Land use changes and climate parameters assessments in a tropical highland region of Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

Abstract

Tropical highland regions are susceptible to climate change and natural disasters due to their geographical location and hilly terrain. The objectives of this study are to determine land use land cover (LULC) changes in the Cameron Highlands and analyse the climatic parameters of the Cameron Highlands. This study integrates LULC analysis using remote sensing techniques and 10-year climatic parameters data to evaluate the impact of climate variability on the sustainability of the Cameron Highlands. Based on the validation results, the overall accuracy of LULC was 95.42% in 2016, 96.60% in 2018, and 97.40% in 2020. The results show an 18% rise in agriculture, a 16% increase in urban growth, and an 8.14% decline in forest coverage in Tanah Rata and Ringlet, Cameron Highlands, from 2016 to 2020. The Mann -Kendall and Sen slope indicated a statistically significant increasing trend in rainfall (Kendall's Tau, z = 0.102, p < 0.0001 and Sen value= 0.131, p < 0.001, respectively) and temperature (Kendall's Tau, z = 0.151, p < 0.001 and Sen value = 0.294, p < 0.001, respectively) from 2012 to 2021, increasing the area's susceptibility towards climate change impact and natural disasters. This study highlights the vulnerability of the Cameron Highlands to natural disasters, emphasizing the crucial need for efficient land management in slope areas. HIGHLIGHTS The increase in rainfall in Cameron Highlands suggests a potential rise in surface runoff and greater vulnerability to flooding and landslides.; The increase in temperature can lead to prolonged drought conditions, adversely affecting agricultural yields and productivity in Cameron Highlands.; Changes in land use land cover show the decline in forest and an increase in agriculture, increasing the risk of landslides and floods;

Keywords

• climate change
• land use land cover
• meteorological parameters
• natural disasters
• rainfall
• sustainability