Exploring the geophysical and socio-economic determinants of land cover changes in Eastern Mau forest reserve and Lake Nakuru drainage basin, Kenya

Remote sensing/GIS techniques are a versatile tool for x-raying serial forest structural changes in retrospect. It would be impossible to evaluate past occurrences and changes in forest extents in past decades at Effan Forest Reserve without non-conventional means. Therefore, we adopted remote sensing technology using Landsat images to evaluate land-use change and degradation rates in the area with a view to ascertaining causal factors for possible minimization of forest degradation in Effan Forest Reserve. Land-use/land-cover changes were analyzed using USGS-Landsat TM and ETM images of 1987, 2002, 2014 and 2019. Field-data were collected using handheld GPS receiver and spatial statistical analyses were conducted using the ground control points (GCPs). For inventory data, a systematic sampling technique was adopted using ten 1.05 km-transects at 500 m intervals. A total of 50 sample plots of 50 × 50 m were used. All tree species with Dbh ≥10 cm were enumerated. Nineteen tree species in ten families were encountered with Vitellaria paradoxa as the most-frequently occurring species in the area. IUCN-listed endangered Pterocarpus erinaceus, hitherto abundant in the area, was rarely encountered during the survey, while Vitellaria paradoxa is gradually shrinking, going the relative abundance in the area. The result further showed that primary and secondary forests decreased considerably by 258.03 ha (46.72%) and 9.18 ha (3.63%), respectively, with a total forest loss of 50.3% in 32 years (8.4 hayr-1, 1.6% per annum). While forest plantation size doubled by 369.72 ha within the period. This is worrisome as the remaining fragmented forests appeared to be on the decline, except the riparian vegetation, due to inaccessibility to the riparian by loggers. It thus appeared that forest protection approaches were ineffective. Increased protection efforts could save this forest reserve, and the concerned authority should consider a focused-enrichment planting involving indigenous species for ecosystem-repair.

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Extent and Rate of Deforestation and Forest Degradation (1986–2016) in West Bugwe Central Forest Reserve, Uganda

International Journal of Forestry Research ◽

10.1155/2021/8860643 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Fatuma Mutesi ◽

John Robert Stephen Tabuti ◽

David Mfitumukiza

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Land Cover ◽

Forest Degradation ◽

Land Cover Changes ◽

Income Generation ◽

Forest Reserve ◽

Average Change ◽

Interview Survey ◽

Key Drivers ◽

Restoration Strategies

Understanding the extent of land cover change and the forces behind land cover changes is essential in designing appropriate restoration strategies. Land cover changes at local scales or the factors that lead to cover change have not been documented for much of Uganda. We undertook this study in West Bugwe Central Forest Reserve (WBCFR) to fill this gap. We used remote sensing to determine land cover changes for a 30-year period, 1986–2016, and an interview survey to investigate the drivers of these changes. Our results show that the forest in this reserve has declined extensively by over 82% from 1,682 ha to 311 ha corresponding to an average change of −1.18% per year. The wetland has also been extensively degraded. Both the forest and wetland have transitioned into shrub land. The key drivers that have been highlighted by the survey are poverty (86%), population growth (56%), and associated harvesting of woody products (86%) for subsistence and income generation. We conclude that the forest in WBCFR has been extensively and rapidly deforested and degraded by humans.

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Achieving Net Zero: Understanding the Potential Hydrological Impacts of Changing Climate and Land Cover in the UK

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-6905 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Marcus Buechel ◽

