Land use and land cover transformation and its implication on land degradation: The case of Modjo watershed, Ethiopia

Abstract Appraisals of land use/land cover (LULC) transformation and its implication on land degradation provide good insights for watershed management. In this study, we quantified LULC transformation process and its implication on land degradation. Remotely sensed datasets were used and “Post Classification Comparison” change detection method was employed. The result of the study indicated that all LULC classifications fulfilled the minimum mapping quality standard. About 370.23 km2 of different vegetation cover class was transformed into other land use systems, and an expansion of urban, cultivated, and bare lands were observed since 1973. Moreover, cultivated and bare lands have been extensively encroached onto the marginal areas even on slopes steeper than 30% and in higher elevation zones of Yerer Mountain (3060 m.a.s.l.), indicating a tendency to further land resource degradation and generating an enormous amount of surface runoff and sediment production. As a result, the Modjo watershed landscape is highly vulnerable to land degradation. Thus, the interaction of human activities with LULC units can be reliably monitored to device land resource conservation, management, and utilization strategies, and support policy-making process for realizing sustainable land use practices.