Land cover changes in the Upper Great Ruaha (Tanzania) and the Upper Awash (Ethiopia) river basins and their potential implications for groundwater resources

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cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Water Management Instituteen_US
cg.contributor.affiliationIndian Institute for Human Settlementsen_US
cg.contributor.affiliationWater Cycle Innovationen_US
cg.contributor.affiliationSokoine University of Agricultureen_US
cg.contributor.affiliationMekelle Universityen_US
cg.contributor.crpWater, Land and Ecosystemsen_US
cg.contributor.donorNatural Environment Research Council, United Kingdomen_US
cg.contributor.donorEconomic and Social Research Council, United Kingdomen_US
cg.coverage.countryEthiopiaen_US
cg.coverage.countryTanzaniaen_US
cg.coverage.iso3166-alpha2ETen_US
cg.coverage.iso3166-alpha2TZen_US
cg.coverage.regionSub-Saharan Africaen_US
cg.coverage.subregionUpper Great Ruaha River Basinen_US
cg.coverage.subregionUpper Awash River Basinen_US
cg.creator.identifierKiran M C: 0000-0002-5686-2334en_US
cg.creator.identifierKaren Grothe Villholth: 0000-0002-7552-6715en_US
cg.creator.identifierGebrehaweria Gebregziabher: 0000-0001-8315-9815en_US
cg.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.5337/2023.212en_US
cg.identifier.iwmilibraryH052252en_US
cg.isbn978-92-9090-952-1en_US
cg.issn1026-0862en_US
cg.placeColombo, Sri Lankaen_US
cg.reviewStatusPeer Reviewen_US
dc.contributor.authorChandrasekharan, Kiran M.en_US
dc.contributor.authorVillholth, Karen G.en_US
dc.contributor.authorKashaigili, J. J.en_US
dc.contributor.authorGebregziabher, Gebrehaweriaen_US
dc.contributor.authorMandela, P. J.en_US
dc.date.accessioned2023-10-09T12:48:45Zen_US
dc.date.available2023-10-09T12:48:45Zen_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/132176en_US
dc.titleLand cover changes in the Upper Great Ruaha (Tanzania) and the Upper Awash (Ethiopia) river basins and their potential implications for groundwater resourcesen_US
dcterms.abstractOver the past century, the world has experienced an unprecedented surge in population growth, accompanied by a significant increase in economic activity and fuelled by an intensive utilization of natural resources, including water. This phenomenon has brought about profound alterations in land cover and land use patterns across various regions. Knowledge of land use changes is key to unlocking an understanding of water use changes and associated impacts on water resources, and potential threats to sustainability. However, the pace and nature of land use transitions vary widely across the globe, shaped by a complex interplay of local, regional and global factors, making systematic assessments important. This report presents the results of a land cover change analysis conducted in two river basins in sub-Saharan Africa: the Upper Great Ruaha River Basin (UGRRB) in Tanzania and the Upper Awash River Basin (UARB) in Ethiopia. The spatio-temporal analysis spans a recent 15-20-year period up until 2015/16 and utilizes remote sensing imagery, secondary maps and ground truth information for the two end point times (resolution: 30 m). The basins are significantly different in terms of agricultural development and water resource use. UARB represents an area with emerging commercial farms, urban expansion and diminishing natural vegetation, whereas UGRRB still retains significant natural vegetation but is experiencing an increase in smallholder agriculture as well as intensive commercial irrigation potentially affecting fragile wetland systems. In UGRRB, surface water is the main source of irrigation water, while in UARB, groundwater resources are increasingly used for irrigation by smallholder farmers. The findings reveal a common overall trend in both basins that is similar to many low-income countries, illustrating an expansion of agricultural and irrigated areas and human settlements at the expense of natural land cover. The report presents a detailed systematic remote sensing-based methodology to quantify and compare land cover transitions in time and space with high resolution, within and between agricultural landscapes of larger basins. The study highlights that land cover changes in the basins follow diverse and unique trajectories, providing critical insights into evolving land use patterns. In its conclusion, the study underscores the profound implications of recent land use changes for groundwater resources within these agro-pastoral systems. Overall, the report highlights the importance of sustainable land management and integrated water resources management, and provides valuable insights into the complexities of land use change in these regions.en_US
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Accessen_US
dcterms.available2023en_US
dcterms.bibliographicCitationChandrasekharan, Kiran M.; Villholth, Karen G.; Kashaigili, J. J.; Gebregziabher, Gebrehaweria; Mandela, P. J. 2023. Land cover changes in the Upper Great Ruaha (Tanzania) and the Upper Awash (Ethiopia) river basins and their potential implications for groundwater resources. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 49p. (IWMI Research Report 184) [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2023.212]en_US
dcterms.extent49p.en_US
dcterms.isPartOfIWMI Research Report 184en_US
dcterms.issued2023-10-09en_US
dcterms.languageenen_US
dcterms.licenseCC-BY-4.0en_US
dcterms.publisherInternational Water Management Instituteen_US
dcterms.subjectland cover changeen_US
dcterms.subjectriver basinsen_US
dcterms.subjectgroundwateren_US
dcterms.subjectwater resourcesen_US
dcterms.subjectland cover mappingen_US
dcterms.subjectland use changeen_US
dcterms.subjecthuman settlementsen_US
dcterms.subjectrainfed farmingen_US
dcterms.subjectirrigated farmingen_US
dcterms.subjectirrigated areas varietyen_US
dcterms.subjectgrasslandsen_US
dcterms.subjectwoodlandsen_US
dcterms.subjectforest plantationsen_US
dcterms.subjectwetlandsen_US
dcterms.subjectcatchment areasen_US
dcterms.subjectvegetation indexen_US
dcterms.subjectmoisture indexen_US
dcterms.subjectremote sensingen_US
dcterms.subjectlandsaten_US
dcterms.subjectsatellite imageryen_US
dcterms.subjectdatasetsen_US
dcterms.subjectalgorithmsen_US
dcterms.subjecttrendsen_US
dcterms.subjectclimate changeen_US
dcterms.subjecturbanizationen_US
dcterms.typeReporten_US

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