SUPERVISORS: FEYERA SENBETA (PhD, PROFESSOR) ABREN GELAW (PhD, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR)

Abstract

Land use/land cover (LULC) dynamicshave significantly influenced ecosystem service around the world in recent years. This study analyzed the spatial extent and trends of LULC, socioeconomic drivers of LULC change, LULC change induced ESV changes and implications on ecosystem services in Wayu-Tuka District, Western Ethiopia. Data were acquired from landsat images for three periods (MSS from 1990, TM from 2000, ETM from 2010, and OLI for2020) to develop LULC maps. Landsat images were extracted and classified by using arc GIS 10.3 through supervised classification method and maximum likelihood classifier. To confirm the accuracy classified for LULC, accuracy score and kappa coefficient was used. ESV change (1990-2020) was estimated using LULC categorized areas. Socioeconomic data also collected through household survey to understand the driver of LULC changes. Pearson correlation and binary logistic regression models were used to analysis the socioeconomic data. Through satellite image analysis five major LULC classes were identified that include forest, cultivated land, settlement, bare land, and water body. Forest coverage reduced progressively from 12.4% in 1990 to 2.6% in 2020 within the past three decades, while cultivated land, settlement and water body have been quantified by an average rate of 0.41% per year. The result of the study also indicated that in 1990, forest accounted 46.1% ($4.95million) of ESV; after30 years (2020) crop/cultivated land accounted 63.3% ($5.21million) of ESV. Analysis of household survey revealed that age and gender show a Pearson’s positive correlation with land use/land cover changes; while land holding size and educational status show a negative correlation. The model was statistically significant at (x2=23.971, df =5, P<0.001). The study findings also revealed that, educational status, age, and gender influenced the drivers of LULC dynamics in the study area. The assessed result specified that the implications of LULC change on selective ecosystem services provided (fire wood & charcoal) value in Wayu-Tuka district were US$7,594.5 and US$37,234 respectively. Agricultural land expansion, fuel wood extraction, and illegal settlements were identified as the primary drivers of ecosystem services changes in the study area. Therefore, local people, the governments and other concerned bodies should work together to solve sustained removal of forests and their ecosystem services in the Wayutuka District, western Ethiopia.