Land Use Change Based on Analysis of the Carrying Capacity of Environment on Small Island (A Case Study in Weh Island, Aceh Province, Indonesia)

Abstract

With some soils being developed and used increasingly, an outcome that has been reported entails deterioration. In this study, the main aim was to evaluate how the issues of land cover and land use affect Indonesia’s Weh-Sabang Island. The period of investigation was 10 years, stretching between 2008 and 2018, with particular emphasis on ArcGIS and Google Earth images. The parameter under examination entailed the LULC changes. The primary motivation lay in the need for ArchGIS map development using the AHP (analytical hierarchy process). The land diversity index approach was employed to discern changes in various areas, perceived to have undergone those changes for years. The research area constituted the green spaces and protected areas, especially changes that had occurred in these regions due to built-in operations via tourism and other environmental developments. When the land diversity index criterion is incorporated, it is notable that there can be observations in the number of areas, as well as the nature of changes that such areas might have undergone for years-or with time. Important to note is that most of the land use changes are occurring in costal zones, compared to the case of hilly zones, with the context of Weh Island, relative to the LULC images obtained, unexceptional. As such, efforts ought to be targeted or directed at controlling or regulating changes in land use patterns, especially by emphasizing zones that have undergone direct land degradation. There is also a need to analyze how sustainable the process of using the water resource is in the context of Sabang City. This study’s findings demonstrated that there were significant changes from the previously vacant land to significant land use practices, stretching from hilly to coastal zones in the context of Weh Island.