Abstract:
Forest is one of the key precious resources that support human well-being by providing ecosystem services.
Unfortunately, the forest cover has decreased over time due to natural and anthropogenic factors. The present
study aims to assess the spatiotemporal forest cover changes and its implication on environmental sustainability
in Dedo district in southwestern parts of Ethiopia. We used three Landsat images from 1985, 2002 and 2019. The
results show that forest cover areas declined from 64,872 ha in 1985 to 53,805 ha in the year 2019. The study
area lost about 11,067 ha (7.7%) of forest over the past 34 years. In contrast, the farmland was increased from
38,801 ha (27.06%) in 1985 to 54,917 ha (38.3%) in 2019. The increasing trend of cultivated land is associated
with the increment of human population. Forest cover has been declined in the study area for a variety of
reasons, including fire wood collection, charcoal and timber extraction, semi-forest and khat investments, and
settlements. Loss of forest cover can have significant implications for environmental sustainability, as forests
have played an important role in ecosystem services, such as climate regulation, clean air, flood control, carbon
sequestration, soil protection against soil erosion, and increased environmental resilience to the impacts of
climate change. The existence of forest resources can contribute to sustainable development of local commu nities, as the majority of agricultural communities are directly or indirectly dependent on forest products. The
findings of this study can be used to improve forest conservation and protection at different scales
