Land use and land cover dynamics and traditional agroforestry practices in Wonchi District, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Investigating the land use and land cover (LULC) dynamics and the status of traditional agroforestry practices provide important data for policymakers. The main objective of this study was to assess the LULC dynamics and traditional agroforestry practices among smallholder farmers across the two agro-ecological zones in Wonchi District of Ethiopia. METHODS: Landsat images were acquired from Earth Explorer, and changes in LULC were quantified with three Landsat sensors in the three time-series (1985, 2001, and 2019). Supervised classification with maximum likelihood technique was employed using ERDAS Imagine and ArcGIS. A ground survey was conducted with 100 key informants who were selected from 10 sites using a purposive sampling method. The collected data were subjected to direct matrix ranking, use-value analysis of most important multipurpose plant species, and semi-structured interviews were conducted for qualitative analysis. RESULTS: In total, 103 agroforestry plant species belonging to 44 families were identified in Wonchi District, of which 74 were indigenous including seven endemic and 29 exotic species. The highest species (13) were recorded in the Fabaceae family. About 61% of species were reported in the midland agro-ecological zone. A mixed farming system was the most frequently (56%) reported source of income. The results of LULC changes from 1985 to 2019 showed that the agroforestry cover increased from 31.1% to 34.9% and settlement including road construction increased from 12.5% to 31.6% of the total area with an annual rate change of 0.3% and 2.7%, respectively. These changes corresponded with a decreasing trend of the forest, cropland, water body, and shrub at a rate of 4.7%, 1.3%, 0.8%, and 0.5%, respectively. The LULC changes were more pronounced in the highlands than in the midlands of Wonchi District. Expansion of settlement and tenure policy change are the main drivers for these changes in the area. The authors recommended that protecting and planting indigenous and multipurpose plant species is essential as restoration techniques for all degraded land-use types. Therefore, strengthening agroforestry practices and land-use planning is urgently needed for achieving multiple goals.