۀ آبخیز دریاچۀ ارومیه در دورۀ زمانی فوق، بیشترین ازدست‌دادگی و کمترین تبادل همزمان را تجربه کرده است. نتیجه‌گیری: حوضۀ آبخیز دریاچۀ ارومیه در این فاصلۀ زمانی (2015ـ1988) تغییرات و انتقالات شدیدی را تجربه کرده است، تاجایی‌که تنها 59 درصد از چهرۀ زمین، ثابت مانده و قسمت‌های دیگر، انواعی از انتقال‌ها را تجربه کرده‌اند. همچنین سطوح آبی و سپس مراتع، بیشترین آسیب-پذیری را تجربه کرده‌اند که نشان از افزایش اراضی فاقد پوشش و اراضی زراعی (کشاورزی) می-باشد. این تجزیه‌وتحلیل ما را به سنجش و تجسم میزان انتقالات عمدۀ LULC درجهت برنامه‌ریزی آیندۀ حوضۀ آبخیز دریاچۀ ارومیه توصیه می‌کند.

Spatial and temporal evaluation of the land use and land cover (LULC) changes, its dynamism and overall consequences are considered the fundamental variables in global climate change. These immense changes influence ecosystem, life, and livelihoods. Over the last few decades, industrial expansion in Bangladesh has a major effect on LULC across the suburban areas of the capital city Dhaka, especially the surrounding areas of Ashulia industrial hub. While providing new approaches to improve the frontiers of antecedent revolutions, particularly those of LULC changes monitoring and mapping, this study tried to evaluate further land development and planning in the study area between 2014 and 2020. Remote sensing imageries and relevant multiple secondary information were consecutively used as datasets. The interactive supervised classification tool using a maximum likelihood process was applied in LULC changes evaluations, detections, and as well providing fruitful explanations. Therefore, evaluated LULC maps’ overall accuracies were between 84% and96%, and kappa coefficient between 0.83 and 0.92. The results revealed that the urbanization and built-up area were the prime LULC type (77.36% in 2020) in the study area and were exceedingly increasing land cover type over water bodies, bare land and vegetation. Overall, in between 2014 and 2020, the LULC types as of water bodies, barelands, and vegetation have decreased by 212 hectares, 435 hectares, and 470 hectares, respectively. Moreover, overall downward trends of LULC changes were identified in all the land use types except built-up area. Hence, imbalanced land conversions and lack of proper planning together were creating the region highly vulnerable to several disasters as well as imbalanced ecosystem. Th study findings can help the decision makers and planners apart from future research.

With the fleeting and profound transformations currently occurring in this planet, one of the crucial issues to be contemplated is the availability and limitations of resources in meeting the human demands. Land use and Land cover (LULC) change is a multiplex occurrence which is affected by various social, economic, and environmental factors. The framework of this study approaches the exploration of the diverse dynamics of land use and land cover change in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh for two decades, i.e. 2004-2024. Utilizing multi spectral and multi temporal satellite imagery, image pre-processing and supervised classification of LULC change in the East Godavari region have been carried out. The classification consists of six LULC classes: build-up area, agricultural land, water bodies, forest, barren land and sand. An accuracy assessment for the classification has been performed. The result of this study demonstrates the increase and decrease in build-up areas, agricultural land, water bodies, forest and barren land for the years 2004, 2014 and 2024.Changes in build-up area for the major cities of East Godavari, i.e. Kakinada, Rajahmundry, and Amalapuram have been demonstrated. An increase in built-up area leads to the development of urban heat islands, an increase in surface runoff, and flash floods. A decrease in greenery and forest cover reduces the ecological balance and impacts biodiversity. Land cover and land use change impart information on anthropogenic, climatic, and environmental conditions, which is crucial for sustainable land management and helps us make strategic decisions for the betterment of this planet. Keywords : Land use Land cover, Supervised classification, Accuracy assessment, Satellite imagery, Change detection

