Anthropogenic Impacts on Land Use and Land Cover Change in Ombeyi wetland, Kisumu County, Kenya

Abstract

Land use and land cover change as a result of human-induced transitions is a major environmental challenge in Lake Victoria Basin. The study adopted a mixed-method consisting of remote sensing and GIS-based analysis, key informant interviews, and household survey consisting of 384 households to asses Land Use and Land Cover Dynamics and associated human-induced transformations in Ombeyi wetland. The study aimed at generating a characterized area estimate of Ombeyi wetlands land use and land cover change schema for the study period (1990-2017), and examining the spatial and temporal characteristics of anthropogenic impacts and their relationship with land use and land cover change in Ombeyi wetland. The gis-based analysis revealed that built-up area/settlements and agricultural lands extensively increased in area at the expense of wetland vegetation. Key informants attributed the changes to population increase (29.2%) and an associated demand for land and natural resources as the major driving forces for the changes. Analysis of household-survey results validated the observed patterns during the remotely sensed data analysis phase of the research, as 90.1% (n=384) of the respondents reported to own land within the wetland through inheritance. 92.2% of the respondents are farmers practicing farming in the wetland with 72.4% of the same respondents attaining primary level education and below. Poverty and education levels were significant factors in influencing unsustainable land use and land cover changes observed in this study. The present state of land cover and its dynamics have had negative impacts on the riparian rural livelihoods and natural resource management.