Abstract
Land use and land cover changes are important processes that influence the ecological integrity of wildlife dispersal areas and the dynamics of human-wildlife conflicts in rangelands around protected areas. This study investigated trends in both land use and land cover changes in Taveta District. Remote Sensing imageries for Taveta District were analysed for the years 1987, 2001, and 2011. Percentage changes in land use and land cover types for the years 1987 to 2001, 2001 to 2011 and 1987 to 2011 were determined. Between 1987 and 2011, significant (p < 0.05) changes occurred in woodlands, sisal plantations, rainfed and irrigated agricultural areas. Shrublands, forests and water bodies showed no significant changes. Wildlife habitats are expected to further decrease significantly due to agricultural expansion. Land use and cover changes resulted from agricultural expansion and human population growth. The land use and cover maps produced can be used as input to decision making that balances restrictions on human land use while maintaining the ecological function of the landscape, through designation of Zones of Interaction as a first step to identifying opportunities that satisfy conservation and livelihood needs. Proper land use planning and community awareness of the implications of these land use and land cover changes are necessary. Key words: Land use change, land cover change, rangelands, Taveta district, human-wildlife conflicts.
Highlights
In developing countries, the livelihoods of most of the human population depend almost entirely on natural resources
This was compared to the land use and land cover change data to establish if there was any relationship between land use change and human population trends
Seven land use and land cover types and their dynamics were discriminated as forests, irrigated agriculture, rainfed agriculture, shrublands, woodlands, sisal plantations and water bodies as shown in the classified land use and land cover maps below (Figures 2)
Summary
The livelihoods of most of the human population depend almost entirely on natural resources. “Land use” refers to what people do on the land surface, that is, the manner in which human beings employ the land and its resources (e.g., agriculture, settlement etc). “Land cover” defines the ecological state and physical appearance of the land surface (e.g., water, crops, forest, human structures, shrubs etc) (Turner and Mayer, 1994; Brandon, 2001; Geist and Lambin, 2002). Land cover change is caused by changes in the way people use and manage land (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA), 2005a). This occurs mainly from direct effects of population growth such as agricultural expansion, grazing and land for settlement as well as indirect effects of pollution (UN/ECE, 2002; MEA, 2005b)
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