TITLE:
Establishing landuse/cover change patterns over the last two decades and associated factors for change in semi arid and sub humid zones of Tanzania
AUTHORS:
Amos Enock Majule
KEYWORDS:
Agriculture; Climate Change; Landuse; Mixed Farming; Woodlands; Vinyungu
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Ecology,
Vol.3 No.6,
October
29,
2013
ABSTRACT:
This study investigated landuse
cover change patterns and established potential environmental and social
factors that have contributed to changes in two zones namely sub humid and
semi-arid found in southern highland and central parts of Tanzania
respectively. The overall objective was to understand change patterns; the
process evolves and clearly isolates various factors that have contributed to
the changesover the
last 20 years. A total of four villages,two in each zone were involved
whereby historical land use cover changes were analysed using remote sensing
techniques. To do so satellite imageries for1991 and
2011 and those of1986 and 2009 for sub humid and semi-arid zones respectively. Factors for changes were established through
focus group discussions (FDGs) with a total of 80 participants (20 per village)
and household (HH) interviews subjected to 10% of the total number of HH per
village. Both woodlands and bush lands decreased in the expense of mixed
farming in both sub humid and semi- arid zones to a maximum of 121% and 146.8%
respectively. Wetland farming also increased particular in sub humid zone. In
general, both environmental and social factors were found to have contributed
to LUCC in various magnitudes in both zones. Such observed change on landuse
will continue and it is recommended that there is a need to have in place and
implement proper landuse plan also have capacity building programs on climate
and land management issues for both livelihood and ecosystem sustainability
need to in place.