scholarly journals Land Use and Land Cover Change as an Indicator of Watershed Urban Development in the Kenyan Lake Victoria Basin

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 335-345
Author(s):  
Dancan Otieno Onyango ◽  
Christopher O. Ikporukpo ◽  
John O. Taiwo ◽  
Stephen B. Opiyo

The socio-economic and ecological value of Lake Victoria is threatened by significant regional development and urbanization. This study analyzed spatial-temporal land use/land cover changes in the Kenyan Lake Victoria basin from 1978–2018 using Landsat 3, 4-5 and 8 imagery, with a view to identifying the extent and potential impacts of urbanization on the basin. Supervised image classification was undertaken following the Maximum Likelihood algorithm to generate land use/land cover maps at ten-year intervals. Results indicate that the basin is characterized by six main land use/land cover classes namely, agricultural land, water bodies, grasslands and vegetation, bare land, forests and built-up areas. Further, the results indicate that the basin has experienced net increases in built-up areas (+97.56%), forests (+17.30%) and agricultural land (+3.54%) over the last 40 years. During the same period, it experienced net losses in grassland and vegetation (-37.36%), bare land (-9.28%) and water bodies (-2.19%). Generally, the changing landscapes in the basin are characterized by conversion of natural environments to built-up environments and driven by human activities, urban populations and public policy decisions. The study therefore recommends the establishment of a land use system that creates a balance between the ecological realm and sustainable development.

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 84-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aniekan Effiong Eyoh ◽  
Akwaowo Ekpa

The research was aim at assessing the change in the Built-up Index of Uyo metropolis and its environs from 1986 to 2018, using remote sensing data. To achieve this, a quantitative analysis of changes in land use/land cover within the study area was undertaken using remote sensing dataset of Landsat TM, ETM+ and OLI sensor images of 1986, 2000 and 2018 respectively. Supervised classification, using the maximum likelihood algorithm, was used to classify the study area into four major land use/land cover types; built-up land, bare land/agricultural land, primary swamp vegetation and secondary vegetation. Image processing was carried out using ERDAS IMAGINE and ArcGIS software. The Normalised Difference Built-up Index (NDBI) was calculated to obtain the built-up index for the study area in 1986, 2000 and 2018 as -0.20 to +0.45, -0.13 to +0.55 and -0.19 to +0.63 respectively. The result of the quantitative analysis of changes in land use/land cover indicated that Built-up Land had been on a constant and steady positive growth from 6.76% in 1986 to 11.29% in 2000 and 44.04% in 2018.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 2829 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robinson Mugo ◽  
Rose Waswa ◽  
James W. Nyaga ◽  
Antony Ndubi ◽  
Emily C. Adams ◽  
...  

The Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) is a significant resource for five states within East Africa, which faces major land use land cover changes that threaten ecosystem integrity and ecosystem services derived from the basin’s resources. To assess land use land cover changes between 1985 and 2014, and subsequently determine the trends and drivers of these changes, we used a series of Landsat images and field data obtained from the LVB. Landsat image pre-processing and band combinations were done in ENVI 5.1. A supervised classification was applied on 118 Landsat scenes using the maximum likelihood classifier in ENVI 5.1. The overall accuracy of classified images was computed for the 2014 images using 124 reference data points collected through stratified random sampling. Computations of area under various land cover classes were calculated between the 1985 and 2014 images. We also correlated the area from natural vegetation classes to farmlands and settlements (urban areas) to explore relationships between land use land cover conversions among these classes. Based on our land cover classifications, we obtained overall accuracy of 71% and a moderate Kappa statistic of 0.56. Our results indicate that the LVB has undergone drastic changes in land use land cover, mainly driven by human activities that led to the conversion of forests, woodlands, grasslands, and wetlands to either farmlands or settlements. We conclude that information from this work is useful not only for basin-scale assessments and monitoring of land cover changes but also for targeting, prioritizing, and monitoring of small scale, community led efforts to restore degraded and fragmented areas in the basin. Such efforts could mitigate the loss of ecosystem services previously derived from large contiguous land covers which are no longer tenable to restore. We recommend adoption of a basin scale, operational, Earth observation-based, land use change monitoring framework. Such a framework can facilitate rapid and frequent assessments of gains and losses in specific land cover classes and thus focus strategic interventions in areas experiencing major losses, through mitigation and compensatory approaches.


