Land Use Land Cover Change and Urban Growth in Khoms District, Libya, 1976−2015

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 42-58
Author(s):  
Omar S. Belhaj ◽  
Stanley T. Mubako
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Land Cover Change ◽  
Urban Growth ◽  
Qualitative Evaluation ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Land Use Land Cover ◽  
Gis And Remote Sensing ◽  
Formidable Challenge

Rapid and unplanned urbanization presents a formidable challenge to sustainable urban growth in most developing countries. This study applies Geographic Information System (GIS) and remote sensing tools to quantify land use and land cover change in the coastal, economically important district of Khoms, Libya. The study revealed a 16% per year long-term historic urban growth rate, leading to an urbanization increase of 658% from just 800 ha in 1976 to 6,067 ha in 2015 over the 40-year analysis period. Qualitative evaluation of satellite images showed devastating impacts on both terrestrial and marine ecosystems through broad scale clearing of forests and other native areas for agriculture and urban development, and through reclamation of the Mediterranean Sea during the construction of a naval base and port at Khoms City. An integrated approach that explores of a range of innovative approaches to address sustainable development issues faced by Khoms District and other similar fast growing but environmentally fragile developing country locations is recommended.

scholarly journals Long-term effects of land use/land cover change on surface runoff in urban areas of Beijing, China

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 084596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhongchang Sun ◽  
Xinwu Li ◽  
Wenxue Fu ◽  
Yingkui Li ◽  
Dongsheng Tang
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Land Cover Change ◽  
Surface Runoff ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Land Use Land Cover ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Effects Of Land Use ◽  
Beijing China

scholarly journals Long-Term Land Use Land Cover Change in Urban Centers of Southwest Ethiopia From a Climate Change Perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tesfaye Dessu ◽  
Diriba Korecha ◽  
Debela Hunde ◽  
Adefires Worku
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Land Cover Change ◽  
Kendall Test ◽  
Land Use Land Cover ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Southwest Ethiopia ◽  
Mann Kendall Test

Long-term urban land use land cover change (LULCC) dynamics and climate change trends in Southwest Ethiopia's four urban centers were examined for 60 years. Remote sensing, aerial photos, and Landsat, temperature, and rainfall data were analyzed from a climate change perspective over the Jimma, Bedelle, Bonga, and Sokorru urban centers of southwest Ethiopia from 1953 to 2018. Based on geospatial analysis and maximum likelihood supervised image classification techniques to classify LULCC categories, the Mann-Kendall test was applied to perform trend analyses on temperature and rainfall. The LULCC analysis revealed that built-up areas over the urban centers had shown an increasing trend, with the highest increment by 2,360 hectares over Jimma, while vegetation, wetland, and cropland declined due to conversion of plain lands to built-up areas and other similar zones. The pronounced decline of vegetation coverage was 1,427, 185,116, and 32 hectares in Jimma, Bedelle, Bonga, and Sokorru, respectively. Mann-Kendall test results showed a significant sign of intra-seasonal and inter-annual variability of rainfall while the summer and annual rainfall patterns remained less variable compared to other seasons. This study's findings revealed that when the mean between the two climatic normals of 1953–86 is compared with 1987–2018, the temperature has significantly increased in the latter three decades. The rapid expansion of built-up areas coupled with a sharp decline of green space or vegetation and agricultural/croplands could lead to gradual changes in LULCC classes, which have contributed to the changing of the local climate, especially the surface temperature and rainfall over the urban centers of southwest Ethiopia. Therefore, we recommend that the local urban administrations emphasize sustainable urban development by integrating urban planning policies with land use to protect the environment by adopting local municipal adaptation and national climate change strategies. Restoration of the local environment and creation of climate-smart cities could be critical to the resilience of urban dwellers and ecosystems to the changing climate by enhancing grass-root climate services. To that end, we recommend further advanced research to understand how urban LULC-related changes and other factors contribute to local and regional climates, as urban areas of Southwest Ethiopia are undergoing a rapid transformation of their rural surroundings.

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