Impact of land use and land cover change on land degradation in rural semi-arid South Africa: case of the Greater Sekhukhune District Municipality

Abstract

In semi-arid regions, interactions between biophysical and socio-economic variables are complex. Such interactions and their respective variables significantly alter land use and land cover, degrade landscape’s structure, and impede the efficacy of the adopted land management interventions. This scenario is particularly prevalent in communal land tenure system or areas managed by a hybrid of traditional and state led institutions. Hence, this study sought to investigate the impacts of land use and land cover changes (LULCCs) on land degradation (LD) under communal rural districts, and the key drivers of habitat fragmentation in the Greater Sekhukhune District Municipality (GSDM), South Africa. The study used the wet and dry season multi-temporal remotely sensed image data, key-informant interviews, and workshop with tribal council to determine the major drivers of LULCC and LD. Results revealed that mines and quarries, subsistence and commercial cultivation, and thicket/dense bush LULCs declined significantly during the study period. These LULCs mostly declined in wet season, with loss in vegetation cover highly prevalent. Specifically, the highest conversions were from shrub/grassland to bare soil, thicket/dense bush to shrub/grassland, and shrub/grassland to residential, respectively. Generally, LULCC affected vegetation productivity within the study area, with increased negative NDVI values observed during the dry season. The findings from key informants and the tribal council workshop emphasized that soil erosion, abandonment of cropland, and injudicious land use (i.e. overgrazing and consequent bush encroachment) have severely degraded the land. The study also established that the degrading land can be attributed to the weakening local communal land management system, particularly the weakening tribal councils. The study recommends an urgent need for collaborative (i.e. government, tribal authorities, and land users) land management through designing relevant multi-stakeholder LD mitigation measures.

Integrated use of the CA-Markov model and the Trends.Earth module to enhance the assessment of land cover degradation: Application in the Upper Zambezi Basin, southern Africa

“…The region's most severely affected by land degradation include Africa south of the equator, which accounts for 13% of the global degrading area and 18% of net primary productivity (Lewandowski et al, 2013). Biophysical and socioeconomic interactions in semi-arid regions are complex, resulting in effects such as altered land cover, land use, and degraded landscape structures (Chundu et al, 2024;Kgaphola et al, 2023;Phiri et al, 2019;Gebresamuel et al, 2010a). Therefore, the detection of LCLU changes has become a matter of concern for environmentalists, conservationists, and land use planners, given its significant impact on natural ecosystems (Chundu et al, 2024;Arfasa et al, 2023;Lukas et al, 2023).…”

“…The efficacy of remedial interventions may be compromised depending on the extent of these interactions. Most interventions rely on historical detection of changes in LCLU, which can hinder effective remedial outcomes due to potential differences in future changes to the landscape structure (Kgaphola et al, 2023;Ukhurebor et al, 2022;Bajocco et al, 2012).…”

A Simulated Assessment of Land Use and Carbon Storage Changes in the Yanqi Basin under Different Development Scenarios

“…They showed that LUCC in Vietnam is affected by economic development, population, and urbanization rate. Uncontrolled land development, climate change, and human activities are the primary factors contributing to land degradation in arid regions [33]. Shao et al [34] explored the critical LDD (land degradation) processes in the Heihe River Basin (HRB) during 1990-2010.…”

The extent, perceived causes and impacts of land use and land cover change in Tyhume Valley, South Africa

“…Previous studies in South Africa mapped LULC change and investigated drivers of land degradation by combining remote sensing with the perceptions of traditional leaders, environmental experts, and agricultural officials (Kgaphola et al, 2023;Musetsho et al, 2021;Chalmers and Fabricius, 2007). Other studies combined remote sensing and local perceptions to investigate specific or isolated LULC change phenomena such as bush encroachment and abandonment of cropland (Wigley et al, 2009;Blair et al, 2018).…”