Spatio-temporal trends of Prosopis juliflora plantation and its implications on livelihoods in Awash Fentale District, Afar region, Ethiopia
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Date
2024-12-01
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Prosopis juliflora plantations has been the dominant plant species in the eastern parts of
Ethiopoia. significantly impact the livelihoods of local communities. This study examines
the trends and impacts of Prosopis juliflora plantations in the Awash Fentale District of
the Afar region, Ethiopia. The analysis uses Landsat imagery and Sentinel-2 data on the
Google Earth Engine platform, covering a 30-year period from 1993 to 2023, with data
examined at ten-year intervals: 1993, 2003, 2013, and 2023. The methodology includes
land use/land cover (LULC) classification, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index
(NDVI) analysis, regression analysis, Mann-Kendall trend analysis, and Normalized
Difference Infrared Index (NDII) computation. A comparative assessment of algorithms
between Landsat 8 and Sentinel-2 for 2023 reveals that Sentinel-2 achieved higher
overall accuracy (97%) and Kappa (96) compared to Landsat 8 (overall accuracy: 90%,
Kappa: 88%). Statistical validation indicates the significance of these results, with a p
value of 0.0001, below the 0.05 threshold. The results of this study show a continuous
increase in the area invaded by Prosopis juliflora over a 30-year period, from 1993 to
2023. Specifically, the coverage of this invasive species grew from 63 km² in 1993 to 87.3
km² in 2023, indicating significant expansion within the studied area.To assess household
perceptions, a perception index was developed using a five-point Likert scale, identifying
factors that outline these views. The results show about 93% of the respondents have
negative perception whereas 7% of households view Prosopis juliflora positively. Given
the invasive nature of Prosopis juliflora and its impact on land use and pastoral
livelihoods, these findings are essential for informing policymakers and land managers to
develop effective strategies for managing and mitigating its spread in the region.
Keywords: Prosopis juliflora, spatio-temporal trends, Google Earth Engine, LULC
classification, NDVI analysis, NDII computation, invasive species, pastoral livelihoods
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Keywords
Prosopis juliflora, spatio-temporal trends, Google Earth Engine, LULC classification, NDVI analysis, NDII computation, invasive species, pastoral livelihoods.