IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i11p4490-d365975.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Detecting and Analyzing Land Use and Land Cover Changes in the Region of Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar, Libya Using Time-Series Landsat Data from 1985 to 2017

Author

Listed:
  • Jamal Suliman Alawamy

    (Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
    Faculty of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, Omar Al-Mukhtar University, Al Bayda 218-69463, Libya)

  • Siva K. Balasundram

    (Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia)

  • Ahmad Husni Mohd. Hanif

    (Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia)

  • Christopher Teh Boon Sung

    (Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia)

Abstract

The region of Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar in northeastern Libya has undergone rapid, wide-ranging changes in the land use and land cover (LULC) intensified by the conversion of natural resources for food purpose, urbanization, and other socioeconomic benefits. This study examined the use of geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing techniques to gain a quantitative understanding of the spatiotemporal dynamics of LULC. In addition, the major factors behind LULC changes and decline of natural vegetation in the region were analyzed. A post-classification comparison approach was used to detect LULC changes in the study area between 1985 and 2017 using four Landsat images from 1985, 2000, 2010, and 2017. The observed changes were indicative of a decrease in the expanse of the natural Mediterranean forest which lost 9018 ha over 32 years, 39% of its total area, with the highest deforestation rate registered between 2010 and 2017 estimated at 513 ha. year −1 . Orchards and rain-fed agriculture lands gained 4095 ha, which matches 55% of initial area, whereas the land under irrigated crops increased by 2266 ha, about 85% of the original area. The area of urban and built-up land in 2017 was more than double in 1985 and achieved the highest urbanization rate between 2010 and 2017 at 203 ha.year −1 . Results indicate an unstable trend of bare and low vegetation lands which generally increased by about 50%. From the outcomes of this research, it is strongly recommended that urgent measures be taken to conserve the natural forest and to achieve a rational use of agricultural land in the region of Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar.

