Land Use and Land Cover

Abstract

The land is one of the major components of the Earth’s surface. Land with anthropogenic activities and interaction is known as land use and land with natural status is recognized as land cover. This chapter deals with the overall land use and land cover (LULC) pattern of Nepal, with the changing trends of major LULC types. Further, it also covers an analysis of the land tenure system and land use policies of the country and discusses the strength and constraints of sustainable land use management and its future direction. The recent land-use pattern of Nepal shows that forest cover is the dominant land cover type, with 44.47% of total land area in 2018. The status of built-up area is low compared to other types, though this is in increasing trend. Long-term analysis (1910–2010) shows that the amount of agricultural land is expanding rapidly; however, it is observed to be slightly declining due to the rapid expansion rate of urban/built-up areas and abandoned farmland after 2010. Most of the agricultural land is being converted to the forest due to successful community forestry practices in Nepal. Similarly, snow/glacial cover changes significantly due to increasing temperature in the Nepal Himalaya. The long-term status of the land tenure system and land use policies in Nepal change in different periods based on different socio-economic and political systems in the country. In addition, for sustainable LULC management, the newly formulated 11-LULC zones by Land Use Policy 2015 need to be implemented in an appropriate way. It is vital to manage sustainable land management and food insecurity in Nepal in the future.