This study assesses land use and land cover changes and the causes of such changes in and around Magamba Nature Reserve. Remote sensing and GIS techniques were used to quantify and analyze the trend in land use and land cover changes over the past 20 years whereby satellite images of 1995, 2008 and 2015 were used. Moreover, household surveys, direct field observations and focus group discussions were employed to obtain socioeconomic factors that influence changes in land use and land cover.
Population Census data of 2002 and 2012 were utilized to identify population density for the villages surrounding the reserve. The results indicated a major expansion of agriculture from 169.33 ha in 1995, 282.16 ha in 2008 to 902.54 ha in 2015. There was an increase of built-up areas from 36.50 ha in 1995, 911.56 ha in 2008 to 1792.92 ha in 2015 at the expense of other land covers. The identified influences for such changes include population pressure, unemployment, landless, agricultural expansion, fire and need for energy sources (e.g. firewood and charcoal). Recent increase in population and anthropogenic activities is a threat to conservation and thus should be discouraged in order to restore the degraded areas and for the sustainability of the biodiversity in and around Magamba Nature Reserve.
Magamba Nature Reserve in Lushoto District Tanzania has experienced and continues to experience major land use changes and land cover loss in natural vegetation. This has resulted in biodiversity loss, local climate change, soil erosion and forest degradation. Therefore, understanding of changes occurring in such ecosystem is of vital importance for establishing management activities.
It has been lately indicated that these problems are mainly due to anthropogenic activities as this district is among the rural areas with high population growth compared to other rural districts in Tanzania. However, these insights are little proved quantitatively.
Table of Contents
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background Information
1.2 Problem Statement and Justification
1.3 Objectives of the Study
1.3.1 General objective
1.3.2 Specific objectives
1.4 Research Questions`
1.5 Hypothesis
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Land Use and Land Cover
2.2 Drivers of Land use and Land Cover Changes
2.3 Human Population and Land Use Change
2.4 Application of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems for Land Use and Land Cover Changes Analysis
2.5 Concept of Land Use and Land Cover Classification
2.6 Remote Sensing in Land Use and Land Cover Change Detection
2.7 Impacts of Land Use and Land Cover Changes on Nature Reserves
3.0 MATERIALS AND METHODS
3.1 Description of the Study Area
3.1.1 Location
3.1.2 Geology and soils
3.1.3 Climate
3.1.4 Natural vegetation
3.1.5 Population and ethnicity
3.1.6 Economic activities
3.2 Data Description and Collection
3.2.1 Spatial data collection
3.2.2 Population data
3.2.3 Topographic maps and google/aerial photographs
3.2.4 Identification of socio-economic factors influencing land use and land cover changes
3.2.4.1 Sampling procedure
3.2.4.2 Participatory rural appraisal
3.2.4.3 Questionnaire administration
3.2.4.4 Participant observations
3.2.4.5 Focused group discussion
3.3 Data Analysis
3.3.1 Graphical illustration of the methodology
3.3.2 Image processing and analysis
3.3.3 Image pre-processing
3.3.4 Image rectification/Geo-referencing
3.3.5 Image enhancement
3.3.6 Image classification
3.3.6.1 Supervised classification
3.3.6.2 Descriptions of land use and land cover categories for the study area
3.3.7 Ground truthing
3.3.8 Accuracy assessment
3.3.8.1 Error matrix of 1995 classified image
3.3.9 Land use and land cover change detection analysis
3.3.10 Assessment of the rate of cover change
3.4 Land Use and Land Cover-Population Relationship Analysis
3.5 Social Economic Data Processing and Analysis
3.5.1 Data analysis
3.5.1.1 Qualitative data analysis
3.5.1.2 Quantitative data analysis
4.0 RESULTS
4.1 Land Use and Land Cover Changes during the Period 1995-2015
4.1.1 Cover area, changed area and the rate of change between 1995-2008
4.1.2 Cover area, changed area and the rate of change between 2008 - 2015
4.1.3 Change transitions in land use and land cover between 1995 and 2015
4.1.4 Quantifying the “from – to” change
4.1.4.1 Change detection matrix of land use and land cover types for the period 1995 – 2008
4.1.4.2 Change detection matrix of land use and land cover types for the period 2008 – 2015
4.2 Socioeconomic Characteristic of Respondents
4.2.1 Gender of respondents
4.2.2 Age of respondents
4.2.3 Marital status of respondents
4.2.4 Education level
4.2.5 Main household’s income generating activities
4.2.6 Household land size and land acquisition
4.2.7 Households energy sources
4.2.8 Local community’s perception on the importance of Magamba nature reserve
4.2.9 Perception of local communities on drivers of land use and land cover change
4.3 Population Growth
4.3.1 Population densities of the villages around Magamba nature reserve
4.3.1.1 Population density for the period 1995 – 2008
4.3.1.2 Population density for the period 2008 – 2015
4.3.1.3 Population density for the period 1995 – 2015
4.3.1.4 Population growth and land use and land cover patterns
5.0 DISCUSSION
5.1 Land Use and Land Cover Dynamics
5.1.1 Accuracy assessment
5.2 Socioeconomic Conditions of the Respondents
5.2.1 Gender of respondents
5.2.2 Age of respondents
5.2.3 Education level
5.2.4 Main household’s income generating activities
5.2.5 Household land size and land acquisition
5.2.6 Households energy sources
5.3 Perception of Local People on Causes of Land Use and Land Cover Changes
5.4 Population Growth
6.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
6.1 Conclusions
6.2 Recommendations
Research Objectives and Key Topics
This study aims to assess land use and land cover changes in and around the Magamba Nature Reserve in Tanzania over a 20-year period (1995-2015) and to identify the socioeconomic factors driving these changes to support sustainable management planning.