Rapid urbanisation in the global south has often introduced substantial and rapid uncontrolled Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) changes, considerably affecting the Land Surface Temperature (LST) patterns. Understanding the relationship between LULC changes and LST is essential to mitigate such effects, considering the urban heat island (UHI). This study aims to elucidate the spatiotemporal variations and alterations of LST in urban areas compared to LULC changes. The study focused on a peripheral urban area of Phnom Penh (Cambodia) undergoing rapid urban development. Using Landsat images from 2000 to 2021, the analysis employed an exploratory time-series analysis of LST. The study revealed a noticeable variability in LST (20 to 69 °C), which was predominantly influenced by seasonal variability and LULC changes. The study also provided insights into how LST varies within different LULC at the exact spatial locations. These changes in LST did not manifest uniformly but displayed site-specific responses to LULC changes. This study accounts for changing land surfaces’ complex physical energy interaction over time. The methodology offers a replicable model for other similarly structured, rapidly urbanised regions utilising novel semi-automatic processing of LST from Landsat images, potentially inspiring future research in various urban planning and monitoring contexts.

Intensification of agricultural land use and population growth from 1990-2017 has caused changes in land cover and land use of the Mbarali River sub-catchment which is located in the Upper Great Ruaha Sub basin, Tanzania. This has affected the magnitude of the surface runoff, total water yield and the groundwater flow. This study assesses the impacts of the land cover and land use changes on the stream flows and hydrological water balance components (surface runoff, water yield, percolation and actual evapotranspiration). The land use and land cover (LULC) maps for three window period snapshots, 1990, 2006 and 2017 were created from Landsat TM and OLI_TIRS with the help of QGIS version 2.6. Supervised classification was used to generate LULC maps using the Maximum Likelihood Algorithm and Kappa statistics for assessment of accuracy. SWAT was set up and run to simulate stream flows and hydrological water balance components. The assessment of the impacts of land use and land cover changes on stream flows and hydrological water balance component was performed by comparing hydrological parameters simulated by SWAT using land use scenarios of 2006 and 2017 against the baseline land use scenario of 1990. Accuracy of LULC classification was good with Kappa statistics ranging between 0.9 and 0.99. There was a drastic increase in areal coverage of cultivated land, for periods 1990-2006 (5.84%) and 2006-2017 (12.05%) compared to other LULC. During 2006 and 2017 surface runoff increased by 4% and 9% respectively; however, water yield increased by only 0.5% compared to 1990 baseline period. This was attributed to increased proportion of cultivated land in the sub-catchment which has a high curve number (59.60) that indicates a higher runoff response and low infiltration rate.

Land use and land cover (LULC) changes have been one of the most important and persistent factors recently causing changes in the Earth’s land. The present study aimed to detect land use and land cover (LULC) changes in Baluchistan, in Southwestern Asia, which is shared by the three countries of Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, using satellite remote-sensing products. To this end, the global land cover classification provided for a period of 13 years from 2001 to 2013 by the MODIS Land Cover Type product (MCD12Q1) was used. The changes and dynamics of different land cover classes were investigated using net change analysis and cross-tabulating matrix analysis methods. The net change analysis showed that the most area of Baluchistan is covered by the barren or sparsely vegetated land cover (about 82%) and the shrubland (about 16%) classes. The dynamics analysis of different land cover classes also indicated that there were almost mutually inverse relationships between the different land cover classes in Baluchistan. Such mutual relationships were most common between the following pair classes: shrublands—bare and non-vegetated lands; grasslands—bare and non-vegetated land classes; croplands—bare and non-vegetated lands classes; and shrublands—grasslands. The most unstable land cover classes in this territory were forests, Savannas, and grassland classes. Also, the analysis of land cover changes in the period 2001–2013 provided no clear and accurate evidence of desertification and land degradation at this spatial scale in Baluchistan.

