LAND USE/LAND COVER CHANGE AND ITS DRIVERS:THE CASE OF META WOREDA, EAST HARARGHE ZONE, OROMIA, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

A land use/land cover change due to human intervention has been the most widely observed phenomena in Ethiopia. This study was carried out to examine land use/ land cover change and its drivers: over 40 years (1980 to 2019 period in the Meta woreda, East Hararghe zone, Oromia, Ethiopia. It was conducted by using satellite image of Landsat MSS of 1980, Landsat5 TM of 1995,2010 and Landsat 8 OIL/TIROS of (2019). Land use/land cover maps for the years (1980, 1995, 2010 and 2019) of the study area were produced and five major land use/land cover classes were identified. These include cultivated land, forest land, grass land and settlement land. The remote sensing data were supported by socio economic data that were collected from household surveys; key informant interview and focus group discussion were also conducted. The main finding of this study was revealed an expansion of agriculture/settlement and reduction of grass land and forest over the last 40 years between 1980 and 2019. Analysis of Land use/land cover change for the selected sample kebeles between 1980-2019 indicated. For instance, in lowland kebele, the forest land was decreased by-24.6%, and the cultivated land, grass land, and settlement cover area was increased by 7.69%, 10.14% and 6.78% respectively. In dega kebele, the cultivated land, and the Grass Land cover area was decreased by-19.76% and-9.23% respectively, but the forest, and settlement land was increased by 6.33%, and 22.66% respectively. In woina dega kebele, the cultivated land and grass land cover area was decreased by-22.5 % and-10.2 % respectively, but the forest, and settlement land was increased by 9.107 % and 23.56 % respectively.