Abstract:
In recent years, there has been a growing global interest in the impact of land use land cover
change on various natural and manmade resources, including soil resources. This study aimed to
investigate the effects of land use land cover changes on soil erosion in the -
LibanChukalaDistrict between 1990 and 2020. The study utilized data from field surveys and
secondary sources, including Landsat Thematic Mapper images from 1990, 2005, and 2020,
which were classified using supervised classification methods. The land use land cover types
were categorized, and their trends and rates were analyzed based on the two periods.
Additionally, the RUSLE model was used in a GIS platform to determine the influence of land
use land cover changes on soil erosion in the study area during the two periods. The land use
land cover data of 2020 revealed that the study area was predominantly covered by agricultural
land (86.83%), forest (5.88%), Shrub lands (3.87%), settlement (1.42%), wetland (1.45%) and
bare land (0.08%). The results showed a significant increase in mean soil erosion from
22.5/ha/yr in 1990 to 36.2/ha/yr in 2005 and to 39.5t/ha/yr in 2020. Spatial analysis indicated
that the fragmentation of forest cover from mountainous and hilly areas and shrubs from
relatively flat areas increased in cultivated lands on more slope areas, and extensive cultivation
practices in relatively more erosion-prone soils were the main factors contributing to the
increased soil erosion risk of the study area. Furthermore, the study found that the conversion of
other land use land cover categories to agricultural land was the most detrimental factor for the
increment of risk of soil erosion, whereas forest and shrub lands acted as the most effective
barrier to soil loss. Particularly, the upstream mountainous and steeper parts of the study area
were highly susceptible to erosion. The study recommends that in the study with high erosion
risks should be prioritized during intervention of land use land cover planning and management,
as well as soil and water conservation practices, to conserve the resources within the study area.