Land use and land cover (LULC) changes through built-up area expansion always increases linearly with land demand as a consequence of population growth and urbanization. Cirebon City is a center for Ciayumajakuning Region that continues to grow and exceeds its administrative boundaries. This phenomenon has led to peri-urban regions which show urban and rural interactions. This study aims to analyze (1) the dynamics of LULC changes using cellular automata (CA), artificial neural network (ANN), and ANN-CA; (2) the influential factors (drivers); and (3) change probability in the period 2030 and 2045 for Cirebon’s peri-urban. We used logistic regression as quantitative approach to analyze the interaction of drivers and LULC changes. The LULC data derived from Landsat series satellite imagery in 1999-2009 and 2009-2019, validation of dynamic spatial model refers to 100 LULC samples. This research shows that LULC changes are dominated by built-up area expansion which causes plantations and agricultural land to decrease. The drivers have a simultaneous effect on LULC changes with r-square of 0.43, where land slope, distance from existing built-up area, distance from CBD, and accessibility are significant triggers. LULC simulation of CA algorithm is the best model than ANN and ANN-CA based on overall accuracy and overall accuracy (0.96, 0.75, 0.73 and 0.95, 0.66, 0.66 respectively), it reveals urban sprawl through the ribbon and compact development. The average probability of built-up area expansion is 0.18 (2030) and 0.19 (2045). If there is no intervention in spatial planning, this phenomenon will decrease productive agricultural lands in Cirebon's peri-urban.

Land use and land cover (LULC) changes have significant influences on the water–energy–food (WEF) nexus, as the WEF nexus characteristics change naturally due to dynamic LULC changes. However, understanding the WEF nexus’ potential and characteristics in the watershed under the influence of LULC changes is less commonly explored. This study used the social network analysis (SNA) model to analyze the interaction between land use (LU) types and water, energy, and food nexus attributes. Moreover, we used regression analysis to analyze the impact of various LU types on the WEF nexus. The LULC maps of 1986, 2000, 2011, and 2019 were prepared by digital classification method with proper accuracy using satellite imagery. The results show that agroforestry is the dominant LU type, accounting for 25.8–53.1% from 1986 to 2019. Further, settlement increased a 100-fold, which shows the dynamic LULC changes. SNA computed the maximum inter-linkage for forest and water access attributes, while agroforestry and food attributes acted as bridge in the network. This shows that there was inter-dependence between LULC changes and the WEF nexus. This result suggests that LU dynamics can exert pressure on the WEF nexus’ resource potential, resulting in WEF insecurity. The analysis of impacts of LULC changes on the WEF nexus shows that the changes that occurred in major LUs (i.e., agroforestry, bare land, settlements, and grass land) had significantly impacted hydrological behaviors, energy characteristics, and food production potential. Understanding LULC changes helps us to conserve and manage WEF nexus resources and to resolve the current dilemmas between land, water, energy, and food sector policies and decisions to improve resource productivity, lower environmental pressure, and enhance human wellbeing and security.

West African coastal areas including the Beninese coastal zones have undergone an intensification of socio-economic activity in the last few decades that has been strongly driven by the effects of rapid urbanization. This has led to land-use and land cover changes that represent threats to the sustainability of various ecosystem functions. Such dynamics of land use and land cover changes pose challenges to coastal zone management. Correct assessment is vital for policymakers and planners to ensure efficient and sustainable use of the coastal ecosystem services, and it remains crucial to achieving sustainable coastal zone management. This study examines changes in land-use and land cover (LULC) and their impacts on ecosystem services value (ESV) fluctuations in the tropical coastal region of Benin, West Africa. We employed Globe Land 30 image data for the years 2010 and 2020, and the ESV fluctuations during the study period were evaluated using the benefit transfer approach (BTA) with corresponding local coefficients values and the GIS techniques. The results reveal that (1) in the current urbanizing coastal area, the LULC types have changed significantly, with obvious reductions in forest land and waterbodies and a considerable increase in artificial surfaces; (2) the total ESV decreased by 8.51% from USD 7.1557 million in 2010 to USD 6.5941 million in 2020; (3) the intensity of LULC in the coastal region has increased over the last 10 years; (4) regions with high land-use intensity have a high rate of ESV change; and (5) provisioning services are the greatest contributors of ESV (51% in 2010; 41% in 2020), followed by supporting services (37% in 2010; 35% in 2020) and regulating services (25% in 2010; 30% in 2020). Uncontrolled changes in LULC from forest land and waterbodies are the main causes of the loss in total ESV, necessitating urgent measures to improve the coastal ecosystem sustainability through effective planning and policies.

