Land use and land cover changes in the Lower Neretva Region from 1990 to 2020

Abstract

Changes in land use and land cover are the result of complex interactions between humans and their environment. This study examines land use and land cover changes in the Lower Neretva Region between 1990 and 2020. Political and economic changes in the early 1990s resulted in changes in the landscape, both directly and indirectly. Multispectral image processing was used to create thematic maps of land use and land cover for 1990, 2005, and 2020. Satellite images from Landsat 5, Landsat 7 and Landsat 8 were the main source of data. Land use and land cover structure was assessed using a hybrid approach, combining unsupervised and manual (visual) classification methods. An assessment of classification accuracy was carried out using a confusion matrix and kappa coefficient. According to the results of the study, the percentage of built-up areas increased by almost 33%. Agricultural land and forests and grasslands also increased, while the proportion of swamps and sparse vegetation areas decreased.