Abstract
Land Use Land Cover Change (LULCC) has a significant impact on water resources and ecosystems in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). On the basis of three research projects we aim to describe and discuss the potential, uncertainties, synergies and science-policy interfaces of satellite-based integrated research for the Kilombero catchment, comprising one of the major agricultural utilized floodplains in Tanzania. LULCC was quantified at the floodplain and catchment scale analyzing Landsat 5 and Sentinel 2 satellite imagery applying different adapted classification methodologies. LULC maps at the catchment scale serve as spatial input for the distributed, process-based ecohydrological model SWAT (Soil Water Assessment Tool) simulating the changes in the spatial and temporal water balance in runoff components caused by LULCC. The results reveal that over the past 26 years LULCC has significantly altered the floodplain and already shows an impact on the ecosystem by degrading the existing wildlife corridors. On the catchment scale the anomalies of the water balance are still marginal, but with the expected structural changes of the catchment there is an urgent need to increase the public awareness and knowledge of decision makers regarding the effect of the relationship between LULCC, water resources and environmental degradation.
Highlights
The work presented here is the result of cooperation amongst three projects
This collaboration directly contributes to the GEO-Wetlands initiative that was recently established as part of the 2017–2019 Work Programme of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) through a partnership led by several Satellite-based Wetland Observation Service (SWOS) partners together with the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, the European Space Agency and others
The results of this study show that the floodplain experienced major Land Use Land Cover Change (LULCC) over the past 26 years (Figures 2 and 3, Table 5)
Summary
The work presented here is the result of cooperation amongst three projects. All three projects focus on the sustainable use and management of wetland ecosystems and the use of satellite-based maps and products. This collaboration directly contributes to the GEO-Wetlands initiative that was recently established as part of the 2017–2019 Work Programme of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) through a partnership led by several SWOS partners together with the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, the European Space Agency and others
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