Land Use Land Cover Change within Kessem watershed, Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia: The Case of Minijar-Shenkora Woreda

Land-use land covers are not static rather they are dynamic in response to various driving forces. The main objective of this study was to assess land use land cover changes of Minjar-Shenkora Woreda during the three decades (1987–2017). Three different Landsat satellite data sets (Landsat 5 TM, 7 ETM+ and 8 OLI-TIRS) of 1987, 2003 and 2017 were used from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), respectively. The data were processed, and the land use land cover classes were also identified using ERDAS Imagine (ver. 2014) and Arc GIS (Ver.10.3). The study revealed that forest and shrub lands have diminished from 32885 hectaresto 16034 hectaresand 61939 hectaresto 32530 hectares, respectively while agriculture and bare lands have increased from 52524 hectaresto 90859 hectaresand 3018 hectares to7441 hectares, respectively. Moreover, built up areas also have encroached farm lands and bush lands. Over utilization of wood for fuel and construction materials, human induced fire and uncontrolled grazing, population and socio-economic changes are the main causes of the land use land cover changes. On the other hand, people’s livelihood vulnerabilities and degradation are the main outcomes of the land use land cover changes. Thus, the concerned bodies of the Woreda along with the communities should discuss and formulate law that can help to protect and preserve natural vegetation, expansion of farm lands to marginal lands as well as prevent invading of farmlands by urban horizontal expansion.