Abstract
Northern Ethiopia is characterised by fragile mountain eco-systems that are highly susceptible to land degradation, impacting food security and livelihoods. This study appraises Land Use Land Cover Changes (LULCC) and their determinants from 2000 to 2020 in Dessie Zuria and Kutaber Woredas. It explores the LULCC and the key anthropogenic drivers of the change over the past 20 years through a mix of satellite imagery and a survey of local understandings. Six land use types (agriculture, forest, area closure, grazing, settlement and bare land) were mapped from satellite imagery that was acquired from Landsat 7 for the years 2000, 2005, and 2010, and Landsat 8 and OLI multispectral imageries for the years 2015 and 2020 with a spectral resolution of 30-m obtained from USGS. The results showed that agricultural land increased from 29.68% in 2000 to 35.77% in 2020.Furthermore, settlement and grazing lands enlarged from 5.95% and 6.04%, respectively, to 8.31% and 6.35% during the same period, while bare land increased from 9.89% to 10.92% in 2020. On the contrary, forest and area closure decreased from 18.45% and 29.99% to 17.8% and 17.38%, respectively. Meanwhile, population growth, unrestricted grazing, losing a sense of ownership of protected area closures and forests, lack of cooperation, using the free labour mobilisation schemes for government-induced agendas, weak enforcement of laws and bylaws, and engaging farmers for extended days on the campaign were prominent determinants of the changes. This research has implications for development actors across land management and food security towards implementing sustainable land management in the area and beyond.
Highlights
The sustainability of natural resources has been seriously constrained by enormous land degradation in Ethiopia [1]
The term accuracy is commonly used in thematic mapping from remotely sensed data to clarify the extent of the ‘correctness’
This study identified extended campaign days, over politicisation of the movement, losing a sense of ownership, and lack of cooperation as significant bottlenecks
Summary
The sustainability of natural resources has been seriously constrained by enormous land degradation in Ethiopia [1]. Land degradation has globally resulted in climate change, environmental hazards, loss of biodiversity and eco-systems, and, most importantly, has contributed to the abrupt rising of food prices and the recurrence of drought and food insecurity [2]. One-fourth of the Earth’s total land surface has been eroded, and the rate and extent of degradation have risen dramatically, making land degradation one of the most pressing challenges of our globe. Of the Earth’s land area might be degraded by 2050 [3]. Land degradation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is widespread. Sixty-five per cent of agricultural land is degraded due to wind and soil erosion, and 28% of the population lives in areas that are prone to land degradation.
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