- Quantification of land use and land cover dynamics using remote sensing and GIS techniques.
- Assessment of socioeconomic drivers such as population growth, land scarcity, and energy demand.
- Evaluation of community perceptions regarding the importance of the nature reserve and the causes of forest degradation.
- Analysis of the relationship between village-level population density and land use changes.
Excerpt from the Book
1.1 Background Information
African countries, particularly in the Sub-Saharan are characterized by having most of the individuals living in the rural areas. Their livelihood depends mostly on the utilization of natural resources particularly from the forest, woodlands, wetlands, agricultural land for crops production and livestock keeping (Adger, 2007; Majule, 2013). This dependency coupled with anthropogenic activities through urbanization, agriculture and forestry have been going on and intensified during the past millennium (Soka and Nzunda, 2014). This has altered the earth’s surface significantly and is associated with profound effect upon the natural environment. Moreover, it has resulted in an observable pattern of change in the context of land use and land cover over time.
Among of the impacts caused by changes in the land use and land cover is the alteration in the availability of diverse biophysical resources such as soil, vegetation, water and animal feed (Ohri and Poonam, 2012). Consequently, this leads to a decreased availability of different products and services. This implies that changes on the land are inevitable as far as human beings are in need of fulfilling their basic needs. Furthermore, rapid population increase and subsequent demand for agricultural land and forest harvests such as fuel, forage, timber and lumber had accelerated deforestation practice in numerous developing tropical countries and also producing changes that impact humans (Agarwal et al., 2002; Lambin et al., 2003; Pielke, 2005; Ohri and Poonam, 2012).
A study by Nzunda (2013) in Miombo woodlands documents that changes are powered by a growing demand for agricultural products that are essential for improving food security as well as income. Likewise, in developing world individuals have amplified agricultural harvests mainly by converting more land into agricultural production (Lambin et al., 2003).
Summary of Chapters
1.0 INTRODUCTION: Outlines the background of land use change in Sub-Saharan Africa and states the specific objectives and research questions for the study in the Magamba Nature Reserve.
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW: Discusses theoretical concepts regarding land use and land cover, drivers of change (such as demographic and institutional factors), and the application of remote sensing and GIS in this field.
3.0 MATERIALS AND METHODS: Describes the study area, data collection techniques including household surveys and satellite imagery, and the data analysis methodology (image classification and population analysis).
4.0 RESULTS: Presents the findings regarding land use and land cover changes between 1995 and 2015, socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents, and the observed population growth in surrounding villages.
5.0 DISCUSSION: Interprets the research results, covering land use dynamics, the accuracy of the classification performed, socioeconomic conditions, and local community perceptions of causes of environmental change.
6.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Summarizes the study’s findings and offers recommendations for policy, land use planning, and future research to mitigate environmental degradation.
Keywords
Magamba Nature Reserve, Land Use and Land Cover, Remote Sensing, GIS, Anthropogenic Activities, Population Growth, Biodiversity Loss, Socioeconomic Factors, Forest Degradation, Sustainable Management, Tanzania, Eastern Arc Mountains, Land Use Planning, Deforestation, Agriculture.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research?
The research examines the spatial and temporal dynamics of land use and land cover changes in and around the Magamba Nature Reserve in Tanzania over a 20-year period to understand how human activities impact this ecosystem.
What are the main thematic areas covered?
The study covers remote sensing and GIS-based land mapping, socioeconomic analysis of local communities, population growth trends, and the intersection of these factors with forest conservation.
What is the primary research objective?
The objective is to quantify land use and land cover changes from 1995 to 2015 and establish the spatial relationship between population density and these environmental changes.
Which scientific methods were utilized?
The study employs a mixed-methods approach using remote sensing and GIS for environmental monitoring, combined with household surveys, focus group discussions, and content analysis for socioeconomic data.
What does the main body of the work address?
It provides a comprehensive literature review, a detailed methodology for mapping and population analysis, presentation of quantitative results from satellite imagery, and a discussion of these results in the context of existing literature.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include Land Use/Land Cover (LULC), Magamba Nature Reserve, remote sensing, GIS, population density, anthropogenic activities, and socioeconomic drivers.
How does population growth correlate with land cover changes in this study?
The study indicates that population growth is a primary driver of land cover change, as increasing numbers of inhabitants lead to the expansion of agricultural fields and built-up areas, which often occurs at the expense of natural forest.
What were the main conclusions regarding natural forest coverage?
The study concludes that there has been a significant and consistent decline in natural forest cover from 1995 to 2015, largely due to the demand for agricultural land and fuel needs by the local population.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Solomon Sembosi (Autor:in), 2017, Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Land Use and Land Cover In and Around Magamba Nature Reserve, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/379059