Suggested Citation

  • Jamal Suliman Alawamy & Siva K. Balasundram & Ahmad Husni Mohd. Hanif & Christopher Teh Boon Sung, 2020. "Detecting and Analyzing Land Use and Land Cover Changes in the Region of Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar, Libya Using Time-Series Landsat Data from 1985 to 2017," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-24, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:11:p:4490-:d:365975
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/11/4490/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/11/4490/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rasadhika Sharma & Trung Thanh Nguyen & Ulrike Grote, 2018. "Changing Consumption Patterns—Drivers and the Environmental Impact," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-19, November.
    2. Tewodros M. Tena & Phenny Mwaanga & Alick Nguvulu, 2019. "Impact of Land Use/Land Cover Change on Hydrological Components in Chongwe River Catchment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(22), pages 1-13, November.
    3. Botlhe Matlhodi & Piet K. Kenabatho & Bhagabat P. Parida & Joyce G. Maphanyane, 2019. "Evaluating Land Use and Land Cover Change in the Gaborone Dam Catchment, Botswana, from 1984–2015 Using GIS and Remote Sensing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-21, September.
    4. Peng Ren & Xinxin Zhang & Haoyan Liang & Qinglin Meng, 2019. "Assessing the Impact of Land Cover Changes on Surface Urban Heat Islands with High-Spatial-Resolution Imagery on a Local Scale: Workflow and Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-24, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Chidozie Charles Nnaji & Nkpa Mba Ogarekpe & Ekene Jude Nwankwo, 2022. "Temporal and spatial dynamics of land use and land cover changes in derived savannah hydrological basin of Enugu State, Nigeria," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(7), pages 9598-9622, July.
    2. Lidzhegu, Zwidofhelangani & Kabanda, Tabaro, 2022. "Declining land for subsistence and small-scale farming in South Africa: A case study of Thulamela local municipality," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Owais Bashir & Shabir Ahmad Bangroo & Wei Guo & Gowhar Meraj & Gebiaw T. Ayele & Nasir Bashir Naikoo & Shahid Shafai & Perminder Singh & Mohammad Muslim & Habitamu Taddese & Irfan Gani & Shafeeq Ur Ra, 2022. "Simulating Spatiotemporal Changes in Land Use and Land Cover of the North-Western Himalayan Region Using Markov Chain Analysis," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-18, December.
    2. Batara Surya & Syafri Syafri & Hernita Sahban & Harry Hardian Sakti, 2020. "Natural Resource Conservation Based on Community Economic Empowerment: Perspectives on Watershed Management and Slum Settlements in Makassar City, South Sulawesi, Indonesia," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-31, March.
    3. Pallavi Tomar & Suraj Kumar Singh & Shruti Kanga & Gowhar Meraj & Nikola Kranjčić & Bojan Đurin & Amitanshu Pattanaik, 2021. "GIS-Based Urban Flood Risk Assessment and Management—A Case Study of Delhi National Capital Territory (NCT), India," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-20, November.
    4. Gizem Yener & Arzu Secer & Pascal L. Ghazalian, 2023. "What Factors Influence Consumers to Buy Green Products? An Analysis through the Motivation–Opportunity–Ability Framework and Consumer Awareness," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-15, September.
    5. Dacinia Crina Petrescu & Ruxandra Mălina Petrescu-Mag & Dorin Iosif Manciula & Ioan Alin Nistor & Veronica Ioana Ilieș, 2018. "Wastewater Reflections in Consumer Mind: Evidence from Sewage Services Consumer Behaviour," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-15, December.
    6. Dawit Samuel Teshome & Habitamu Taddese & Terefe Tolessa & Moges Kidane & Songcai You, 2022. "Drivers and Implications of Land Cover Dynamics in Muger Sub-Basin, Abay Basin, Ethiopia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-19, September.
    7. Acga Cheng & Murthazar Naim Raai & Nurul Amalina Mohd Zain & Festo Massawe & Ajit Singh & Wan Abd Al Qadr Imad Wan-Mohtar, 2019. "In search of alternative proteins: unlocking the potential of underutilized tropical legumes," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 11(6), pages 1205-1215, December.
    8. Grilli, Gianluca & Curtis, John, 2021. "Encouraging pro-environmental behaviours: A review of methods and approaches," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    9. Wakjira Takala Dibaba & Tamene Adugna Demissie & Konrad Miegel, 2020. "Drivers and Implications of Land Use/Land Cover Dynamics in Finchaa Catchment, Northwestern Ethiopia," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-20, April.
    10. Hossain Mohammad Arifeen & Md. Shahariar Chowdhury & Haoran Zhang & Tanita Suepa & Nowshad Amin & Kuaanan Techato & Warangkana Jutidamrongphan, 2021. "Role of a Mine in Changing Its Surroundings—Land Use and Land Cover and Impact on the Natural Environment in Barapukuria, Bangladesh," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-19, December.
    11. Truong Lam Do & Trung Thanh Nguyen & Ulrike Grote, 2022. "Livestock production and income inequality in rural Vietnam," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 62(2), pages 409-438, February.
    12. Bhanage Vinayak & Han Soo Lee & Shirishkumar Gedem, 2021. "Prediction of Land Use and Land Cover Changes in Mumbai City, India, Using Remote Sensing Data and a Multilayer Perceptron Neural Network-Based Markov Chain Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-22, January.
    13. Tiepolo, Maurizio & Galligari, Andrea, 2021. "Urban expansion-flood damage nexus: Evidence from the Dosso Region, Niger," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    14. Hoang Viet Nguyen & Ninh Nguyen & Bach Khoa Nguyen & Steven Greenland, 2021. "Sustainable Food Consumption: Investigating Organic Meat Purchase Intention by Vietnamese Consumers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-15, January.
    15. Yan Liu & Zhijie Wang, 2023. "Research Progress and Hotspot Analysis of Urban Heat Island Effects Based on Cite Space Analysis," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-19, May.
    16. Munoko K. M. & Kombat R. & Kofi K. A. & Ramid S. P. & Fatunbi A. O., 2023. "Reflection on Africa's Underutilized Foods Towards a Sustainable Food System," Journal of Sustainable Development, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 15(5), pages 1-57, May.
    17. Ephias Mugari & Hillary Masundire, 2022. "Consistent Changes in Land-Use/Land-Cover in Semi-Arid Areas: Implications on Ecosystem Service Delivery and Adaptation in the Limpopo Basin, Botswana," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-20, November.
    18. Ephias Mugari & Hillary Masundire & Maitseo Bolaane, 2020. "Adapting to Climate Change in Semi-Arid Rural Areas: A Case of the Limpopo Basin Part of Botswana," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-34, October.
    19. Jeffrey Chiwuikem Chiaka & Lin Zhen, 2021. "Land Use, Environmental, and Food Consumption Patterns in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2000–2015: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-16, July.
    20. Henry Schubert & Markus Rauchecker & Andrés Caballero Calvo & Brigitta Schütt, 2019. "Land Use Changes and Their Perception in the Hinterland of Barranquilla, Colombian Caribbean," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-21, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:11:p:4490-:d:365975. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.