Evaluation of Land Use and Land Cover Change and Its Drivers in Battambang Province, Cambodia from 1998 to 2018

Taingaun Sourn, Sophak Pok, Phanith Chou, Nareth Nut, Dyna Theng, Phanna Rath, Manuel R. Reyes and P.V. Vara Prasad
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Taingaun Sourn: Graduate School, Royal University of Agriculture, Phnom Penh 12400, Cambodia
Sophak Pok: Faculty of Land Management and Land Administration, Royal University of Agriculture, Phnom Penh 12400, Cambodia
Phanith Chou: Faculty of Development Studies, Royal University of Phnom Penh, Phnom Penh 12150, Cambodia
Nareth Nut: Graduate School, Royal University of Agriculture, Phnom Penh 12400, Cambodia
Dyna Theng: Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Royal University of Agriculture, Phnom Penh 12400, Cambodia
Phanna Rath: Faculty of Land Management and Land Administration, Royal University of Agriculture, Phnom Penh 12400, Cambodia
Manuel R. Reyes: Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab (SIIL), Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
P.V. Vara Prasad: Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab (SIIL), Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 20, 1-22

Abstract: The main objective of this research was to evaluate land use and land cover (LULC) change in Battambang province of Cambodia over the last two decades. The LULC maps for 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013 and 2018 were produced from Landsat satellite imagery using the supervised classification technique with the maximum likelihood algorithm. Each map consisted of seven LULC classes: built-up area, water feature, grassland, shrubland, agricultural land, barren land and forest cover. The overall accuracies of the LULC maps were 93%, 82%, 94%, 93% and 83% for 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013 and 2018, respectively. The LULC change results showed a significant increase in agricultural land, and a large decrease in forest cover. Most of the changes in both LULC types occurred during 2003–2008. Overall, agricultural land, shrubland, water features, built-up areas and barren land increased by 287,600 hectares, 58,600 hectares, 8300 hectares, 4600 hectares and 1300 hectares, respectively, while forest cover and grassland decreased by 284,500 hectares and 76,000 hectares respectively. The rate of LULC changes in the upland areas were higher than those in the lowland areas of the province. The main drivers of LULC change identified over the period of study were policy, legal framework and projects to improve economy, population growth, infrastructure development, economic growth, rising land prices, and climate and environmental change. Landmine clearance projects and land concessions resulted in a transition from forest cover and shrubland to agricultural land. Population and economic growth not only resulted in an increase of built-up area, but also led to increasing demand for agricultural land and rising land prices, which triggered the changes of other LULC types. This research provides a long-term and detailed analysis of LULC change together with its drivers, which is useful for decision-makers to make and implement better policies for sustainable land management.

Keywords: land use and land cover change; drivers; Cambodia; LULC; multi-temporal (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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