This study examines the spatio-temporal dynamics of land use and land cover (LULC) changes in the Hunza Valley, Northern Pakistan, from 2000 to 2022, focusing on anthropogenic impacts and climate-induced environmental transformations. Using a time series of Landsat imagery and Random Forest classification, seven LULC categories were analyzed: built-up, bare land, grass land, cultivated land, water body, snow/ice, and forests. The results reveal substantial changes, including a marked expansion in built-up and cultivated land, alongside significant reductions in forest cover, grassl and, and snow/ice extent. Corresponding changes in LULC indices Normal Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normal Difference Built up Index (NDBI), Normal Difference Water Index (NDWI), and Normal Difference Snow Index (NDSI) reflect declining vegetation health, increasing impervious surfaces, and diminishing snow and water presence. Land Surface Temperature (LST) rose from 37.21°C in 2000 to 41.02°C in 2022, with regression analyses showing strong correlations between LST and both natural and human-induced land transformations. Zonal statistics confirm that all land cover types experienced notable warming. The findings underscore the urgent need for integrated land management strategies, including regulating urban expansion through land-use planning, promoting reforestation, and conserving high-altitude snow zones. Integrating LULC monitoring into regional governance is essential for mitigating environmental degradation and enhancing the resilience of mountain ecosystems.

The Kaxgar River Basin, a key section of the Tarim River Basin, is a typical ecologically fragile region that has undergone rapid changes to its spatial patterns over the preceding few decades. In particular, the expansion of salinized land has posed a severe threat to ecological restoration and economic development. This study monitored the rates and patterns of land use and land cover (LULC) changes in the plain area of Aketao County in the middle reaches of the Kaxgar River Basin. Five Landsat images (captured in 1990, 1998, 2002, 2013, and 2018) were divided into seven LULC types: built-up land, cultivated land, woodland and grassland, light-moderate salinized land, heavy salinized land, water areas, and bare land. Subsequently, their dynamic processes were analyzed. The results revealed that in 1990, the dominant LULCs were cultivated land, woodland and grassland, and bare land. Throughout the study period (from 1990 to 2018), the coverage of built-up land, cultivated land, bare land, water areas, and light-moderate salinized land increased; by contrast, that of the other LULC types decreased. The most marked LULC changes were the expansion of light-moderate salinized land (by 6.2% of the study area) and the shrinkage of woodland and grassland (by 9.4% of the study area). Almost all the analyzed LULC types underwent conversion to other types; such conversion occurred most frequently between 1998 and 2018. The conversions of woodland and grassland into cultivated land and light-moderate salinized land were the most notable phenomena. Another highly evident change was the conversion of heavy salinized land into bare land. These results revealed that the expansion of salinized land and the shrinkage of woodland and grassland in the study area were the most severe environmental changes. Therefore, ecological protection and salinization control are urgently required to enable local economic development while not exceeding the environmental carrying capacity and ensuring the safety of the “green corridor” in the lower reaches of the Kaxgar River Basin.

This study investigates the drivers and impacts of land use and land cover (LULC) changes on ecosystem services provided by the Philippine watersheds, aiming to enhance understanding of sustainable watershed management and land use planning in the country. A systematic literature review assessed LULC change studies from 2013 to 2022. Notably, among the category of ecosystem services, regulating services such as hydrologic regulation and soil erosion control received significant attention, while provisioning services, supporting services and cultural services received comparatively less attention. However, in general, considering the trend of watershed degradation in the country, the studies conducted linking the impacts of land use and land cover change on watershed ecosystem services are relatively few. Also, the impacts of land use and land cover change on watershed ecosystem services were not elaborately explored and mostly centered on either a single or selected ecosystem services. This suggests that a more holistic approach in assessing the impacts of land use and land cover change on the watershed ecosystem services can be considered for future studies. The primary drivers of LULC change were agricultural expansion, urbanization and human settlements, population factors, forest conversion, agricultural demand and profit motives. Among these, urbanization and human settlements were most frequently mentioned. The main impacts of LULC changes on watershed ecosystem services were associated with hydrologic processes. These findings have implications for future research, land use planning, and decision-making processes, aiming to advance sustainable watershed management and preserve ecosystem services.