Simon Dadson ◽

Louise Slater

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Land Cover ◽

Drainage Basin ◽

Land Cover Changes ◽

Drainage Basins ◽

Changing Climate ◽

High Magnitude ◽

Net Zero ◽

The Uk ◽

Streamflow Trends

Climate change is set to increase the magnitude and frequency of fluvial flooding in many regions across the world, making it a growing risk to billions of people living near rivers. Changing drainage basin land cover and hydrological connectivity further complicates how these streamflow extremes may evolve. Engineered solutions to mitigate the risk of future high magnitude runoff events to populations may no longer be suitable to meet these needs due to these changes in climate and land cover.By reducing the level of global CO2 emissions, climate models predict that we can reduce the severity of climate change impacts upon communities. To achieve the goals set by the Paris Agreement to limit global warming, the UK has proposed a range of policies to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. One of these proposals includes widespread afforestation across the UK. Where to plant this woodland and the scale of impact it may have on the future hydrological cycle is currently unquantified. This project seeks to investigate three aspects of how future streamflow trends my change due to afforestation in respect to: woodland location, differing afforestation rates, and the hydrological responsiveness of drainage basins to land cover changes.Physics-based models provide the possibility to explore the relative importance of climate and land cover on future streamflow trends, both together and separately. The Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES) is used to explore catchment responses across the UK to potential extreme weather events with theoretical changes in land cover at a 1 km resolution. Theoretical land cover scenarios of afforestation were generated according to proximity to existing land cover, drainage basin structure and proposed afforestation sites. An extreme precipitation scenario (the winter of 2013/14) is explored to comprehend streamflow regime response to high magnitude precipitation events caused by changing climate and land cover using the Weather@home perturbed model ensembles and CHESS-met datasets. This approach provides the potential to explore how increasing afforestation could change the discharge dynamics of landscapes across the UK and thus its potential benefits and drawbacks to flood risk management.&#160;Results show how potential land cover changes will impact streamflow response to storms across the UK. These results help provide a clearer picture of how changing landscape systems impact river response to external climatic forcing and may provide evidence for management and policy strategies tailored to the requirements of individual drainage basins to reduce the risk of flooding upon downstream populations.

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Detecting land use/land cover changes in the Lake Hayq (Ethiopia) drainage basin, 1957-2007

Lakes & Reservoirs Research & Management ◽

10.1111/lre.12082 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

pp. 1-18 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Hassen M. Yesuf ◽

Mohammed Assen ◽

Assefa M. Melesse ◽

Tena Alamirew

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Land Cover ◽

Drainage Basin ◽

Land Cover Changes ◽

Land Use Land Cover

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Climate Variability, Land Cover Changes and Livelihoods of Communities on the Fringes of Bobiri Forest Reserve, Ghana

Forests ◽

10.3390/f12030278 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 278

Author(s):

Frank Baffour-Ata ◽

Philip Antwi-Agyei ◽

Elias Nkiaka

Keyword(s):

Land Cover ◽

Climate Variability ◽

Rural Livelihoods ◽

Land Cover Changes ◽

Focus Group Discussions ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Forest Reserve ◽

Closed Forest ◽

Key Informant ◽

Fringe Communities

Climate variability coupled with land use and land cover changes have resulted in significant changes in forest reserves in Ghana with major implications for rural livelihoods. Understanding the link between climate variability, land use and land cover changes and rural livelihoods is key for decision-making, especially regarding sustainable management of forest resources, monitoring of ecosystems and related livelihoods. The study determined the extent to which climate variability drives land cover changes in the Bobiri forest reserve, Ghana. Landsat images from 1986, 2003, 2010 and 2014 were used to evaluate land cover changes of the Bobiri forest reserve in Ghana. Participatory research approaches including household questionnaire surveys, focus group discussions and key informant interviews were conducted in four fringe communities of the Bobiri forest reserve. Findings showed that local people perceived changes in rainfall and temperature patterns over the past years. Historical rainfall and temperature data for the study area showed increased variability in rainfall and an increasing temperature trend, which are consistent with the perception of the study respondents. Analysis of land cover satellite images showed that there has been significant transformation of closed forest to open forest and non-forest land cover types over the 28-year period (1986–2014), with an overall kappa statistic of 0.77. Between 2003 and 2014, closed forest decreased by 15.6% but settlement/bare ground and crop land increased marginally by 1.5% and 0.9%, respectively. Focus group discussions and key informant interviews revealed that increased land cover changes in the Bobiri forest reserve could partly be attributed to erratic rainfall patterns. Other factors such as logging and population growth were reported to be factors driving land cover changes. The study concluded that the Bobiri forest reserve has witnessed significant land cover changes and recommended that alternative livelihood sources should be provided to reduce the direct dependency of fringe communities on the forest for livelihood and firewood.

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