Land Cover Change Detection and Subsistence Farming Dynamics in the Fringes of Mount Elgon National Park, Uganda from 1978–2020
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Date
2022
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Remote Sens
Abstract
Analyzing the dominant forms and extent of land cover changes in the Mount Elgon region
is important for tracking conservation efforts and sustainable land management. Mount Elgon’s
rugged terrain limits the monitoring of these changes over large areas. This study used multitemporal
satellite imagery to analyze and quantify the land cover changes in the upper Manafwa watershed
of Mount Elgon, for 42 years covering an area of 320 km2. The study employed remote sensing
techniques, geographic information systems, and software to map land cover changes over four
decades (1978, 1988, 2001, 2010, and 2020). The maximum likelihood classifier and post-classification
comparison technique were used in land cover classification and change detection analysis. The
results showed a positive percentage change (gain) in planted forest (3966%), built-up (890%), agriculture
(186%), and tropical high forest low-stocked (119%) and a negative percentage change (loss)
in shrubs (81%), bushland (68%), tropical high forest well-stocked (50%), grassland (44%),
and bare and sparsely vegetated surfaces (14%) in the period of 1978–2020. The observed changes
were concentrated mainly at the peripheries of the Mount Elgon National Park. The increase in
population and rising demand for agricultural land were major driving factors. However, regreening
as a restoration effort has led to an increase in land area for planted forests, attributed to an
improvement in conservation-related activities jointly implemented by the concerned stakeholders
and native communities. These findings revealed the spatial and temporal land cover changes in the
upper Manafwa watershed. The results could enhance restoration and conservation efforts when
coupled with studies on associated drivers of these changes and the use of very-high-resolution
remote sensing on areas where encroachment is visible in the park.
Description
Keywords
Change detection, Nature conservation, Encroachment, Deforestation, Land cover changes (LCCs), Landsat, Maximum likelihood classifier, Mount Elgon
Citation
Opedes, H.;Mücher, S.; Baartman, J.E.M.; Nedala, S.;Mugagga, F. Land Cover Change Detection and Subsistence Farming Dynamics in the Fringes of Mount Elgon National Park, Uganda from 1978–2020. Remote Sens. 2022, 14, 2423. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14102423