Land Use and Land Cover Change Determinants in Raya Valley, Tigray, Northern Ethiopian Highlands
Eskinder Gidey,
Oagile Dikinya,
Reuben Sebego,
Eagilwe Segosebe,
Amanuel Zenebe,
Said Mussa,
Paidamwoyo Mhangara,
Emiru Birhane
Affiliations
Eskinder Gidey
Department of Land Resources Management and Environmental Protection, College of Dryland Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mekelle University, Mekelle P.O. Box 231, Ethiopia
Oagile Dikinya
Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, University of Botswana, Private Bag, Gaborone 00704, Botswana
Reuben Sebego
Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, University of Botswana, Private Bag, Gaborone 00704, Botswana
Eagilwe Segosebe
Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, University of Botswana, Private Bag, Gaborone 00704, Botswana
Amanuel Zenebe
Department of Land Resources Management and Environmental Protection, College of Dryland Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mekelle University, Mekelle P.O. Box 231, Ethiopia
Said Mussa
Department of Statistics, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Mekelle University, Mekelle P.O. Box 231, Ethiopia
Paidamwoyo Mhangara
School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Science, Witwatersrand University, Johannesburg, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
Emiru Birhane
Department of Land Resources Management and Environmental Protection, College of Dryland Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mekelle University, Mekelle P.O. Box 231, Ethiopia
Land use and land cover change (LULCC) is the result of both natural and socio-economic determinants. The aim of this study was to model the determinant factors of land cover changes in Raya Valley, Southern Tigray, Ethiopia. Multistage sampling was used to collect data from 246 households sampled from lowlands (47), midlands (104), highlands (93), and sub-alpine (2) agro-climatological zone. Descriptive statistics and logit regression model were used to analyze the field survey data. Agricultural land expansion, fuelwood extraction, deforestation, overgrazing and expansion of infrastructure were the proximate causes of LULCC in the study area. Agricultural land expansion (p = 0.084) and wood extraction for fuel and charcoal production (p = 0.01) were the prominent causes for LULCC. Persistent drought (p = 0.001), rapid population growth (p = 0.027), and climate variability (p = 0.013) were the underlying driving factors of LULCC. The determinants of LULCC need to be considered and mitigated to draw robust land use policy for sustainable land management by the smallholder farmers. This study provides important results for designing and implementing scientific land management strategies by policy makers and land managers.
