Evaluation of Land Use/Land Cover Changes and Eucalyptus Expansion in Meja Watershed, Ethiopia

Abstract

Land use/land cover change studies are very crucial to understand how land conditions shifted and where changes happened. In central Ethiopia, most of the natural ecosystems have shifted to agriculture and human settlement. More recently, expansion of Eucalyptus woodlots has been a major land use/land cover change. Several land use/land cover studies have been done in various part of the country with different objectives. However, few studies have given emphasis on Eucalyptus expansion. This study was conducted to assess land use/land cover changes in the Meja River watershed in central Ethiopia from 1976 to 2015 with emphasis on expansion of Eucalyptus and farmers’ perception regarding the expansion. Satellite images of five periods with ten years difference were selected. The periods were selected systematically in such a way that they reflect the dynamics of political regimes and their land tenure policies. Landsat imageries (MSS, TM 5, ETM+ and OLI) of the year 1976, 1985, 1995, 2005 and 2015 were used and supervised classification with maximum likelihood algorithm was employed using ERDAS Imagine 2010. Socioeconomic survey using questionnaire was carried out by interviewing randomly selected 120 respondents. The study found that grassland and bush land decreased while cultivated and Eucalyptus land expanded throughout the 40 years period. Eucalyptus has expanded from less than1% in 1976 to 15.2% in 2015. Cultivated land increased from 24.3% in 1976 to nearly 40% in 2015. Grassland decreased from 30% in 1976 to below 20% in 2015. Bush land decreased from 41.7% to 18.7% during the same period. About 59% of the respondents still have the intention to plant more Eucalyptus; therefore 68% of the respondents expect more expansion of Eucalyptus in the future. Most respondents (71%) prefer planting to Eucalyptus than farming as it requires less labor, time and capital. In conclusion, the observed Eucalyptus expansion needs closer watch and scrutiny considering its positive but also potential ecological effects.