Implication of Land Use Land Cover Dynamics of Wufe-Washa Forest and Neighboring Areas in Amhara Region’s of Ethiopia
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2023-07-20
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Addis Ababa University
Abstract
LULCC pertain to the changes in the quantity of land use and land cover, which may alter a specific type of land. In Ethiopia, LULCC has been identified as a significant contributor to environmental change, making it necessary to systematically analyze it to understand the extent of the changes and take appropriate management decisions and actions. Therefore, this study aimed to comprehend the dynamics of LULC in the Wufe-Washa forest and its surrounding areas. It analyzed the LULCC that occurred over the past 45 years, evaluated the impacts of LULCC on the forest environment and socioeconomic factors, and identified the drivers of LULCC in the study areas. To achieve these objectives, sequential Landsat satellite images from 1973, 1985, 2000, and 2022 were utilized, using RS data, GIS technique mainly via machine learning (ML) algorithms, along with field verifications. Additionally, a socio-economic survey was conducted to interpret the drivers of LULCC and their negative impacts on the biophysical and local communities. During the first and second comparison periods, due to large-scale government-initiated tree plantation, the LULCC analysis showed that forest cover increased by 39.03%, 45.37%, and decreased by 4.58% during the three comparison periods, i.e., 1973-1985, 1985-2000, and 2000-2022, respectively. Grassland increased by 68.5% during the first initial period but lost by 42.54% (1985- 2000) and 82.96% (2000-2022) in the two consecutive analysis periods. Shrub and bare lands continuously decreased during the three periods. The shrub land decreased by 21.50%, 68.95%, and 33.7% respectively over the analysis period, while bare land declined by 58.7%, 9.37%, and 41.22%, respectively. On the other hand, cropland showed continuous increments of 22.65%, 17.77%, and 19.46%, and settlements increased by 20.22%, 22.41%, and 41.22% during the three periods in the respective order of the analysis period. Post-classification accuracy assessment was conducted for the years 1973, 1985, 2000, and 2022, with an overall accuracy of 88.70%, 89.65%, 87.73%, and 95%, respectively. The kappa coefficient values for the years 1973, 1985, 2000, and 2022 were 85%, 87%, 84%, and 93%, respectively and the RF algorithm showed good performance in the categorization of the geographic features especially for vegetation land cover types. The prominent causes of LULCC in the study area are deforestation of natural forests, farmland expansion, population growth, and the lack of government institution policy implementation. These lead to the destruction of natural resources, such as the reduction in flora and fauna availability, soil degradation, climate change, and a decline in water resources. Therefore, it is essential to have an appropriate land use plan and policy to ensure a well-taught LULCC.