Identification Of Potential Urban And Rural Land Use Conflict Area Using Gis And Remote Sensing: The Case Of Hosanna Town And Its Surrounding, Snnpr, Ethiopia

Abstract

Land use conflict identification is a prerequisite to achieve optimum utilization of the available land uses for sustainable urban development. The Land Use Conflict Identification Strategy (LUCIS) that employs suitability modeling to identify areas where land use conflict is likely to occur hence, the aim of this study is to identify potential land use conflict area using GIS and Remote sensing technology in the Hosanna Town mainly by considering the physical and socioeconomic features. All criteria/factor maps used in the analysis would be geo-referenced, converted in to raster format, and reclassified according to their suitability classes in ArcGIS environment. After the reclassification process, weights are assigned for each criterion based on AHP model using pairwise comparison matrix. To end, all standardized criteria would be combined together to perform weighted overlay analysis so as to obtain the potential suitable land use and finally LUCIS model was applied to produce potential conflict between land use. The results of LUCIS Model analysis shows that out of total area coverage of Hosanna Town respectively No potential conflict and preferred for conservation land use 9,805.8 ha (9.8%);No potential conflict and preferred for urban land use 20,712.6 ha (20.7%);No potential conflict and preferred for agricultural land use 19,011.6 ha (19%);Potential conflict between urban and conservation land use preference 7,204.4 ha (7.2%);Potential conflict between urban and agricultural land use preference 16,610.13 ha (16.6%);Potential conflict between agricultural and conservation land use preference 9,005.5 ha (9%) and Potential conflict among all land use preferences 17,710.8 ha (17.7%).The results obtained respond to a situation expected for a region with a great regional dynamics. The study area occurs in a region with a trend of steady population increase that has resulted in conversion of lands with conservation and agricultural importance to urban use. Overall, the results suggest that there was considerable conflict among the three basic land use classifications, but particularly between urban and agricultural land uses. LUCIS results have the potential to be used in at least three ways including decision support for local or regional planning activities, environmental regulation, or population modeling including representations of alternative futures.