2012 ◽  
Vol 518-523 ◽  
pp. 5704-5709
Author(s):  
Yi Lin ◽  
Bing Liu ◽  
Feng Xie ◽  
Wen Wei Ren

This paper illustrates almost twenty years (1986~2007) of Land use/land cover change (LULCC) in Qingpu-one district of Shanghai. Qingpu District is an area of Upper Huangpu Catchment for fresh water supply with considerable ecological value, but it is also experiencing urban sprawl from development. To reveal the trends underlie LULCC, we propose a novel procedure to quantify different land use/land covers and implement it in the case study. In this procedure, we first collect historical remote-sensing data and co-registered or corrected them to the same spatial resolution and radioactive level. Based upon preliminary interpretation or investigation, land use/land cover types in study area can be included in 5 categories, i.e. Water, Agricultural Land, Urban or Built-up Land, Forest Land, and Barren Land or others. Moreover, data is clipped via boundary of study area for reducing computation load, followed by FPCR-ISODATA classification to divide the data into k groups (k>the number of land types). After postprocessing, e.g., merge the same connoted subgroups and correct misclassified units accompany with validation and verification, the detailed land use/land cover results can be achieved accurately. The quantitative and regression analysis indicate that during the past twenty years the area of agricultural land of Qingpu decreased coupled with urban or built-up area increased linearly. The water area had the minimum change during the decades. Forests had the smallest average proportion (9.6%) of the total area. It occupied so small proportion of land that we can only find points of it in the maps. Barren land can be an indicator for monitoring uncompleted redevelopment or transition of land.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 11-25
Author(s):  
Dancan O. Onyango ◽  
Christopher O. Ikporukpo ◽  
John O. Taiwo ◽  
Stephen B. Opiyo

Abstract Several urban centres of different sizes have developed over time, and continue to grow, within the basin of Lake Victoria. Uncontrolled urban development, especially along the lake shore, puts environmental pressure on Lake Victoria and its local ecosystem. This study sought to monitor the extent and impacts of urban development (as measured by population growth and built-up land use/land cover) in the Lake Victoria basin, Kenya, between 1978 and 2018. Remote sensing and GIS-based land use/land cover classification was conducted to extract change in built-up areas from Landsat 3, 4, 5 and 8 satellite imagery obtained for the month of January at intervals of ten years. Change in population distribution and density was analysed based on decadal census data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics between 1979 and 2019. A statistical regression model was then estimated to relate population growth to built-up area expansion. Results indicate that the basin’s built-up area has expanded by 97% between 1978 and 2018 while the population increased by 140% between 1979 and 2019. Urban development was attributed to the rapidly increasing population in the area as seen in a positive statistical correlation (R2=0.5744) between increase in built-up area and population growth. The resulting environmental pressure on the local ecosystem has been documented mainly in terms of degradation of lake water quality, eutrophication and aquatic biodiversity loss. The study recommends the enactment and implementation of appropriate eco-sensitive local legislation and policies for sustainable urban and rural land use planning in the area. This should aim to control and regulate urban expansion especially in the immediate shoreline areas of the lake and associated riparian zones.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 320-328
Author(s):  
Suraj Prasad Bist ◽  
Rabindra Adhikari ◽  
Raju Raj Regmi ◽  
Rajan Subedi

The present study was conducted in the Mohana watershed of Far-western Nepal to assess land use land cover change. The study has used ArcGIS and three Landsat images - Landsat TM (1999), Landsat ETM+ (2009), and Landsat OLI (2019) – to analyze land use the land cover change of the watershed. The change matrix technique was used for change detection analysis. The study area was classified into five classes; forest, agriculture, built-up, water bodies, and barren lands. The study has found that among the five identified classes forest and build-up increased positively from 45.40 % to 51.51 % - forest cover and 11.26 % to 19. 85 % - build-up respectively. Similarly, agricultural land and water bodies initially increased but after 2009 both land cover areas decreased to 23.79 % and 0.73 % from 31.38 % and 0.97 % in 2009 respectively. Barren land decreased from 15.37% to 4.12% over the last 20 years. This study might support land-use planners and policymakers to adopt the best suitable land use management option for the Mohana watershed.


Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wakjira Takala Dibaba ◽  
Tamene Adugna Demissie ◽  
Konrad Miegel

Understanding the trajectories and extents of land use/land cover change (LULCC) is important to generate and provide helpful information to policymakers and development practitioners about the magnitude and trends of LULCC. This study presents the contributing factors of LULCC, the extent and implications of these changes for sustainable land use in the Finchaa catchment. Data from Landsat images 1987, 2002, and 2017 were used to develop the land use maps and quantify the changes. A supervised classification with the maximum likelihood classifier was used to classify the images. Key informant interviews and focused group discussions with transect walks were used for the socio-economic survey. Over the past three decades, agricultural land, commercial farm, built-up, and water bodies have increased while forestland, rangeland, grazing land, and swampy areas have decreased. Intensive agriculture without proper management practice has been a common problem of the catchment. Increased cultivation of steep slopes has increased the risk of erosion and sedimentation of nearby water bodies. Multiple factors, such as biophysical, socio-economic, institutional, technological, and demographic, contributed to the observed LULCC in the study area. A decline in agricultural yield, loss of biodiversity, extended aridity and drought, land and soil degradation, and decline of water resources are the major consequences of LULCC in the Finchaa catchment. The socio-economic developments and population growth have amplified the prolonged discrepancy between supply and demand for land and water in the catchment. More comprehensive and integrated watershed management policies will be indispensable to manage the risks.


