Land use land cover change analysis and detection of its drivers using geospatial techniques: a case of south-central Ethiopia

ABSTRACT The rapid expansion of agriculture and human settlements has simplified natural ecosystems and harmed the earth’s biodiversity. The current study was conducted in south-central Ethiopia to identify LULC change dynamics, and analysis of their driving force using geospatial technology. A supervised maximum likelihood image classification method was employed in combination with the visual interpretation of satellite images to categorise and map LULC classes of the study landscape. Semi-structured interviews, field observations, key informants, and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were employed to identify major driving forces, periodic LULC changes and impacts. The classification result showed a considerable decline in forestland from (43.1%) in 1973 to (13.1%) in 2000. Similarly, grasslands declined from (45.5%) in 1973 to (6.3%) in 2018. On the other hand, cropland has increased from (9.24%) in 1973 to (32.04%) in 1986 likewise between 2000 and 2018 its coverage was augmented from 45.4% to 51.1%, respectively. . Local communities perceived population growth, settlement, urbanisation, expansion of farmlands, and fuel wood collection as dominant drivers of LULC changes in the study area in thewatershed. The respondents also observed that the decline in forest LULC triggered the loss of biodiversity, soil fertility, and water availability. Hence, local and national regimes must take adequate measures to minimise the rapid shift in land use and to balance the protection of the human livelihood with the environment.