Forest cover change detection using Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing techniques: a spatio-temporal study on Komto Protected forest priority area, East Wollega Zone, Ethiopia

Forest plays an important role in climate regulation and carbon sequestration. Komto Forest is one of the remnant natural forests found in Guto Gida district of East Wollega zone, Ethiopia, has been supporting the local community for construction, energy and household furniture. Currently, influenced by land use land cover change (LULCC), this forest has been declining at an alarming rate. Detecting LULCC and understanding the driving forces has important for supporting decision making processes. We examine variation in forest cover dynamics over the period 1991–2012 using Landsat TM image of 1991, ETM + of 2002 and OLI-TIRS of 2019. The LULCC detection results show that a dramatic increase of agricultural land from (24.78%) in 1991 to (33.5%) in 2019 with annual expansion rate (23.68%) per annum, where forest cover declined by 20.1% in 1991 and 37.38% in 2019 with annual decreasing rate of 4.18% per annum. Our finding indicates the increment of agricultural land, grassland, and settlement, while the dense and open forest cover shows a declining trend. The declining of forest coverage is likely to cause unpleasant environment and affects human wellbeing. The massive declined in forest cover change are often associated with agricultural expansion in the periphery of the forest. Timber exploitation and charcoal production are other problems that contribute for the declining of forest coverage. Overall, our results suggest the need of participatory forest management and public awareness creation to sustain the Komto remnant forest.