2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Kiggundu ◽  
Listowel Abugri Anaba ◽  
Noble Banadda ◽  
Joshua Wanyama ◽  
Isa Kabenge

The Murchison Bay catchment in the northern shoreline of Lake Victoria basin is a high valued ecosystem because of the numerous human-related activities it supports in Uganda. The catchment has undergone tremendous human-induced land use/cover changes, which have not been quantified. This study aimed at quantifying the land use/cover changes as well as the rate at which these changes occurred over the last three decades in the catchment. This was achieved using remote sensing techniques and Geographic Information System (GIS) to analyse and contextualize the changes. To that effect, images of Landsat satellites MSS, TM, ETM+ and OLI were interpreted using supervised image classification technique to determine the land use/land cover changes from 1984 to 2015. The obtained results indicated that the catchment has undergone huge land use and land cover transformations over the last three decades attributable to rapid population growth and urbanization. The prevailing changes in footprint between 1984 and 2015 were expansions of built–up land (20.58% to 49.59%) and open water bodies (not detected in 1984 to 1.74%), and decreases in the following sectors: agricultural lands (from 43.88% to 26.10%), forestland (from 23.78% to 17.49%), and wetlands (from 11.76% to 5.08%). The changes pose a threat to the environment and water quality of the Murchison Bay and consequently increases National Water and Sewerage Corporation water treatment costs. Therefore, there is the need to take critical and practical measures to regulate and police land use, water use rights and conserve the environment especially wetlands.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 3045-3053
Author(s):  
Kambo Dero ◽  
Wakshum Shiferaw ◽  
Biruk Zewde

The study was aimed to assess urban induced land use land cover changes in the upper Deme watershed. Three satellite images of 1986, 2002, and 2019 were analyzed by ArcGIS and processed by supervised classification. Land use land cover change in the watershed increased for settlement, bare land, and croplands in the period 1986-2019 by 56.6%, 53%, and 0.25%, respectively. However, the land use land cover change in the watershed decreased for a water body, forest, and grassland by 65%, 57.7%, and 7%, respectively. These enforced to change the work habit and social bases. Out of converted lands, during 1986-2002, 34.9%, 53%, 18%, 40.9%, and 10.6% of bare land, cropland, forest land, grassland, and water bodies, respectively, in the upper Deme watershed were changed into settlement areas. During 2002-2019, 30.7%, 36.8%, 26.9%, 66%, and 33.3% of bare land, cropland, forest land, grassland, and water bodies, respectively, were changed into settlement areas. This shows urbanization results in a different change in economic, social, land use land cover, and watershed management activities in the upper Deme watershed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dereje Gebrie Habte ◽  
Satishkumar Belliethathan ◽  
Tenalem Ayenew

AbstractEvaluation of land use/land cover (LULC) status of watersheds is vital to environmental management. This study was carried out in Jewha watershed, which is found in the upper Awash River basin of central Ethiopia. The total catchment area is 502 km2. All climatic zones of Ethiopia, including lowland arid (‘Kola’), midland semi-arid (‘Woinadega’), humid highland (Dega) and afro alpine (‘Wurch’) can be found in the watershed. The study focused on LULC classification and change detection using GIS and remote sensing techniques by analyzing satellite images. The data preprocessing and post-process was done using multi-temporal spectral satellite data. The images were used to evaluate the temporal trends of the LULC class by considering the years 1984, 1995, 2005 and 2015. Accuracy assessment and change detection of the classification were undertaken by accounting these four years images. The land use types in the study area were categorized into six classes: natural forest, plantation forest, cultivated land, shrub land, grass land and bare land. The result shows the cover classes which has high environmental role such as forest and shrub has decreased dramatically through time with cultivated land increasing during the same period in the watershed. The forest cover in 1984 was about 6.5% of the total catchment area, and it had decreased to 4.2% in 2015. In contrast, cultivated land increased from 38.7% in 1984 to 51% in 2015. Shrub land decreased from 28 to 18% in the same period. Bare land increased due to high gully formation in the catchment. In 1984, it was 1.8% which turned to 0.6% in 1995 then increased in 2015 to 2.7%. Plantation forest was not detected in 1984. In 1995, it covers 1.5% which turned to be the same in 2015. The study clearly demonstrated that there are significant changes of land use and land cover in the catchment. The findings will allow making informed decision which will allow better land use management and environmental conservation interventions.


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