TITLE:
Geospatial Evaluation for Ecological Watershed Management II: Changes in Land Use—Land Cover Influence on Ecosystems Services
AUTHORS:
Isoken Aighewi, Ali Ishaque, Osarodion Nosakhare
KEYWORDS:
Land Use, Ecosystem Services, Ecological Health, GIS, Landsat, Wetlands, Surface Water
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geographic Information System,
Vol.6 No.3,
June
18,
2014
ABSTRACT: Ecosystem services are
a key to human survival and global sustainability. Consequently, there is the
need to avoid unscrupulous or unplanned land use practices that can compromise
these services in addition to the ongoing changes in the global climate whose
potentially negative impact are yet to be fully comprehended thus far. The
primary objective of this study was to evaluate the Land use—land cover changes of some Eastern Shore sub-watersheds of
Maryland from 1986-2006 and qualitatively assess the impact of the
changes on some key ecosystem services. Landsat-TM data for Maryland Eastern
Shore in the United States were analyzed in ENVI and ArcGIS environment and
data interpreted qualitatively. The result showed that forest lands increased
during the study period and thus enhanced carbon sequestration favorable for
mitigating global warming in the area. Also, the extent of surface water cover
increased slightly, possibly due to rising sea level and a thus a potential threat
to biodiversity and barrier islands nearby. There was also a significant
increase in urban lands due to population increase and thus increase in the
extent of impervious layers that could lead to reduced surface runoff and
increase the potential for surface water quality impairment; this could lead to
a reduction in the capacity of surface water ecosystem to provide
clean/recreational waters. The increase in the extent of surface water cover
was at the expense of the wetlands that shrunk, thereby threatening the coastal
ecosystem’s ability to provide services such as storm and wave protection,
nutrient cycling, and the protection of wildlife habitat. There was also a
decrease in the extent of Agricultural lands which could lead to loss of food
and fiber during the study period. There is therefore an urgent need to
formulate or intensify existing policies to regulate land use from an
ecological health standpoint in order to ensure sustainability of the various
ecosystems within the watersheds of the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland in the
US, and similar coastal locations elsewhere.