Abstract
The refugee movement creates urban and environmental pressures at their destination locations. This pressure often presents in the form of Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) change. This study seeks to understand the impact of the Syrian refugees’ influence on changing the urban and agricultural land dynamics in Irbid district in northwestern Jordan from 1985 to 2021, including the period of the civil war in Syria, using Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) images for the years 1985 and 2004, and the Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) for the years 2013 and 2021. The Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform was used to conduct all image processing and perform calculations and classification analysis using the Random Forest (RF) approach. The study of the classified images compared LULC before and during the Syrian crisis using images from 1985, 2004, 2013, and 2021. The results show that the urban area increased. In parallel, agricultural land increased. During the Syrian refugee crisis, agriculture became a significant livelihood activity for Syrian refugees. In summary, the movement of the refugees to Irbid district caused an increased demand for land and housing, which accelerated the building and construction process.
Highlights
Academic Editor: Rohan BennettHumanitarian actors and policymakers often use remotely sensed images for managing refugees and the displaced people’s camps
Irbid district multiple is suitable freshwater for rain-fed agriculture, whichthe canarea be found vast to theplains; cultivation grainfreshwater, the the area characterized byNext olive oler fertile beyond, of multiple springs make areaisideal for settlement
This study analyzed the influence of Syrian refugees moving into Irbid district on the spread of urban areas and agricultural lands
Summary
Humanitarian actors and policymakers often use remotely sensed images for managing refugees and the displaced people’s camps. The total number of Syrian refugees (registered and unregistered) in the Irbid district was estimated at around 140,000 in 2018 [8] They have settled in the city and nearby rural areas, which led to increased pressure on public services and demand for housing [9]. Displacement crises potentially attract humanitarian resources to contribute to regional development In such cases, it is assumed that the Syrian refugee crisis has accelerated urban sprawl and the housing sector in Irbid district. This study (1) to quantify the rate of LULC change in the period from 1985 to 2021; (2) to iden explored the impact of Syrian refugee migration on land use/land cover in Irbid district. To include recent and current changes in the study area, this paper was designed to evaluate the changes in Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) in Irbid district using
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