Analysis of Land Use and Land Cover Changes in the Assosa Important Plant Area, Western Ethiopia

This study investigates land use and land cover (LULC) changes and their implications for biodiversity conservation in the Assosa Important Plant Area (IPA), located in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Western Ethiopia. The research provides evidence to support conservation-oriented land-use planning in the Assosa peri-urban area, where natural habitats are increasingly affected by agricultural expansion, settlement growth, and land-use transformations. Remote sensing and GIS techniques were employed to analyze satellite imagery obtained from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and Copernicus Sentinel Hub for the period 2000–2024. LULC classes were derived using both supervised and unsupervised classification approaches, including Support Vector Machine (SVM), Maximum Likelihood Classification (MLC), and Random Forest (RF) algorithms, and were validated using field-based reference data. The results revealed substantial changes in land cover, particularly the expansion of built-up areas and rangeland at the expense of forested and agricultural land. These transformations were associated with habitat degradation, fragmentation, and increasing pressure on endemic plant species. Field observations further indicated a significant reduction in previously identified habitats of endemic orchids, with most of them being converted into cropland and settlement areas. The analysis also highlighted the role of land-use dynamics in shaping vegetation patterns, as reflected by NDVI trends over the study period. The study emphasizes the urgent need to integrate biodiversity conservation priorities into ongoing peri-urban land-use planning, ensuring that the ecological value of the Assosa IPA is preserved. Such integration is essential for maintaining ecosystem integrity and supporting sustainable development in regions experiencing rapid land-use change.