Assessment of Land Cover and Land Use Change Dynamics in Kibwezi Watershed, Kenya
Land use and land cover (LULC) parameters influence the hydrological and ecological processes taking place in a watershed. Understanding the changes in LULC is essential in the planning and development of management strategies for water resources. The purpose of the study was to detect changes in LU...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2022-01-01
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| Series: | The Scientific World Journal |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/3944810 |
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| author | Reuben C. Ruttoh John P. O. Obiero Christian T. Omuto Lucas Tanui |
| author_facet | Reuben C. Ruttoh John P. O. Obiero Christian T. Omuto Lucas Tanui |
| author_sort | Reuben C. Ruttoh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Land use and land cover (LULC) parameters influence the hydrological and ecological processes taking place in a watershed. Understanding the changes in LULC is essential in the planning and development of management strategies for water resources. The purpose of the study was to detect changes in LULC in the Kibwezi watershed in Kenya, using geospatial approaches. Supervised and unsupervised classification techniques using remote sensing (RS) and geographical information system (GIS) were used to process Landsat imagery for 1999, 2009, and 2019 while ERDAS IMAGINE™ 14 and MS Excel software were used to derive change detection, and the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was used to delineate the watershed using an in-built watershed delineation tool. The watershed was classified into ten major LULC classes, namely cropland (rainfed), cropland (irrigated), cropland (perennial), crop and shrubs/trees, closed shrublands, open shrubland, shrub grasslands, wooded shrublands, riverine woodlands, and built-up land. The results showed that LULC under shrub grassland, urban areas, and crops and shrubs increased drastically by 552.5%, 366.2%, and 357.1% respectively between 1999 and 2019 with an annual increase of 35.55%, 35.38%, and 33.86% per annum. The area under open shrubland and closed shrubland declined by73.7%, and 30.4% annually. These LULC transformations pose a negative impact on the watershed resources. There is therefore a need for proper management of the watershed for sustainable socio-economic development of the Kibwezi area. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7c7e8e2b6fa74b4fb57cba8b112c1c7c |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1537-744X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Scientific World Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-7c7e8e2b6fa74b4fb57cba8b112c1c7c2025-08-20T02:07:24ZengWileyThe Scientific World Journal1537-744X2022-01-01202210.1155/2022/3944810Assessment of Land Cover and Land Use Change Dynamics in Kibwezi Watershed, KenyaReuben C. Ruttoh0John P. O. Obiero1Christian T. Omuto2Lucas Tanui3University of NairobiUniversity of NairobiUniversity of NairobiKenya Agricultural and Livestock Research OrganizationLand use and land cover (LULC) parameters influence the hydrological and ecological processes taking place in a watershed. Understanding the changes in LULC is essential in the planning and development of management strategies for water resources. The purpose of the study was to detect changes in LULC in the Kibwezi watershed in Kenya, using geospatial approaches. Supervised and unsupervised classification techniques using remote sensing (RS) and geographical information system (GIS) were used to process Landsat imagery for 1999, 2009, and 2019 while ERDAS IMAGINE™ 14 and MS Excel software were used to derive change detection, and the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was used to delineate the watershed using an in-built watershed delineation tool. The watershed was classified into ten major LULC classes, namely cropland (rainfed), cropland (irrigated), cropland (perennial), crop and shrubs/trees, closed shrublands, open shrubland, shrub grasslands, wooded shrublands, riverine woodlands, and built-up land. The results showed that LULC under shrub grassland, urban areas, and crops and shrubs increased drastically by 552.5%, 366.2%, and 357.1% respectively between 1999 and 2019 with an annual increase of 35.55%, 35.38%, and 33.86% per annum. The area under open shrubland and closed shrubland declined by73.7%, and 30.4% annually. These LULC transformations pose a negative impact on the watershed resources. There is therefore a need for proper management of the watershed for sustainable socio-economic development of the Kibwezi area.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/3944810 |
| spellingShingle | Reuben C. Ruttoh John P. O. Obiero Christian T. Omuto Lucas Tanui Assessment of Land Cover and Land Use Change Dynamics in Kibwezi Watershed, Kenya The Scientific World Journal |
| title | Assessment of Land Cover and Land Use Change Dynamics in Kibwezi Watershed, Kenya |
| title_full | Assessment of Land Cover and Land Use Change Dynamics in Kibwezi Watershed, Kenya |
| title_fullStr | Assessment of Land Cover and Land Use Change Dynamics in Kibwezi Watershed, Kenya |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment of Land Cover and Land Use Change Dynamics in Kibwezi Watershed, Kenya |
| title_short | Assessment of Land Cover and Land Use Change Dynamics in Kibwezi Watershed, Kenya |
| title_sort | assessment of land cover and land use change dynamics in kibwezi watershed kenya |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/3944810 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT reubencruttoh assessmentoflandcoverandlandusechangedynamicsinkibweziwatershedkenya AT johnpoobiero assessmentoflandcoverandlandusechangedynamicsinkibweziwatershedkenya AT christiantomuto assessmentoflandcoverandlandusechangedynamicsinkibweziwatershedkenya AT lucastanui assessmentoflandcoverandlandusechangedynamicsinkibweziwatershedkenya |