Land use changes on the slopes of Mount Elgon and the implications for the occurrence of landslides
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Date
2012
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Catena
Abstract
A reconstruction of land use changes and the implications thereof for landslide occurrence on critical slopes
of Mount Elgon in Eastern Uganda were undertaken. Aerial photographs taken in 1960 formed the benchmark
for the analysis of respective land use changes between 1995 and 2006, using 30 m Landsat TM and
20 m SPOT MS images. Landslide sites were mapped using a MobileMapper, and terrain parameters were derived
using a 15 m Digital Elevation Model. A supervised classification approach was employed to generate
land-cover maps, from which the areas of three land-cover classes (agricultural fields, woodlands and forests)
were calculated. A post-classification comparison change-detection technique revealed different trends
in land-cover change between the periods 1960–1995 and 1995–2006. Whereas there were minimal land use
changes between 1960 and 1995, the period 1995–2006 marked a considerable loss of woodlands and forest
cover, particularly on steep concave slopes (36°–58°) of the National Park. The encroachment onto the critical
slopes was noted to have induced a series of shallow and deep landslides in the area. All the mapped landslides
were noted to lie on steep concave slopes of a northerly orientation, which had been opened up for cultivation.
Deforestation and cultivation alter the soil hydrological conditions on steep concave slopes,
rendering them susceptible to saturation. This may trigger debris flows during rainfall events. There is a
need to restore forest cover on the fragile steep slopes and restrain local communities from opening up
new areas for cultivation on critical slopes, particularly within the protected area.
Description
Keywords
Land use/cover change, Landslides, Mt. Elgon, Deforestation, Encroachment
Citation
Mugagga, F., Kakembo, V., & Buyinza, M. (2012). Land use changes on the slopes of Mount Elgon and the implications for the occurrence of landslides. Catena , doi:10.1016/j.catena.2011.11.004