Evaluating Biophysical Attributes of Environmentally Degraded Landscapes in Northern Ethiopia using LANDSAT ETM data and GIS

Abstract

Biophysical attributes of environmentally degraded landscapes in Adwa district, northern Ethiopia, were evaluated using LANDSAT ETM data and GIS. Satellite remote sensing (RS) has captured the spatial distribution and variability of Adwa land covers (75% classification accuracy, 73% Kappa statistic). GIS-based analysis of degraded land’s biophysical attributes has revealed associations between land-cover types, landform elements and major soils groups in the district. Agricultural farms were located closer to human settlements, while woodlands furthest away from settlements. Moreover, wooded croplands were found between arable and woodlands, indicating encroaching human activities through agricultural expansion. Forests and woodlands were dominant on high mountains, steep slopes and depressions, while degraded shrublands and scrublands were prominent on Leptosols and on dissected uplands and hills. On the other hand, agriculture was prominent on rolling hills and uplands, concave-shaped foot-slopes, and on the soils of the district characterized as Fluvisols and Vertisols. This study provides base-line information and add to land cover knowledge for this and similar regions. Additionally, it has identified associations among biophysical attributes in degraded Ethiopian highlands have important management implications for both under-developed and over-utilized areas.

Keywords: Land cover, land degradation, soil erosion, land rehabilitation, deforestation, Ethiopian highlands