Abstract:
This study analyzed the impact of resettlement on Land use /land cover(LULC) dynamics for the last
two decades i.e. from the year 2000 to 2020 by applying Geographic Information System (GIS) and
Remote Sensing techniques in Limu Seka District, Jimma Zone, south western Ethiopia. Data for this
study were generated from remotely sensed image and analyzed using descriptive statistics and image
processing. To achieve this study the three sets of land images that are TM 2000, ETM+2010, and
OLI 2020 within ten years interval was use for the identification of land use land cover dynamics. In
the same time the impacts and deriving forces of resettlement on socio-economic activities in the
study area was assessed by using questionnaires with 240 households selected by simple random
sampling and key informant interviews. In this study six major land use land cover was identified by
using maximum likelihood and supervised classification technique. The finding of the study clearly
reveals that grass land and forest cover class lost much of their land due to the expansion of
cultivated land and settlement. This indicates that these land cover for the sake of others land use
decreased by -298.23km2 and -309.20km2 respectively between 2000-2020. In other ways cultivated
land and settlement gains from other land use types +379.50km2
and +242.87km2 of land,
respectively within the same interval years of 2000-2020. A finding from this study also indicates that
the expansion of farm land and settlement are the main possible causes of LU/LC changes in the
study area. The largest share 94.6% of the respondents replied that there is LULC change due to
settlement. The next largest percentage share of LU/LCC is 79.6% and 68.3% decreased in forest
land and water body respectively. A continuous deterioration of forest cover caused scarcity of wood
for fuel and construction material. As a result, income obtained from the selling of wood and wood
products became declined; and exposed the local communities for hunger. To ensure results of this
study it recommended that the government should limit further expansion of extensive farmland and
implement rehabilitation practice of degraded lands.
