GIS and Remote Sensing Based Spatiotemporal Analysis of Deforestation in Dati Wolel National Park, Western Ethiopia

Abstract

Deforestation is extreme in tropical and subtropical regions in emerging economies. In Ethiopia, the rate of forest degradation has accelerated in recent years as a result of rising demand for agriculture, fuel wood, and charcoal, along with population growth. Excessive and destructive forest resource exploitation is currently a danger at Dati Wolel National Park. The overall objective of this study was to analyze the determinants and rate of spatiotemporal dynamics of deforestation in Dati Wolel National Park western Ethiopia through employing remote sensing and socioeconomic data. Three series of LANDSAT images (1987 TM, 2002 ETM+, and 2019 ETM+) which are obtained from USGS were used and supervised classification was done. Besides, Key informant interviews, observation, and focus group discussion were the data collection tools used in the study, and the data were analyzed by qualitative research approach. The result revealed that Agricultural land to be the most expanding land use type in the park. It increased from 9.6% (1987) to 18.6% (2019) at the rate of about 551.3 ha per year. The area covered by forest land, wetland, and water bodies has been reduced by the annual average rate of 733.5 ha, 50.2 ha, and 162.2 ha respectively. The issue of deforestation is inextricably tied to human activities, such as population pressure and socioeconomic reasons. So that, to overcome the problem of forest cover change and its implications, corrective actions should be implemented in both the short term and long term phases have been recommended.