Monitoring Land Use Changes and Comparing Watershed Quality Classes: A Case Study of Mueang Phetchabun District, Phetchabun Province

This study aims to investigate land use changes in Mueang Phetchabun District, Phetchabun Province, Thailand, between 2014 and 2024, using Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies. The analysis focuses on land use changes and their comparison with watershed quality classifications. The results reveal that, over the past decade, forest areas expanded by 109.75 km<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> (10.67%), built-up areas grew by 56.67 km<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> (52.37%), and water bodies increased by 4.32 km<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> (45.36%). Conversely, agricultural land saw a significant reduction of 170.74 km<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> (15.44%). A further comparison of land use changes with watershed quality classifications indicates that by 2024, agricultural land overlapping with Class 1A watershed quality areas declined by 26.77 km<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> (4.94%), with Class 1B by 39.58 km<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> (24.64%), and with Class 2 by 55.68 km<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup>(13.71 %). Simultaneously, forest areas overlapping with Class 1A increased by 25.18 km<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> (4.65%), with Class 1B by 36.93 km<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> (22.99%), and with Class 2 by 51.33 km<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> (12.64%). Built-up areas overlapping with Class 1A rose by 1.34 km<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> (0.25%), with Class 1B by 2.57 km<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> (1.6%), and with Class 2 by 4 km<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> (0.99%). Water bodies overlapping with Class 1A grew by 0.26 km<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> (0.05%), with Class 1B by 0.08 km<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> (0.05%), and with Class 2 by 0.36 km<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> (0.09%). These findings highlight trends in forest restoration within key conservation zones, alongside community and water resource expansion, underscoring the need for sustainable resource planning. Comparing land use changes with watershed quality classifications provides essential information for relevant agencies to develop balanced and sustainable land management strategies.