Land use/cover change and perceived watershed status in Eastern Uganda
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Date
2018
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology
Abstract
This study assessed the current status of Awoja in Ngora district of Eastern Uganda. Remote sensing,
household survey, In Pac S methodology and focus group discussions were used to acquire data from
April to July, 2015. Landsat satellite imageries from 2007 and 2013 were acquired by USGS Earth
Explorer to quantify land use/cover changes. Five land use/cover types were identified namely; (1)
open water (2) wetland (3) tree cover (4) agriculture and (5) built up area. The findings indicate a
fivefold increase in built up area by 154.27Km2 and open water changed by 8.7 Km2 and a reduction in
wetland area by -1.0Km2 tree cover by -48.07Km2 and agriculture area by -11.4.0Km2. The survey results
indicated deforestation, wetland encroachment, poor attitude and over population as the main reasons
for degradation. In Pac S methodology findings showed convergence in the perceived indicator of
degraded watershed in terms of water and soil quality; vegetation type and species diversity among the
lay people and technocrats. The focus group discussion findings indicated a negative trend in land
use/cover change. There is need for a concerted effort to design an appropriate restoration strategy for
Awoja.
Description
Keywords
Land use/cover, Remote sensing, GIS and other methods
Citation
Akello, S., Turyahabwe, N., Okullo, P., & Agea, J. G. (2016). Land use/cover change and perceived watershed status in Eastern Uganda. African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 10(11), 406-414. DOI: 10.5897/AJEST2016.2136